09-08-2007, 09:47 AM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I had planned all week to hit Jordanelle on Friday...our only fishing day for the week. At the last minute, we opted to make our last trip to Starvation for the year. Got there about 6 AM and we were set up and fishing shortly after 6:30.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We parked clear at the end of old Hwy 40, in Rabbit Gulch...right where it goes down into the water. Good launching spots all over. The water level has not dropped much in the last two weeks. Guess the water users are about through for the year. The lake still looks terrible with all of the exposed shoreline from this summer's drawdown.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp was mid 40s and water temp was 67 at launch...only warming to about 70 by our 1:30 departure. There was some turbidity in the water, probably from this weeks rains. From all of the washing and the remaining puddles along the road, it looks like Starvation got some serious rain.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Had a showy "smoke rise". The sun came up through the haze of smoke being blown south from Idaho fires. Red sky at morning...it was still a nice day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fishing started slow...a few dink perch and small smallies. We both noted that the fish were pale and washed out looking. Could be from the lower iight penetration in the murkier water. There was a steady northwest breeze, as is customary for Starvation for a while each morning. That made touch fishing more difficult.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe worked north, toward the shallow end, and I worked south, along the rocky steep banks. Saw lots of fish on sonar but the icons all had their little mouths closed. Small perch and smallies here and there. No walleyes all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I gravitated back to near our launch point and tried fishing in the area where she had scored some nice fish a couple of weeks ago. Still nothing but medium sizers, with the occasional basket fish. But, none of the toads we have been able to catch in the past.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several weeks ago, on one of our trips, a trio of brown ducks spied TubeBabe out in her tube and swam out to check her out. She befriended them with some of her sunflower seeds. On this trip they recognized her and hurried out for a handout. She didn't have anything for them so they came over to check me out. I felt bad because I had nothing either and they looked so hungry and forlorn. So, I broke off some bits of the crust from my sandwich and shared with the duckies. Bad move. I had a heck of a time getting rid of them after I wanted to get back to fishing. They kept swimming around and around my tube, pecking at everything that looked interesting, including the yellow foam ring arond my fish basket. I finally had to whack the water with my fishing rod a couple of times to convince them that I didn't wanna hang with them all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The breeze went away about 9:30 and the lake turned to glass. Stayed nice the rest of the day. That made it easier to fish the light finesse style that sometimes is necessary to attract the porky perch when they are playing hard to get. I tied on a new design red glitter roadrunner head, attached one of my deadly red and chartreuse tube jigs, sweetened it with a bit of crawler and went to work. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got a couple of decent perch in quick order and told TubeBabe to dig one of those out of her box. She couldn't find any. I had added some new stuff to her stash but that was the one thing I forgot to add. She thunk I done it apurpose. Who, Me? I rigged her up out of my supply and sent her out to do battle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Went back to fishing and good karma kicked in. Dropped to the bottom in 15 feet of water and WHAM CITY! First thought I had a nice walleye. Lots of headshakes. But, then it took off on a long run. Big smallie? Several power dives and long runs later I put the net under a chunky 21" brownie. Yeeee hawwww.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We both got a few decent fish after that but not enough to get excited about a return trip in the near future. I think the low water has moved most of the quality perch and the walleye out to the main lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Couldn't complain about the weather. Road was unable to join us on this trip so we really had very little wind. Just after noon a couple of wimpy clouds looked up over the horizon, just to see if Marty was with us so they could come play. But, when they didn't see him they went away.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The last picture is of some "Easter rocks" that were waiting for us at the edge of the water at our launch spot. Reminded us of the olden days when we took paints with us to help keep the kids amused when they were younger. Painting rocks was a favorite pastime for bored youngsters. Somebody's kids had left us a pretty welcome mat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We parked clear at the end of old Hwy 40, in Rabbit Gulch...right where it goes down into the water. Good launching spots all over. The water level has not dropped much in the last two weeks. Guess the water users are about through for the year. The lake still looks terrible with all of the exposed shoreline from this summer's drawdown.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Air temp was mid 40s and water temp was 67 at launch...only warming to about 70 by our 1:30 departure. There was some turbidity in the water, probably from this weeks rains. From all of the washing and the remaining puddles along the road, it looks like Starvation got some serious rain.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Had a showy "smoke rise". The sun came up through the haze of smoke being blown south from Idaho fires. Red sky at morning...it was still a nice day.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fishing started slow...a few dink perch and small smallies. We both noted that the fish were pale and washed out looking. Could be from the lower iight penetration in the murkier water. There was a steady northwest breeze, as is customary for Starvation for a while each morning. That made touch fishing more difficult.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe worked north, toward the shallow end, and I worked south, along the rocky steep banks. Saw lots of fish on sonar but the icons all had their little mouths closed. Small perch and smallies here and there. No walleyes all day.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe and I gravitated back to near our launch point and tried fishing in the area where she had scored some nice fish a couple of weeks ago. Still nothing but medium sizers, with the occasional basket fish. But, none of the toads we have been able to catch in the past.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Several weeks ago, on one of our trips, a trio of brown ducks spied TubeBabe out in her tube and swam out to check her out. She befriended them with some of her sunflower seeds. On this trip they recognized her and hurried out for a handout. She didn't have anything for them so they came over to check me out. I felt bad because I had nothing either and they looked so hungry and forlorn. So, I broke off some bits of the crust from my sandwich and shared with the duckies. Bad move. I had a heck of a time getting rid of them after I wanted to get back to fishing. They kept swimming around and around my tube, pecking at everything that looked interesting, including the yellow foam ring arond my fish basket. I finally had to whack the water with my fishing rod a couple of times to convince them that I didn't wanna hang with them all day.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The breeze went away about 9:30 and the lake turned to glass. Stayed nice the rest of the day. That made it easier to fish the light finesse style that sometimes is necessary to attract the porky perch when they are playing hard to get. I tied on a new design red glitter roadrunner head, attached one of my deadly red and chartreuse tube jigs, sweetened it with a bit of crawler and went to work. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Got a couple of decent perch in quick order and told TubeBabe to dig one of those out of her box. She couldn't find any. I had added some new stuff to her stash but that was the one thing I forgot to add. She thunk I done it apurpose. Who, Me? I rigged her up out of my supply and sent her out to do battle.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Went back to fishing and good karma kicked in. Dropped to the bottom in 15 feet of water and WHAM CITY! First thought I had a nice walleye. Lots of headshakes. But, then it took off on a long run. Big smallie? Several power dives and long runs later I put the net under a chunky 21" brownie. Yeeee hawwww.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We both got a few decent fish after that but not enough to get excited about a return trip in the near future. I think the low water has moved most of the quality perch and the walleye out to the main lake.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Couldn't complain about the weather. Road was unable to join us on this trip so we really had very little wind. Just after noon a couple of wimpy clouds looked up over the horizon, just to see if Marty was with us so they could come play. But, when they didn't see him they went away.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The last picture is of some "Easter rocks" that were waiting for us at the edge of the water at our launch spot. Reminded us of the olden days when we took paints with us to help keep the kids amused when they were younger. Painting rocks was a favorite pastime for bored youngsters. Somebody's kids had left us a pretty welcome mat.[/#0000ff]
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