We voted for Huntington 11-7-06

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Today was election day. Right? We elected to go fishing, at Huntington Lake. Kentofnsl, Beeman???? and myself blasted off from Salt Lake at 5 AM, met Fuzzyfisher for some handoffs at 6:30, in Fairview and we were at the lake about 7ish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I aired up my tube and got dressed in my fancy voting outfit (neoprenes). Kent and Bob set up the Folboat and wheeled it down to the water. The level has dropped a lot since I was there in midsummer. Air temp was above freezing (heat wave) so no gloves and no ice in the guides. Water temp was about 38, so it won't be too much longer until hard water time. (There was ice on a runoff pond on the top of Skyline, and it looked like some ice on one end of Fairview Lakes.)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We wondered if the full moon hanging over the west end of the lake was going to jinx us. Setting up excuses in advance. But, it turned out to not be a factor. It was calm early and then the westerly BREEZES started up and blew all day. Coulda been worse, but I did a lot of kicking just to hold position.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Saw a few risers early, but no action on bubble and fly. I got a couple of small pale fish (females) fairly quickly, on bait tipped Roadrunners. Bites were few and light. It took kent a while to catch his first, and Bob even longer. They used the electric trolling motor to head to the west end of the lake, while I kept jigging where I had caught a few fish. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Shortly before noon, Kent announced on the walkie talkie that they were into fish. I started to kick in that direction but the W came up and I could barely hold position, much less kick a half mile up the lake. So, I stayed put and fished with more focus and intensity. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]For about two or three hours, in mid day, we were all catching fish. We had seen a lot of fish on sonar before, but they all had their little mouths closed. Once they started biting it was fun fun fun. I had one run of five fish on five straight drops.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We used a variety of jigs, tipped with minnow pieces or nightcrawlers. I even caught 3 or 4 fish on small pieces of carp tidbits. I took five rods and caught fish on all of them. I also caught fish on just about every new jig I tried. But, I think I noticed better results on whites or chartreuses. A couple of my fire tiger creations really got some whacks. But, Kent and I were comparing notes on the way home and we agreed that when the fish were on, any BDS (Bait Delivery System) seemed to work as well as another.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Those tiger trout are beautiful, especially this time of year (spawn). Even though they are hybrids they still color up and go through the motions. As combinations of brook trout and brown trout they can show colors and attitudes of both. They are definitely meat eaters. Minnows are a prime bait. And, they hit hard and fight hard. No mistaking them for wimpy cutts.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We all caught quite a few fish today. The average size was about 13"-15". I had one over 17" and a 16" to go with a 14" silvery female and a 15"er. Don't know if the other boys measured their keepers but they looked around 16 or 17. We all released many nice 15 inchers that a lot of anglers would have loved to catch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While we did see a few fish cruise through at mid depth, we could not get hits on anything fished much above the bottom today. Most of our fish were in 19 to 22 feet of water, a foot or two off the bottom. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There were several groups of bank tanglers who stayed only a short time before leaving fishless.[/#0000ff]
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[Majja]

Those are some mighty pretty fish. Hope you mad it home no looking like to much of a tube-sickle.


Majja
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[fuzzyfisher]

great Report TD.. looks like huntington was good to ya today.. i would have like to join you all up there today. but as i told Kent i don't do to good in the cold water in the tube..

but i did get my 2 bird's and was home by 2:00 so it was not all that bad of a day [sly]..
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for your concern, but I DO know how to handle the elements. I was properly "layered" for the cold water and I was quite comfortable all day. I fish water with ice in it every year...pre iceup and right at iceout on several waters. Crazy golfers anyway. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My greatest peril was from a potential heart attack, when I helped Kent get his toy boat back up the long stretch of exposed bank. It had wheels but going that far uphill is bad enough on an old dude like me without having to push a boat too. When I hitched a ride, that was not in the contract. But, I'm a nice guy and I'm still in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in.[/#0000ff]
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[Tincanfsh]

Hey Tubedude and Kent,

Thanks for the report and the cool pictures. I wish I could of voted with you Guys. I hate to miss a trip up there to fight the Tigers. Did many of them jump?


