Afternoon Delight on Jordanelle

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I generally prefer to hit the water about daybreak. Two reasons. The fish are generally more active in early morning and there is usually little wind on most waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't have a choice yesterday. TubeBabe couldn't get away until about noon, so we got a LATE start. Didn't get launched at Rock Cliff until about 2 PM. Air temp 60 and water temp 50. Surprising amount of boat traffic and bank tangler activity for midweek. One big enclosed houseboat parked right at the Provo River inlet and several smaller boats either anchored or trolling. Still some small boats launching off the south side of the old road down below the out-of-water ramp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I made my first cast as soon as I reached about 6 feet or water. My bubble and fly rig got whacked hard and a feisty hatchery pet rainbow made a couple of jumps before forgetting how to hang on and losing the fly. But, that was the last hit I had for a half hour. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe stayed mostly in the 6-8 foot water, and caught a few cookie cutter planters under 14"...mostly on the bubble and fly. I worked over to the steep south shoreline, which was still in the shade, with the low angle of the winter sun. Surprisingly cool in that shade. There were frozen springs at the edge of the lake in a couple of places.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I got into a couple of areas that had a lot of willing little troutskis and whacked a bunch on both the bubble and fly and on some of my spinner creations. Didn't get any bows over about 14 inches, but I did get to play with a big ol' brown for a few minutes. He grabbed my spinner, on my ultralight outfit and abused me pretty badly. Got him close enough to the tube to get a good look at him a couple of times, but he finally got tired of messin' with me and arranged his "conservation release". Probably 20 plus inches and purty colors.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It gets dark early now. We started toward the ramp about 5 and witnessed some wacko in a kayako practicing rolls in the chilly water. He was bundled up in what looked like a dry suit, and would roll over and stay under for as long as he could before rolling back up. At one point, one of the guys in a dinky tin boat, anchored across the channel, screamed at us to "Help that guy. He turned over." Guess they had never been exposed to wacky yakkers. TubeBabe speculated that the guy must be practicing for a trip to Alaska in the cold water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As far as I know, everybody fishing Rock Cliffs last night caught fish. Saw lots of bitty bows being hauled into boats and up onto the bank. One dad with two kids was really showing the kids a good time. Sounded like they would be fishermen forever.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All the fish we caught are still swimming. Hope they get some size on them before we meet them again. For recent plants they do have some spunk and energy. Lots of fun on light tackle. Good place to take the kids while the weather is still nice.[/#0000ff]
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[macfly55]

TD,

even if you got out on the water at a time you considered late it looks like you two had a good time..

.. love the pics of the "frozen flow" and the crazy kayaker..

thanks for keeping my imagination alive with your story and pics..

MacFly [cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Glad you appreciate my "photo journalism". I have always believed that a trip is more than just harvesting fish...and that pictures should be more than just a collection of dead fish at the end of the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The trouble is that too few anglers take a camera with them, and most of those only shoot the dead fish they bring to shore and plan to take home. On most of my trips there are lots of "photo ops" that help others to fully appreciate the total experience of that trip. It also helps us to enjoy them even more when we look back at them later.[/#0000ff]
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[macfly55]

...just keep doing it the way you do it.. it is sometimes the highlight of my day to sit and read one of "photo journal" reports.. Ive always been a visual person so when a story is supplemented with pictures it makes it much more enjoyable for me..

... hmmmm maybe I can get santa wife to get me a decent camera for christmas?? []

MacFly [cool]
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[IrishFloatTube]

Keep them coming TD.
Your reports & pics are appreciated by all us "lurkers" even when we don't pop up to post thx. []
Norm
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Lurkers always welcome. Report posting is appreciated but not a requirement for being a BFT tuber.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you enjoy our stuff over on your side of the big pond.[/#0000ff]
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[swedishfish]

Enjoyed the post. I still can't get over how low the water is.

Did you go looking for perch or bass at all this trip? Just curious if you ventured out into deeper water and if your sonar showed anything?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Just like our last trip, did not have a lot of time, so did not go as far as I might have liked to. I did make it to the buoy line. Only 30 feet of water where it is usually over 50 at this time of year. Saw a few fish on the sonar but they all acted like the Yuba fish...closed mouths and upraised middle fins on the sonar screen.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'm guessing that the perch are in fullblown winter retreat. They could be as deep as 50-60 feet right now and that will not change until freezeup.[/#0000ff]
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