07-12-2011, 03:25 PM
[cool][#0000ff]TubeBabe and I had planned a run to Starvation today. But the ongoing sloppy weather forecast kinda killed that idea. We hate spending gas money and then having to watch whitecaps instead of launching our float tubes. I hate wind.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, we decided to hope for better conditions closer to home. The forecast last night for Lindon was "iffy" but we got the gear ready for an early blastoff if things improved overnight.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wow. Did they! Flat still calm when we got to Lindon. And there was even a sign at the booth that said seniors were now free on Tuesday. Almost better than hitting the lottery. Almost.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe got launched first (as usual) and headed over to fish a couple of her favorite spots inside the harbor. I was on the water shortly after and started moving up the shoreline between the launch ramp and the SW corner of the harbor. About the third cast with a 3" plastic I got thumped...set the hook and a chunky largemouth took some air. Lipped it and released it with a little smooch. Good start.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I got to the corner I switched to a tandem tube jig rig. Got a couple of nips but no hookups. Then I felt some backpressure and put the hook into a nice 12 inch crappie. Oh yeah. Two casts later I got a hefty 10 inch bluegill. Then a couple more. Three species within the first 15 minutes.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A few feet past the corner...moving along the west dike...I got another thump and brought in a very chunky bullhead. About 14". One of the largest I have caught in a while. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was entering an area where I have caught some nice big cats in the past, during calm conditions. We were still the only ones on the water so I lobbed out a minnow on my second rod and continued moving down the dike toward the opening...casting in to shore as I went. Got a 12" largie and a couple of similar sized white bass on the small tubes. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then the line clip on my minnow rod popped and line went streaming off the reel. I put up the jig rod, picked up the bait rod, closed the bail. let the line come tight and BENDO. I had something substantial on the other end of that line. After about 10 minutes of give and take the fish got an insane desire to come up and visit me in my tube. MAN...the head on that kitty was as big as a basketball. No idea how long it actually was...or how much it weighed. I didn't even pull it out of the water. Took a couple of pictures and twisted the small hook out of the corner of its mouth and let it swim off. WHEW. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got a couple more white bass and another hefty bluegill close to the beginning of the channel. Talked to TubeBabe on the walkie talkie and she was having a bananner day too. We both agreed that this was an acceptable substitute for missing a trip to Starvation.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I powered out to the point on the end of the north dike and switched back to tossing the larger plastics. I have done well on walleyes here before. But, the first cast produced another whitie. So did the next 8 or 10 casts. I was hoping that if the whities were hanging around maybe a toothy critter might too. YEP. Thump...chug...chug...pull...pull and I had a nice 22" wallie in my basket. Six species in less than an hour. Super grand slam...er slime.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Caught two more smaller wallies, a few more whities and even caught a cookie cutter kitty on the plastics off that point. I was codgertatin' whether to head north to the reed line or south to the bubble up when I was disturbed by the sound of TubeBabe depressing the call key on the walkie talkie repeatedly. Ring...ring...ring. I was getting ready to yell across the water for her to knock it off when I suddenly found myself back in bed...with my alarm going off next to my head.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was bummed. What a great dream and to have it ended so harshly. Hoping against hope I looked out the bedroom window and saw the branches on my backyard tree doing the W-samba. Oh no. Not a chance of turning the dream into real life. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Did I mention that I hate wind? [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Too bad the pics on my camera didn't come out either. Kinda like when I work on the computer all night...on some kind of project...and then discover I didn't save it before waking up.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]So, we decided to hope for better conditions closer to home. The forecast last night for Lindon was "iffy" but we got the gear ready for an early blastoff if things improved overnight.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Wow. Did they! Flat still calm when we got to Lindon. And there was even a sign at the booth that said seniors were now free on Tuesday. Almost better than hitting the lottery. Almost.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe got launched first (as usual) and headed over to fish a couple of her favorite spots inside the harbor. I was on the water shortly after and started moving up the shoreline between the launch ramp and the SW corner of the harbor. About the third cast with a 3" plastic I got thumped...set the hook and a chunky largemouth took some air. Lipped it and released it with a little smooch. Good start.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]When I got to the corner I switched to a tandem tube jig rig. Got a couple of nips but no hookups. Then I felt some backpressure and put the hook into a nice 12 inch crappie. Oh yeah. Two casts later I got a hefty 10 inch bluegill. Then a couple more. Three species within the first 15 minutes.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A few feet past the corner...moving along the west dike...I got another thump and brought in a very chunky bullhead. About 14". One of the largest I have caught in a while. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was entering an area where I have caught some nice big cats in the past, during calm conditions. We were still the only ones on the water so I lobbed out a minnow on my second rod and continued moving down the dike toward the opening...casting in to shore as I went. Got a 12" largie and a couple of similar sized white bass on the small tubes. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Then the line clip on my minnow rod popped and line went streaming off the reel. I put up the jig rod, picked up the bait rod, closed the bail. let the line come tight and BENDO. I had something substantial on the other end of that line. After about 10 minutes of give and take the fish got an insane desire to come up and visit me in my tube. MAN...the head on that kitty was as big as a basketball. No idea how long it actually was...or how much it weighed. I didn't even pull it out of the water. Took a couple of pictures and twisted the small hook out of the corner of its mouth and let it swim off. WHEW. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Got a couple more white bass and another hefty bluegill close to the beginning of the channel. Talked to TubeBabe on the walkie talkie and she was having a bananner day too. We both agreed that this was an acceptable substitute for missing a trip to Starvation.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I powered out to the point on the end of the north dike and switched back to tossing the larger plastics. I have done well on walleyes here before. But, the first cast produced another whitie. So did the next 8 or 10 casts. I was hoping that if the whities were hanging around maybe a toothy critter might too. YEP. Thump...chug...chug...pull...pull and I had a nice 22" wallie in my basket. Six species in less than an hour. Super grand slam...er slime.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Caught two more smaller wallies, a few more whities and even caught a cookie cutter kitty on the plastics off that point. I was codgertatin' whether to head north to the reed line or south to the bubble up when I was disturbed by the sound of TubeBabe depressing the call key on the walkie talkie repeatedly. Ring...ring...ring. I was getting ready to yell across the water for her to knock it off when I suddenly found myself back in bed...with my alarm going off next to my head.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was bummed. What a great dream and to have it ended so harshly. Hoping against hope I looked out the bedroom window and saw the branches on my backyard tree doing the W-samba. Oh no. Not a chance of turning the dream into real life. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Did I mention that I hate wind? [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Too bad the pics on my camera didn't come out either. Kinda like when I work on the computer all night...on some kind of project...and then discover I didn't save it before waking up.[/#0000ff]
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