11-18-2006, 12:08 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Got tired of waiting for Mama Nature to quit being such a mother. Loaded up the tubes and Da Babe and I headed for Rock Cliff. Got there about daybreak. Air temp 27, water temp at launch 44. When we left at 2 PM the air had warmed to 51 and the water to 46.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The ramp is out of water, but you could still launch a boat off the side...if you are good...and lucky. A nice launch area for tubes and toons. There were three others that joined us on the water later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On the water just after 8 and playing with hatchery pets within a few minutes of the first cast. Throwing spinners, both TubeBabe and myself got lots of whacks and brought a few scrappy little bows to the tube. We were fishing in only a few feet of water, right out from the ramp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kicked over to the far (south) side and prospected there for a few minutes. The cold water coming in from the river dropped the water temp to 35 and I could see no fish on sonar. So, I started kicking up the lake, in the calm morning conditions. Thought I would try to find some perch in deeper water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got clear past the buoys and in over 40 feet of water before seeing any perchkind on the sonar. Couldn't buy a bite on several different jigs. Finally, out in the trees, at 45 feet, I hooked and lost two perch in a row to the tree branches. Bite, hookset, several reel turns and then the tops of the trees. Score...perch and trees 2, TubeDude 0. Broke off on the second fish and gave up. I'll go back for a rematch when the ice is on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Worked back into shallow water, where TubeBabe was still pesterin' the planters. She did have a couple of 14"ers that were chunky and suitable for the fillet board. I wanted to find a brown and a cutt to complete a trout trifecta. Had caught a couple of cutts previously in there, but not a brown. I was due.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After changing around with different jigs, I finally tied on the white glitter roadrunner with a yellow eye that has been doing so well for me this year. Got a couple of bitty bows before I felt a solid CHOMP. I set the hook and lost about 20 yards of the 4# line off my light reel. This weren't no planter. Turned out to be a 24" brown. A bit thin, after the spawn, but a pretty fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fished another couple of hours but couldn't score a cutt to finish the day. Still, had a good time, in spite of the leak in the right foot of my neoprenes. Can you say frigid digits?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For those who like bank tanglin', there were a couple of guys there early, fishing off the steep dirt bank past the first minor point to the west of the parking area. We saw them bring in several fish, including one they guessed might be 4 pounds. Didn't get close enough to observe what they were using, but they were soaking bait of some kind. The depth in that area is about 20 feet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are a bajillion small trout up in the top of the Rock Cliff arm right now. Our sonar screens were full of them constantly and we got lots of hits. Throwing bait or spinners off the bank would probably produce some decent action if you need to get out of the house for a couple of hours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The ramp is out of water, but you could still launch a boat off the side...if you are good...and lucky. A nice launch area for tubes and toons. There were three others that joined us on the water later.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On the water just after 8 and playing with hatchery pets within a few minutes of the first cast. Throwing spinners, both TubeBabe and myself got lots of whacks and brought a few scrappy little bows to the tube. We were fishing in only a few feet of water, right out from the ramp.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I kicked over to the far (south) side and prospected there for a few minutes. The cold water coming in from the river dropped the water temp to 35 and I could see no fish on sonar. So, I started kicking up the lake, in the calm morning conditions. Thought I would try to find some perch in deeper water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Got clear past the buoys and in over 40 feet of water before seeing any perchkind on the sonar. Couldn't buy a bite on several different jigs. Finally, out in the trees, at 45 feet, I hooked and lost two perch in a row to the tree branches. Bite, hookset, several reel turns and then the tops of the trees. Score...perch and trees 2, TubeDude 0. Broke off on the second fish and gave up. I'll go back for a rematch when the ice is on.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Worked back into shallow water, where TubeBabe was still pesterin' the planters. She did have a couple of 14"ers that were chunky and suitable for the fillet board. I wanted to find a brown and a cutt to complete a trout trifecta. Had caught a couple of cutts previously in there, but not a brown. I was due.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After changing around with different jigs, I finally tied on the white glitter roadrunner with a yellow eye that has been doing so well for me this year. Got a couple of bitty bows before I felt a solid CHOMP. I set the hook and lost about 20 yards of the 4# line off my light reel. This weren't no planter. Turned out to be a 24" brown. A bit thin, after the spawn, but a pretty fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fished another couple of hours but couldn't score a cutt to finish the day. Still, had a good time, in spite of the leak in the right foot of my neoprenes. Can you say frigid digits?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]For those who like bank tanglin', there were a couple of guys there early, fishing off the steep dirt bank past the first minor point to the west of the parking area. We saw them bring in several fish, including one they guessed might be 4 pounds. Didn't get close enough to observe what they were using, but they were soaking bait of some kind. The depth in that area is about 20 feet.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are a bajillion small trout up in the top of the Rock Cliff arm right now. Our sonar screens were full of them constantly and we got lots of hits. Throwing bait or spinners off the bank would probably produce some decent action if you need to get out of the house for a couple of hours.[/#0000ff]
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