Deer Creek Island Paradise 10-9-09

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
1

:sunglasses:Two tubers and two tooners had ourselves a little floatilla on Deer Creek this morning. Man, what a great difference from the trip to Jordanelle a couple of days ago. At 25 degrees the air temp was a full two degrees warmer. And, the water was a whole degree warmer too…at 57. Positively balmy.

LloydE launched his toon at the ramp. Pkred launched his toon at the island gap, after parking outside the gate. Parrmark and myself parked in the state park area and used our tube carts to get our gear down to the water. We launched about 7:30 AM…after Jesse made his second trip back to his vehicle to retrieve forgotten items. What would a fishing trip be without that kinda stuff?

Fairly calm, light breeze and morning mist rising off the water. Lots of green “algae peas” in the water. Pea soup fog?

I started by throwing a spinner in shallower water as I kicked toward the island. Got the first fish jinx out of the way with a wacko perch on that spinner. Had a couple of harder hits (trout?) but no hookups. Fished jigs around the island for a while, trying to find bigger perch and/or a stray walleye. Neither one showed up to play.

Finally started dragging flies behind a bubble. Got my first and only rainbow just after I got out past the island and got near Clint (Pkred). He had caught a couple of bows by then and ended the day with a limit of 4.

**I kept messin’ around and changing rigs and flies. Shoulda stuck with what I knew works, but din’t. Parrmark also scored a limit of slimers and Lloyd got 3, plus a porky perch. **

**But, the first fish jinx was perch-involved. On my way back into shore for an equipment adjustment I passed over a spot that had some interesting looking “bogeys” near the bottom…in fairly shallow water. I noted the spot and finished going into shore to adjust the gear. **

**As I kicked back out over the likely looking spot I sent down a pale perch roadrunner with some juicy worm on it. Thump. BENDO. Toad perch. Yee haww. Got a couple more bigguns and some throwbackers. Then it got quiet. **

I went back out to drag flies for trout again but the thought of those perchies was messin’ with my mind. I missed a couple of good hits and lost a couple more good trout on the way in. Inexperienced fish. Didn’t know how to hang on.

**Put up the bubble chucker rods and brought out my perch smackers. Fished a gold roadrunner with orange spots over the previous hot spot. Thump, BENDO, more good perchies. Then it quieted down again. As I left the spot to give it a rest, Parrmark moved in and proceeded to add some gold to the silver slimers in his basket. I kicked back over my small hump and finished off my limit of 10 toad perch just as the Deer Creek noon zephyr kicked up. Went from glass to popcorn in ten seconds flat. **

All four of us were smart enough to head for shore. We all made it without swamping, but I had to land quite a ways from where I had launched. Glad I had my little tube cart. Hooked it up and trudged down the shore to my vehicle. Another good test for ti.

Took the “dead fish pictures” of everybody’s catch and we were all back on the way home by about 1 PM. Good day, good fishing, good fishing buddies. Good grief.

2

I so want to go catch some perch! nice pics and awesome report as usual. been out duck huntin all week, no chance to fish or reply on here. Dug out my tubes, i thought i remembered having 3…I do. 2 of them are Insul-Dri’s. one is a Caddis.
I’ll look like a rookie out there with you guys. Might need to come “pimp” it up with some of your ideas.

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That pic “Timp in pink” is my new desktop killer shot. Thanks again for the Roadrunner Pat. I will put it to good use. Nice to get a chance to fish with you and your band of fellow fisherman. I had a good time and got some more pink meat for the smoker. Keep me in the loop if you don’t mind me taggin along here and there. :sunglasses:

4

Thanks for a fun float Pat!

Sorry again 'bout landing on your honey hole. There I was just trying to give you plenty of room, when. . . .[crazy]

Glad we all got off of there in one piece with a little fish flesh to enjoy - wow what a blow. I’d like to slap the person who flipped the “Instant Gail Force” switch.

Good times.:sunglasses:

P.S. Wish I could have met you PKRed - we’ll have to try again.

5

Tube Dude,

I love your posts, I have been going crazy trying to get my new tube set up and get out there, what I really like about you and the guys you fish with is you are real! You take a basket of fish home with you everytime you go, I love to eat fish, I go to bring fish home to eat, I get frustrated when poeple feel it is unethical to always catch and release and if you don’t they make you feel like you know what. So I say good on you guys, it makes me feel not so guilty, when I fish, if am constantly trying to figure out how I am going to cook them, and enjoy them, So keep on posting those pic’s, and one day I will join you all as a rookie for some tubin lessons.

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ParrMark,

I’m sure will fish again, I’m not going anywhere. Nice job on the trout and the perch. Ya that wind was a real kicker @ the end I’m glad I came back early from the far side. [;)]

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I so want to go catch some perch! nice pics and awesome report as usual. been out duck huntin all week, no chance to fish or reply on here. Dug out my tubes, i thought i remembered having 3…I do. 2 of them are Insul-Dri’s. one is a Caddis.
I’ll look like a rookie out there with you guys. Might need to come “pimp” it up with some of your ideas.

