Rainbow Bay Rainbows 9-28-09

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]The weather forecast for the week does not look good for tubers. TubeBabe and I figured we would sneak in a quick trip at Deer Creek to get our fishing fix for the week. Good move.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We usually go to the Island. Today we decided to cart our tubes down to the water at Rainbow Bay. Good move. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We were fearful of the dreaded W after getting "breezed" all the way up Provo Canyon. There was a good ripple on the water when we launched just after 7:30 but it never became problematic. In fact it was like glass most of the morning. Good move.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp was just over 40 at launch and water temps were still up about 62...warming a couple of degrees before we came in about noon. Still a bit warm for peak troutin' activity, but there were lots of trollers out to harvest what they could. The tle of pop gear across the water was blinding.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fall is fallin' all over the place. Lots of color on the hillsides. Timpanogos was wearing a purty fall dress with lots of reds, oranges and yellows among the summer green still left over. Brang a lump to yer throat just to look around at all the purtifuls.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Found only dinkster perchettes in shallow water. Bait stealin' little buggers. Couldn't even put a hook in any of them to teach them a lesson. They already knew plenty.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Kicked out into deeper water and started seeing trouty looking fishy marks at about the 20 to 25 foot level in water over 30 feet deep. Out went the bubbles and flies. Down went the rod tips. Game on. TubeBabe and I both had fairly constant whacks on our "bubble bugs" (flies) tipped with a piece of crawler. We each brought in a few nice feisty 'bows in the 15 to 17 inch range. Bang, zing, jump, thrash, roll and net. Released some a little smaller. I kept a limit of 4 colorful cuties and TubeBabe kept 3. Oh yeah, I also caught one fatty 11 inch perch on a marmalady fly fished about 20 feet deep in 75 feet of water. I think he was .[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not sure which is worse...the power squadron or the floatilla of fudds out in their pontoon boats dragging pop gear on leadcore line. Those old $%[url "mailto:$%#@$"]#@$[/url] would run right over us all morning long. Every time one of us would bring in a fish the pontoon patrol would drag their gear right through us, trying to pick up any fish we might have missed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were quite a few trout being netted among the boating contingent. Saw several taken close to us and overheard chatter both across the water and on the walkie talkies about successful trouters. But, we didn't see any of the bank tanglers bring in any fish and they left early.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The incoming weather front will probably take the water temps down below 60 degrees. That should bring the trout up even higher in the water column. Hopefully it puts the walleyes on the prowl too. I couldn't find anything on sonar or lures today that even sniffed of walleye.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The drive back down Provo Canyon brought tears to our eyes. Purty purty purty. We stopped near the entrance to Sundance and took the last picture. Everywhere ya look is a prizewinner.[/#0000ff]
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[MacFisher]

I have to say some of the bigger rainbows I have caught out of Deer Creek have been in there. They are all over the place. But so are the people. My dad and I trolled through there and constantly had to avoid being cut off or veering off our course to go around people to not cut them off. That place is getting more and more crowded. But still fun to catch those bows.
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[Weekend_Warrior]

Another Great Story!!!! Pretty pics too. Glad you got a few! I think DC will only improve in coming years!
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[AFDan52]

Great photos Pat , you always take good pictures. Sorry that you had to deal with those folks like that . Some people just don't get it. Anyway Thanks for sharing.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks Dan. Glad you like the pics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just "maintained my ascendancy" when those nut jobs trolled over the top of me. They would mostly look away, pretending I did not exist. But, once in a while one would glare at me as if to challenge my right to even be on HIS lake. Never an apology. Never any effort to change course or to avoid me. I just shook my head and restrained my natural tendency to say something incredibly witty but cutting. Intelligent responses would be wasted on those dimbulbs.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks Kyle. With the high water levels back in Deer Creek I believe it will indeed be a better fishery in the next year or two. The rainbows from DC have always been a favorite with me. Good sized, hard fighters and always good red flesh for the table.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In years past there has usually been a short time before snow and ice when the bigger bows go on the prowl near the surface. I know a couple of guys last year who had 20 fish days with bows over 4 pounds. And, the occasional big brownie in the mix sure doesn't ruin the day.[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

Purty pictures and glad you got into some. Sad that the boaters can't stir wide of you. The boaters have the whole lake to fish and then for them to crowd those fishing from the bank or from tubes is extremely poor manners. I try my best to steer wide. It hasn't been that many years ago when I was stuck fishing from the shore and I still remember the frustration of those in the boats feeling that I somehow had found the best place on the entire reservoir and they were determined to share it with me.
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[LloydE]

Nice report Pat, and the pictures were beautiful!

