Lincoln Beach Floatilla 8-28-09

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Today started out bad. Got worse. But ended up pretty good over all. Had a headlight go out on the way south to Lincoln Beach. No biggie. But, when my tube blew off the top of my car...fully loaded...it was a big deal. Front rope came undone and the tube lifted up and tore loose from the other tie downs. Lit in the fast lane and a couple of trucks pretty well creamed it before I could dodge traffic and recover it. Smashed my new Humminbird sonar too. Bummer. Big bummer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe is the greatest. She offered to let me go out in her tube and she would fish off the dike so I could be with the other members of the floatilla. What a girl. Of course I accepted so that I wouldn't hurt her feelings.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]ParrMark, 4 luv of fishing, Hnaf, Tube Ike and albinotrout all drove up before about 6:30. Tubes and toons were prepped and launched. Steve (4luv) launched his bass boat. LloydE and his old friend "Tug" showed up just after 7 and launched in Lloyd's motorized raft.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water was 71 degrees and glass at daybreak. Not even a whisper of a breeze all morning long. Livin' right...but that does not explain the smashed tube. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I got the first fish jinx out of the way with a white bass. Then a couple more. Tube Ike caught the first catfish...about a 20 incher. He was pumped.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After that everybody pretty well spread out all over the southern flats away from the dike and close to the reeds along the south. Everybody was catching a few white bass. A few folks got into some kitties.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked hard to scratch out a limit of 8 cats just before 10 and headed for shore to hand off the tube to TubeBabe so she could have a shot at some of the action. She had only managed one white bass from shore.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All in all, I got about a dozen white bass and kept a half dozen for my sis in law. The cats were mostly cookies, but I did have a chunky 20, a 23 and a 24 incher. Those larger cats fought a lot bigger than they were. Fun, fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most of us came in just after 11 and headed for the cleaning station. I fired up my trusty little 12 volt electric fillet knife and put those kitties on a crash weight loss program. Ended up with a good batch of fillets and returned to the covered tables. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got TubeBabe in off the water. She had scored 3 quick kitties and lost a couple of more. No doubt she would have gotten a lot more if she had more time on the water. In fact, the only reason I got all the cats I did was because I was in her tube with the pink rod holder. All the cats thought I was her and cooperated. Boy were they surprised when it was me holding the net.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry I didn't get pictures of LloydE and Tug. They caught a few kitties but did not get back in until I had traded my camera for the fillet knife. Ditto for Steve (4luv). He also got several decent cats. And, ly, ParrMark had to go retrieve TubeBabe while I was getting the fish on the fryer so I did not immortalize her contribution. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We fired up the propane fryer, filled the pan with peanut oil and crispicated a whole bunch of fish fillets. Not many survivors. Thanks to the folks who brought salads, drinks, dessert, etc. It was all a good contribution and made a good meal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fun fun.[/#0000ff]
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[FOD]

BUMMER, I cant believe you would have all the bad and good luck for the day...... well you took it pretty well considering the loss of an expensive fishing tool. Hats off to tubebabe she is a real keeper Pat. I think that is awesome to have a girl like that. How much did you bribe her to let you ride the girls bike?
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[tlarson]

hey tube dude i have a toon i could let you borrow if you would like its sitting taking up room its 9 foot and has elec trolling motor until you get another tube
let me know

todd
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[doggonefishin]

Oh dear!
My professional opinion is that your cat is in very serious condition indeed. (Real) Cats often suffer bladder ruptures when hit by car. Hopefully yours did not.

Seriously, sorry to hear about this misfortune. Are you going back to the H3 until the new one arrives?
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[TubeDude]

[quote tlarson]hey tube dude i have a toon i could let you borrow if you would like its sitting taking up room its 9 foot and has elec trolling motor until you get another tube
let me know

todd[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the kindly offer, but I am not "grounded". I have my old "JAWS" tube still in the storage area. Fished it for several years but it is still water worthy. It will keep me afloat until I find a good deal on a newer model.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The cover split out in 2 or 3 places. The main valve was shattered and the bladder deflated. The seat bladders came through fine. Needless to say, there were shards of PVC all over the road. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sold the H3s long ago. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Going to refit the old model SFC until I get a good deal on a new one.[/#0000ff]
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[lavaman]

Oh man, sorry to hear about you losing your tube and sonar!! Looks like you caught a few anyway, looks like nothing can stop you from hookin' and cookin' em.

