12-31-2005, 03:42 PM
[cool][#0000ff]For a whole lotta years, I have had a tradition. That is to fish from my tube at least once in every month of the year, no matter how cold, as long as there is open water. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about missed it this year. I cancelled a planned tubing trip early in December, for the Bonneville whitefish run at Bear Lake, because of nasty storms and below zero temps. I'm hardcore but not yet ready for the straight jacket. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The next two weeks saw more of the same, with bitter cold, down to zero even in the lower parts of the state. All of my "go-to" tubing ponds grew ice caps. My ice auger is not big enough to cut a big enough hole for my tube.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tried to make the best of things by going ice fishing. Hooked up with a buddy to fish at the mouth of the Jordan River, on Utah Lake. Got down there before daybreak and started dragging our ice fishing sleds back in along a narrow snowy trail in the dark. Bad move. I slipped, bounced and rolled down a low hill. Messed up my left leg. Hurt like &%$$ while we fished and just about killed me on the hike out. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Two weeks later, I was running out of December and my leg was feeling much better. Also, Yuba Lake, which had ice capped during the cold weather, was now open water again. So was Deer Creek, but the forecast temps for Friday were better at Yuba.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe was nursing a bad cold, and should have stayed home. But, she wanted to witness the debacle. She stayed in the car and caught up on some reading. I launched my tube into 37 degree water, and the air temp was about 29. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Three layers under my neoprenes were put to the test. I survived two hours just fine, but the heat back in the car never felt better. Know what I mean?[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fishing? What fishing? I was just out there for the exercise, to check out my leg and to wrap up the old year in my tube. Yeah, right.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Back in September and October, there were lots of big rainbows hitting aggressively down there. Not on Friday. I suspect that their ripening eggs and milt sacs have them up toward the inlet of the lake, getting ready for the spring spawn. They do not have a successful spawn in the silty Sevier River (they are mostly planted), but they need to obey their biological urges.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At any rate, I did not see any fish marks on my sonar for almost the first whole hour. I threw spinners and jigs all over, from shallow out to about 40 feet deep. I finally kicked out into the deepest part of the channel, about 65 feet deep, and saw some fish suspended at mid depth. They weren't dining on anything I dropped to them or fished up through them after a long sink.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In one area, I found a few scattered fish right on the bottom. Probably small perch. I dropped down a tandem jig rig, sweetened with nightcrawler. I had two light hits but did not hook anything. Then, nothing for the remaining half hour of my endurance run.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I suppose I was disappointed, but not surprised. Yuba used to be full of big yellow perch and plenty of hefty and healthy walleyes. I could count on bringing home a good meal of them whenever I fished the lake, at any time of year. It was a great ice fishery. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Now, however, Yuba is still in the second year of recovery from being completely drained, for dam repairs. Some fish survived in the deeper pools upriver, but our state fisheries department (DWR) planted some perch and a lot of rainbows back in the lake as soon as it held water again. The perch are still protected, so they can reestablish a population, before they are open to possession again. The rainbows are providing a great "put and take" fishery in the meantime.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yeah, I would have liked to at least have caught a small perch, just for old times sake. Still have lots of fond memories of the good old days. But, it was nice to get out on the water again. It was also encouraging to see that the water level was within about 4 feet of spilling already, even before winter runoff. Looks like the lake is back on the path to being healthy again. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I'll be watching the patient closely.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Just about missed it this year. I cancelled a planned tubing trip early in December, for the Bonneville whitefish run at Bear Lake, because of nasty storms and below zero temps. I'm hardcore but not yet ready for the straight jacket. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The next two weeks saw more of the same, with bitter cold, down to zero even in the lower parts of the state. All of my "go-to" tubing ponds grew ice caps. My ice auger is not big enough to cut a big enough hole for my tube.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I tried to make the best of things by going ice fishing. Hooked up with a buddy to fish at the mouth of the Jordan River, on Utah Lake. Got down there before daybreak and started dragging our ice fishing sleds back in along a narrow snowy trail in the dark. Bad move. I slipped, bounced and rolled down a low hill. Messed up my left leg. Hurt like &%$$ while we fished and just about killed me on the hike out. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Two weeks later, I was running out of December and my leg was feeling much better. Also, Yuba Lake, which had ice capped during the cold weather, was now open water again. So was Deer Creek, but the forecast temps for Friday were better at Yuba.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]TubeBabe was nursing a bad cold, and should have stayed home. But, she wanted to witness the debacle. She stayed in the car and caught up on some reading. I launched my tube into 37 degree water, and the air temp was about 29. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Three layers under my neoprenes were put to the test. I survived two hours just fine, but the heat back in the car never felt better. Know what I mean?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The fishing? What fishing? I was just out there for the exercise, to check out my leg and to wrap up the old year in my tube. Yeah, right.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Back in September and October, there were lots of big rainbows hitting aggressively down there. Not on Friday. I suspect that their ripening eggs and milt sacs have them up toward the inlet of the lake, getting ready for the spring spawn. They do not have a successful spawn in the silty Sevier River (they are mostly planted), but they need to obey their biological urges.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]At any rate, I did not see any fish marks on my sonar for almost the first whole hour. I threw spinners and jigs all over, from shallow out to about 40 feet deep. I finally kicked out into the deepest part of the channel, about 65 feet deep, and saw some fish suspended at mid depth. They weren't dining on anything I dropped to them or fished up through them after a long sink.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In one area, I found a few scattered fish right on the bottom. Probably small perch. I dropped down a tandem jig rig, sweetened with nightcrawler. I had two light hits but did not hook anything. Then, nothing for the remaining half hour of my endurance run.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I suppose I was disappointed, but not surprised. Yuba used to be full of big yellow perch and plenty of hefty and healthy walleyes. I could count on bringing home a good meal of them whenever I fished the lake, at any time of year. It was a great ice fishery. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Now, however, Yuba is still in the second year of recovery from being completely drained, for dam repairs. Some fish survived in the deeper pools upriver, but our state fisheries department (DWR) planted some perch and a lot of rainbows back in the lake as soon as it held water again. The perch are still protected, so they can reestablish a population, before they are open to possession again. The rainbows are providing a great "put and take" fishery in the meantime.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Yeah, I would have liked to at least have caught a small perch, just for old times sake. Still have lots of fond memories of the good old days. But, it was nice to get out on the water again. It was also encouraging to see that the water level was within about 4 feet of spilling already, even before winter runoff. Looks like the lake is back on the path to being healthy again. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I'll be watching the patient closely.[/#0000ff]
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