Cherie and I should have gone to Deer Creek instead of camping in the Uintah's. We went to stay at Washington Lake Campground and found it closed for the season. We decided to camp in the wilderness, and so we camped several miles down from Washington Lake in an area near the Provo River. On the second day I decided to fish for an hour or two at Trial Lake. The lake was extremely low. I forgot to take my rod holder, and made the mistake of taking two rods with me. One of my best fishing rods and reels got away from me and fell into the deep water. I tried to dredge it up with my anchor, but it was a waste of time. It now belongs to the mermaids in Trial Lake. That was only one of several "bad" things that happened to us on that trip, but I won't bore you with all the details. This was one trip where I felt that we should have stayed home!

Those flies of yours work great. I want to see how you fish them sometime.
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[lavaman]

Pat those are fantastic pics. I know exactly where you're coming from when you talk about those rude boaters. Sometimes it's just simply unbelievable. Same thing happened to me at Mantua last Saturday; we shouldn't be allowed to have so much fun! I even had a big 'ol treble hook ready for the next time I got 'buzzed', but alas...the situation never materialized.

Anywho...thanks for sharing the report and pics.
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[ripnlip]

Damn them old guys in their big pontoon boats.....[:p][laugh]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sorry you had such a "memorable" trip. Bummer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, the flies DO work. I am tieing up a complete series of "bubble bugs"...not only in proven patterns but in some new hot colors, like the chartreuse one in the picture. They include hot orange, hot pink, chartreuse, fluorescent white, etc. They all include Krystal Flash tails and metallic ribbing...gold or silver. Those silly troutskis love them.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[quote ripnlip]Damn them old guys in their big pontoon boats.....[:p][laugh][/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah. Cain't figger out whether rude dudes prefer pontoons...or whether owning a pontoon turns a nice guy into a rude dude.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Of course there are SOME exceptions. Maybe it just takes time to transform a nice guy into an insensitive jerk, but you still SEEM to be okay. I would fish with you in your pontoon again. Might even go looking for some float tubers to harass.[/#0000ff]
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[pkred]

Looks like a fun trip PAT. I knew I should have played hookey from work and went fishing yesterday. What were the hot colors on your flies? I always drag a worm around the DC, but i think I might try out your fly @ depth next time im there. Great report and pics.
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[TubeDude]

[quote pkred]Looks like a fun trip PAT. I knew I should have played hookey from work and went fishing yesterday. What were the hot colors on your flies? I always drag a worm around the DC, but i think I might try out your fly @ depth next time im there. Great report and pics.[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I both caught most of our fish on the "gold marmalady" (see pic yesterday. We each caught one and had several more hits on the "white rainbow". I also caught one on a chartreuse bubble bug with red hook and red head. No pic.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As soon as the water cools down, the "Halloween" colors start working very well...black and orange. I catch trout on them in all of the trout ponds...Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Scofield, Huntington, etc. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The way we fish the flies with a DEEP bubble is like slow motion downriggers. We have to work out the combination of length of cast, time to sink, speed of kicking, etc. Then we stop periodically and speed up once in a while to get the fly up and down through the water column. Sometimes it pays to just start a slow retrieve back in...especially to check for algae on the line. It was bad again yesterday (see pic) and the fish would not hit the fly if there was a line of green goo ahead of it on the leader.[/#0000ff]
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[richyy31]

great looking flies. Where can i pick up a few of those? you selling? PM me if interested
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[TubeDude]

[quote richyy31]great looking flies. Where can i pick up a few of those? you selling? PM me if interested[/quote]

[cool][#0000ff]I know the guy who makes them. He is a cantankerous old SOB but if you get him on a good day he might sell a few...reasonable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PM sent[/#0000ff]
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[tlspyder13]

Hey I have some imitations of those somewhere I tied up last year. Looks like it's time to pull them back out or make some more.

With being awake for three days with this headache me and those boaters could have turned out to be a lot of fun to watch. I have almost a ounce of lead with a hook that likes to ride in other peoples boats for some reason.[:p]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have become pretty good at "lead-head" too...bouncing a lead sinker off the head of those idiots. But, I have mellowed a bit with age and I have come to recognize situations in which I would cause myself more grief than I could derive satisfaction from taking retaliatory action. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's why I did not fire off my RPG. Those pontoons were just too close and I hate having to clean blood spatters off my tube and tackle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yep, just about an anniversary of those trips we made at Rock Cliff last year. The black and orange fluff bugs were a big hit with the local residents. That orange jig you were using put a hurtin' on them too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Speakin' of hurtin'. Good luck with the headaches.[/#0000ff]
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[pkred]

Hmmm looks like I could use some funk in my fly box. PM sent.
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[Crimson]

Nice report and great pictures! I fish the shore on the south side of Rainbow almost out to the point. I am amazed how close to me fishing boats will park. Well within my casting distance. I try not to let it bother me.

I'm mainly interested in the set up you have to get your pontoons down to the water. You've probably told about them before, but like to know if you bought them or made them yourself?
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