Huntington Tiger Tamin' 10-23-09

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]LloydE and myself met up with AnglerDan and Hnaf on the shores of Huntington Lake this morning to play with the tigers. Lovely calm dawn, with glassy water and a purty pink tint on the hilltops. A few fish were making small sipping swirls to get our anglers' hearts started. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp was a balmy 31 and the water temp was a COOL 43. The cold water took a toll on a couple of our group early. Once your feet get chilled it's all over.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Started with a spinner while dragging a fly behind a bubble. Got hits on both but couldn't hook up. Switched to two rods with fly and bubble. Several more ding dings and no pulldowns. Finally started getting some hookups...on "footlongs" I released about six of those before bringing in anything larger. Changed fly patterns, colors of "Easter eggs" (colored bubbles), length of leaders, speed of kicking etc. Kept getting lots of light hits but you had to finesse them to get them to come back and take solid. Oranges and blacks worked early. When they slowed down I switched to a purty purple bugger and caught one of my biggest tigers of the day...just over sixteen inches and a real jumper.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Did some bottom bouncing with a pale perch roadrunner and caught a couple on that. Then the wind started kicking up and it was tough to fish efficiently with the light bite. Rigged up a jig and fly to drag on the bottom. GAME ON. Got my last few fish on the jig or the fly.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hnaf was the first cold casualty. But, at least he left with some fish. LloydE hit the shore as soon as he finished his 4 fish limit, partly because he was cold and partly because one of his air chambers was getting a little soggy. Better safe than sorry. This old man stuck it out for awhile and probably caught the most fish. Since TubeBabe is coming home tonight and ordered a fish dinner I kept 4 tigerettes for the table. But Lloyd got big fish honors with the first fish of the day. So much for first fish jinx.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were a couple of small boats launched at the ramp, but I would not suggest launching anything very big. Water is dropping and not too much left at the end of the ramp before it drops off.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Several bank tanglers. A couple seemed to be scoring some nice tigers soaking minnows. I tried minnows today in deeper water and did not get a bite on them. Tipped jigs with crawler worked best.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That steady breeze from the west and the constant clouds made for a chilly session on the pond. The fishing was slower than it usually is this time of year and we didn't get any brightly colored tigers. All we got were the washed out ones. Still fun. Lots of fight and most fish jumped several times. [/#0000ff]
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[albinotrout]

Sounded fun, too bad I had to miss it. I will now wait until spring to go.[:/]
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[Kent]

Sounds like a decent trip. Seeing any of that ramp under water this time of year is encouraging. I remember (think you were along) that the end of the ramp was about 100 feet away from the water the year that they installed the ramp.
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[pkred]

Wow Pat, thanks for turning me on to that little gem of a pond. I love the tigers, and there were defiantly tigers to be had today. Got my limit with ease, lost a couple @ the toon, and missed quite a few bites. Most of my action came from drifting a worm, the trout just cant resist it. I didn't pick up most of the radio traffic because i think my batteries were low.

I had to leave early because I was going hypothermic. I was way under dressed for the temps today. I was kicking myself after reaching for the ice fishing socks, then thinking, naw I didn't need them. I could have used another layer too.I had planned on sun shine and got served clouds. But had an awesome time non the less.

It all worked out well though. I met my brother in Mt. Pleasant for lunch. He lives in South Sanpete, so we don't see each other that much.

Here is a pic of the next victims of the WSM.
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[albinotrout]

Nice catch![cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Yeah. Here are some pics from the past...before the ramp, new ramp, dry ramp.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]My bad. I referred to you as Hnaf. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you joined us and that you found some li'l purties to play with. Nice size too. Them things fight pretty good too, huh?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That really is a nice lake and during the summer is it a total greenout. Hurts your eyes to look at it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This time of year ya gotta dress for success. Doesn't take long to get a chill and then you are done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Planning a run to Yuba next Friday. You good?[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

[quote albinotrout]

Sounded fun, too bad I had to miss it. I will now wait until spring to go.[:/]

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No need to wait until next year, great place for early ice fishing.
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[albinotrout]

Well I will look forward to a day on the ice there later next month.[]
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[pkred]

No worries I've been called a lot of things and that's definitely not the worst. [] Tigers can hold there own that's for sure. I wish I would have been more prepared. So i could have caught more fish and traded up a couple of the runts.