You can always use my hummin' bird sonar if you'd like. Haven't used it all summer. I guess it's waiting for ice season to get under way! It does the job well for not being a 'newer model'.
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[TubeDude]

You can always use my hummin' bird sonar if you'd like. Haven't used it all summer.

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the offer, Bro. But, in spite of being a bit scratched up from "road rash", I think my sonar is still working okay. I need to rebuild some of the PVC connectors but the preliminary checkout on the water yesterday looks like it still functions. Tough unit. Not sure I could survive the same treatment.[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

I was wondering what that loud screaming, followed by uncontrolled sobbing, that woke me from a deep sleep yesterday morning, was. Now I know. Sorry for your loss Pat.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the sentiments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sorry for disturbing your beauty sleep. You need it.[/#0000ff]
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[WaveWolf]

[#500000]Well, you could be in the slammer for not having your load secured......You might have gotten skunked.....I see a new model tube in your future....I also see a chance to get high on pvc glue in a rebuild session.............Bad Luck?..........WW.[/#500000]
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[hollynkait]

I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences. [:/]

That aside, sounds like you had a better day than we did at willard. Went in the evening and not ONE boil. The most exciting part of our night was my brother snagging a line on the bottom, he brought up a lure and was pulling on the line as it was dragging the line snapped. There had to be a pole on the other end of that line, but never did get to see.
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[TubeDude]

[quote WaveWolf][#500000]Well, you could be in the slammer for not having your load secured......You might have gotten skunked.....I see a new model tube in your future....I also see a chance to get high on pvc glue in a rebuild session.............Bad Luck?..........WW.[/#500000][/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Every silver lining has a cloud...or something like that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PVC glue? I don't inhale.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]You guys must be some kind of masochists. You keep going back to Willard, just to prove it is as bad as it was the last time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Seriously, I return the condolences. Sorry you got skunked (again) and that your brother was not able to get to the treasure on the other end of that line. There are a lot of rods in that lake that have been yanked over the side by big fish during a moment of daydreaming or whatever.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Don't feel too bad. There are a lot of Willard "experts" who have had problems this year.[/#0000ff]
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[hollynkait]

we actually went out there wednesday night and was able to get into a few boils. Only got 2 fish, but we thought we'd try again. This time no boils.

yea dad pulled a fly rod out of there already lol. was hoping to add another to our collection lol
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I read your report on the Wednesday night trip...and the "lady tangler" thing. Thought I had better not make any comments.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then there was the "ear ornament" episode on Strawberry. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Sounds like you are living under some kind of dark fishing cloud. Soooooo....if you would like me to go fishing with you, please hesitate to ask. I gots enough problems of my own right now thank you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, let me know when you have worked off all the bad juju and I will show Kait how to catch some fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, about the rods. Always nice to dredge up a lost rig that has not been in the water too long. But, most of us prefer to shop a bit more carefully for something that suits us better. Not as likely to get tangled just when the wipers start boiling.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff](Sorry. I'm bad.)[/#0000ff]
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[darth_fisher]

Man the fishing sounds awesome, not everything leading up to it though. I need to get out when you guys head down to Utah Lake and learn the ropes.

I bought a tube a while ago but haven't got the use out of it.
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[hollynkait]

[frown]
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Welcome aboard. If you wanna be kept in the loop of the tubing group plans you should be hanging out over on [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?forum=81"][#314fb1]Float Tubing General[/#314fb1][/url] . We have lots of Utah members on the tubing board and vice versa.

Don't you know it is against regulations to buy a float tube and not use it?

And, even though the cats get pretty big down there, we never have to use "ropes".
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[TubeDude]

[] [#0000ff]Sorry[/#0000ff]
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