Tincanfsh
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It was good seeing you again, Bro. Sorry you couldn't join us but glad you got some shootin'. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]See ya on the ice.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]A couple that I hooked farther out, while casting and jigging did come out of the water. Most were taken vertical jigging and didn't go airborne.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got a bunch of new ice fishing goodies for you to help me test.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Did Kayote get hold of you? He was asking about you last week. Something about ice-yakking or whatever.[/#0000ff]
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey TD,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Glad you made it on the water. And, up the hill with the boat.[/size][/black]

"[#0000ff][size 1]See ya on the ice."[/size][/#0000ff]
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[black][size 3]I thought you were through with the hardwater adventures after your swimming experience that one time out at Pelican (was that where it was )?[/size][/black]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]NOT through with ice fishing...just going without my sled and listening to "lightweights" who tell me I can make it across 1" ice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did a lot of ice fishing last winter and plan to do more of the same this year.[/#0000ff]
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[beeman2995]

yes inded we had a great day on the water, for awhile kent gave me a leson on how not to catch fish ! lol. thought he was going to jump out and catch them by hand but then he got it down and whiped me by not by much, have never fished for tigers before so it was great funhad one on that would not come off the bottom , maybe a big cut , who knows , was using a fly rod with spinning reel , much more fun fighting the fish , like to give them a 50-50 chance, thanks guys for taking and old guy fishing. we will do it again with hard water, thanks again , take a kid and a old guy fishing
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[Flycasting]

Very Nice! Looks like you scored some fatties. The meat on those tigers is about as red as I have ever seen... at least the ones I have caught.

TD,

What's yer dance card lookin like the next couple of weeks? []
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey...you ask some pretty personal questions on a public forum.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't have anything specific targeted for the next couple of weeks. I think Mama Nature wants to dance a bit so she will probably be a factor.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wouldn't mind a return trip to Lake X...with some new stuff and some new ideas.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also wanna go play off the west side of Utah Lake, if I can work it in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then...there is always Willard...and possibly some wallies and chilly wipers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Whatcha got in mind, big boy?[/#0000ff]
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[beeman2995]

I got to take my boat up to lee's marine first of next week, plan on stopping at willard on the way back, interested ?
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[LloydE]

Pat,

It looks like you guys had a great time--snow and everything. Kent looks as happy as I have ever seen him. I am envious. I wish I had been with you.

Lloyd
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Shoot me a PM with your schedule. If Mama Nature plays nice we can plan something.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Well...you WERE invited. We can't help it if you are one of the two busiest people at BYU...and we don't know who the other one is.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is almost becoming comical the number of times we have tried to plan a trip and SOMETHING has got in the way. If it's any consolation, I told all the fish I released that they were lucky that you weren't able to be there...or they would have been missing some brothers and sisters. Don't know if they properly appreciated the narrow escapes but they did take advantage of the releases.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of these days, when you get your priorities (fishing) straight, we can plan a trip that actually comes to pass.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]New Zealand this year again?[/#0000ff]
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Good job fellas! Nice report and pics. Way to get 'r done! Seeing that report and pics with the snow on the ground really gets me excited to ice fish it in a few weeks. If the water temp is at 38, then it sounds like it's right on schedule... TD, your cam takes some really nice photos. I'm sure that the photographer had something to do with it too, but what kind is it, and how much can you pick one up for?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks fer the kindly comments. Glad you like the purty pitchers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My camera is an [url "http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D550/D55A.HTM"]Olympus D-550[/url] . I have had it about 3 years. It is fairly simple to use and is ideal for outdoor use. I keep it on a stretch cord around my neck and tucked down in between layers so it is always ready for a quick shot.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A big part of being able to get good clean pics, with proper balance, etc., is the photo software. I use [url "http://www.acdsee.com/products/acdsee/http://"]ACDSee[/url] which (fortunately) came with my computer package. It allows me to bring up a picture, do "Auto Levels" for light and color, crop the picture and then resize it, all on one screen. I am always amazed at how easy it is to use and how good it makes some of my less than stellar shots come out.[/#0000ff]

EDIT: Forget to answer the question on camera price. I got mine for under $300 at an OfficeMax. They list much higher but there are often specials or eBay prices if you know what you want and look for them.
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[#0000ff]I do have something of a photography background. I used to put on slide shows "Desert Bloomers" for snowbirds, down in Arizona.[/#0000ff]
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Thanks. $550 is a little pricey for my current budget, but that photo software looks really cool. Might have to get that down the road here. I'm thinking I'm probably limited to the $100 range for a fishing digital cam. We do have a nicer $400 Fuji cam, but the thought of me dropping it over the tube and into the drink freeks the wife out, so I can't really blame her on that. I took a photo class in high school but that was about 15 years ago, but I still remember a few things that I learned. Of coarse, that was way before digital cams. Used a Cannon something er other back then...
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[Kent]

Fun trip -- I don't get many of them during the week (and believe me I am paying the price today for taking only one day off from work!).
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