EASTer Weekend

[LOAH]

My family was jealous of last week's good fortune and I'd been reading so many success stories from Starvation, that we all decided to get out and try our luck at some fat rainbows on Saturday.

As per the new norm leading up to the weekend, a trip to Canyon View Park in Provo Canyon provided some entertainment for my wife and daughter while I rustled in some browns below the dam. The fishing was pretty good for a short stop!







A couple more small ones came in as well and quite a few more were missed. The water had just barely been allowed to crest the dam.

The day prior, the water level was lower and a bunch of whitefish were swimming in the trough at the spill. I wished that I had brought my fly rod for them, since they didn't do much more than follow my jigs.

On Saturday, we managed to leave somewhat early (for us) and stopped at the Ladders of Strawberry for a few minutes while passing by. The ice was still locking up all the legal fishing spots, but a set of holes near the parking area provided a quick opportunity to jig a Gulp minnow.

It took about 5 minutes, but I got a hit and pulled up a slot sized cutthroat for a photo.



On our way again, it was nice to descend into the desert, away from the snow-covered landscape of Strawberry.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to find the fish at Starvation. We spent a few hours trying, but only ended up catching a western fence lizard, which was still pretty fun for everyone.





It was a relief to see a cold-blooded sign of warmer times ahead. It was pretty friendly too, allowing all of us to pose with it.









With the slow fishing, we decided to switch gears to "river mode" and I had a blast getting bites on almost every cast of the Gulp minnow or a black marabou jig. Many good sized browns came to hand and fought well before being released.











Fish after fish, it was really fast action. I eventually ran out of plastics, but the bite was still on with the marabou.







Not all were photographed. It was lights-out fishing for fish up to about 19 inches, but one fish in a deeper pool will haunt my thoughts for years to come.

A giant brown latched onto my plastic and gave a couple of good head shakes for me while I attempted to hoist if off the bottom. I couldn't move it at all. It felt like a solid hookup, but apparently not, as my rig pulled free and shot back to me.

Sonia was taking video at the time, so it would have been perfect to have kept it on the line. Instead, the result was a reaction video to losing a really great fish. No need to share that heartbreak.

After my family's patience wore off a bit, it was time to point ourselves home and the scenic route was certainly in order.









Despite the Starvation skunking, I had a blast on the river and we all had a great day in the sunshine.

Happy Fishing, Humans.


[signature]

[TroutMan93]

Another excellent report LOAH. Nice job on those browns.
[signature]

[Gemcityslayer]

Always sucks to hook and see a big fish, only to lose it.

How big are we talking? 25" class?

He's still there, try for him next weekend[]
[signature]

[a_flyfishin_kid]

Were you fishing the strawberry river below starvation or above? Or a different river all together?
[signature]

[jamon_negro]

As always, awesome report!
[signature]

[LOAH]

To be honest, I'm really not sure. All I know is that when I pulled back on the rod, the fish didn't budge, just my rod. I thought I had snagged a log, but then it shook back and forth a couple of times, letting me know it was really a fish.

Given the size of the bigger fish that I was fighting in the same hole, I'd have to say that this fish weighed 3X as much as those, at the very least.

Never got a good look though. One of those.
[signature]

[fearfish]

Love the pics
[signature]

[FlavorDave]

Great post as always. I love the pics. Those desert formations at dusk are hauntingly beautiful.

What do you use to fish with those gulp minnow? A jig head or weighted hook of some kind?
[signature]

[LOAH]

1/16oz jig head. Works wonders.

Some people like to just use a hook with a couple of split shot up the line. I've done that and caught a few that way as well, but prefer the jig head for the direct connection to the weight/hook. Better feel.
[signature]