I bet that place is gorgeous in the summer. I would dare say there is a fair amount of wildlife in that area. Is the fishing good then too?

As long as I can get a hall pass from the boss. I'm all over Yuba. I got some perchlits on ice that need to find a home in a huge northers toothy maw. This time I'll dress like an onion, layer after layer. [blush]

I also want to say thanks for letting me tag along and experience some of Utah's water that i have previously overlooked. Your a great guy and I appreciate the opportunity.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Glad to have you join us. We're a pretty sociable bunch...even if I mess up with the names sometimes. Not bad for an old guy usually.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, Huntington is a pretty little jewel in the summer, and there is a lot of wildlife. See pics.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Fishing can be more difficult in summer because the larger fish usually go deeper in the warmer water. But, if you can find them, they will usually eat something. As you well know, they like "organic spaghetti" (worms).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We need to watch the weather for Friday. Should have a yeah or nay by Wednesday or Thursday. There are a lot of northerns caught fairly near the Oasis ramp on minnows and plastics. That is where we will be launching.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh yeah, when it comes to cold water fishing, you definitely need to include more than you think you might need. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.[/#0000ff]
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[LloydE]

Another great day on the water, and another great bunch of fishing companions! It was nice to get acquainted with Clint and Dan. They are both great guys!

Your fishing flies are fantastic. I couldn't keep the fish off that black and orange wooly bugger. The bite was considerably different with flies yesterday than it was on Deer Creek and Jordanelle recently, but it was challenging and fun nontheless. I was having so much fun with the "Halloween" fly that I didn't even get a chance to try out my favorite Orange Marmalade fly. I missed a lot of bites, and I didn't always get the fish to the tube, but I was always busy, and time just flew by.

Thanks for sharing the jig fly technique on the way home. I am anxious to try it out. I can honestly say that I am a much more flexible (and successful) fisherman after your mentoring over the years.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks Lloyd. Always enjoyable fishing with ya.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Happy to have contributed to your delinquency. Us old guys don't have too many vices left we can enjoy so it is more fun to be good at the ones we can handle.[/#0000ff]
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[pkred]

Nice pics Pat. That looks pretty much like Paradise to me.

Llyod is was nice talking to you as well. And great job pulling in some nice fish. Did you get to the bottom of your air leak?
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Awe.... That report really hit the spot. Thanks for sharing Pat. I can't wait to hit it on the hard deck in about 5 weeks! I'm glad to hear that the water is drawing down somewhat too as that is less water to concentrate the fish in... I'm jealous of that tiger orange meat dinner!
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[lavaman]

Huntington is usually the first to freeze over- is that right?
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Hey Derek, how are ya? In answer to your question, why yes, Huntington is the first "decent" fishable lake to freeze. I say that because there are some lakes in the high Uintahs that freeze a little earlier, but the roads getting up there are usually closed and they have T.T. "Tiny Trout." Also, Fairview Lake usually freezes a few days before Huntington does, but same thing - T.T.

However, last year was a bit different... Huntington had safe ice on Thanksgiving, but a bunch of wind came up and blew that apart so when we drove there the day after last year, it was not safe or fishable. So we wondered down the road a bit, and lucky for us, Cleveland Res. had about half of the lake covered in ice. We drove over to that side and sent CBR out there first since he's about a buck-60. We tied a rope to him and sent him out 20 feet and drilled. He found 4 inches of safe hard ice. We went out that far and then sent him out another 20 yards or so. He drilled and found another 4 inches of safe ice.... So, we all went out a bit further and fished. It was a way slow compared to early ice fishing at Huntington that we are used to, but we still caught about half a dozen bows.

There, that's the long and detailed answer to your question, LOL... Scofield is usually good to go about a week to two weeks after Hungtington and then a few select locations on 'da berry are usually good a week after Scofield.

I'll be in Nevada this T-Day weekend, so I'll miss out on our annual trip to Huntington, but am currently planning a trip for the following Saturday. Let me know if you want to tag along. I'll get you into fish - guaranteed. I've never been skunked there on the ice... NEVER...knock on ice...[crazy]
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