:sunglasses:MAN! Those InsulDris are OOOOOLD. I wore out a couple of them back in the early 80’s. Then the company shut down. Too bad. They made good stuff. If you plan to use them you should check out the rubber on the inner tubes before you go afloat. Either that or tow your pontoon boat behind you “just in case”.

Would love to have you join us when you can. Would also be happy to have you bring your ride of choice over to my “tubeatorium” for a “makeover”.

Probably not a whole lot more tubing left this year for the “average” (wimpy) tubers. But, I just keep adding layers between me and the neoprenes until the ice gets too thick to break through with my tube. Some years I tube somewhere all 12 months of the year.

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:sunglasses:Thanks. Glad you enjoy my reports. I assure you that I enjoy doing the “hard work” necessary to gather the fish and the pictures.

**Yes, I do generally take home some fish for the table. We enjoy eating fish and usually have it for several meals a week. As a published author for fish cookery, I know my way around the fillet table and the kitchen. We have our favorite recipes but I am always trying new ideas. **

I too get weary of the diehard C&R crowd. I release plenty of fish, even the best eating kind. But, if I keep some for the table…within legal limits…that is my business and I don’t need to be chastised for it. Keeping a limit of fish, from waters in which they are abundant and in no danger of depletion, is strictly a matter of personal choice. If somebody else does not like to keep or eat fish, that is their personal choice too…but they have no right to beat up those folks who do keep fish.

The one thing that DOES chap my hide is the guy who keeps a limit of fish just to show off to friends and family and then throws them in the freezer or leaves them in the refrigerator until they go bad and then throws them out or buries them in the garden. Most of the fish I bring home are consumed within a day or two. I do freeze some fish, but not much. Usually only if we have a family fish fry planned.

Let me know if I can help you with setting up your new craft. And you will be welcome to join us on the water. Won’t be long until the water gets a bit hard for tubing though.

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:sunglasses:Glad you were able to make it. Also glad you got your share of the action…even if you did have to highgrade my perch spot when I moved off to give it a rest for a few minutes. As you witnessed, the fish were only on that one small spot. I fished up and down the shore in the area and got ZIP elsewhere.

That sudden blast of north wind was something. It served as a reminder that we should always pay attention to the weather and avoid putting ourselves needlessly at risk. Pkred had gone across the lake earlier, during calm conditions, but had the good sense to get back to the right side before the winds came up. That coulda been ugly. We might have had to dig him out of the brush up by Charleston.

Huntington is calling.

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Pat, I have kept the tubes deflated in a black canvas bag, and stored in my “attic” in the garage, no sunlight. rubber looks good, but i’ll watch them. Thanks for the reminder. I have had all 3 of them blown up in the garage for 2-3 days. They are all holding air with no issues. The actual rubber is not original in a couple of them.

With work, ducks, deer and preparing the yard, boat, house for the coming white stuff, I might not have much time.

Next comes the Holidays and a planned duck/goose trip to Nebraska. Reluctantly, but realistically, I am thinking it’ll be spring before the tubes get their upgrade and a trip. but you never know about these things.

11

[:p]

Haha Pat, I’ve made that mistake on Deer Creek before. I got wind blown form the outside of the island. Down to the cliffrocks @ the east end of the res. All I had was my waders on my feet. I did’nt want to wear holes in them getting back to my Jeep. So I took them off and climbed up to the road in my bare feet. Then ran down the road dodgeing cars, because there was an ubundance of broken glass and stickers on the shoulder.. I enventuly got all my gear up the hill and back in the rig. I learned a couple of important lessons that day. Know the water your fishing on in a motor less craft. Be prepared for a hike. I always hook a pair of flip flops to my toon when I launch now. :blush:

I also like to catch fish for meat myself. But, I agree with Pat the true crime is wasted fish. And as long as you abide by the proclimation. The fishery should be able to maintain itself, with the help of the DWR stocking program.

I also noticed the Trout are just slightly skinner now than they have been all summer. There still very healthy but not the footballs I have been catching all summer. Time of year or less available food?

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“I also noticed the Trout are just slightly skinner now than they have been all summer. There still very healthy but not the footballs I have been catching all summer. Time of year or less available food?”

:sunglasses: I have not fished DC much this summer so I have no basis for comparing past vs present. And, it is a very subjective thing. Possible that you just caught the fatties in the summer and are catching slimmer fish in the fall.

Otherwise, there are cycles in the customary food sources for all species. There is always going to be a greater abundance of zooplankton, copepods and aquatic insect life when the water is warmer and the daylight hours are longer. Everything scales back when it cools down and daylight hours decrease.

If the trout have been feeding a lot on grasshoppers, cicadas and other terrestrials, that could also be a factor. They ain’t around much these days.

Since the trout in DC typically have the bright pink flesh, my guess is that there has been a change in the abundance of the tiny invertebrates that make up a significant part of their diets.

13

i now this is a late ? (again) but taking some employee’s to deer creek in the morning i will be fishin from shore somewhere[:/], but any info will help.

like bait or where they have been doing good from shore,or maybe flies,spinners? any info will help

i no its late (but)
thanks if you can anybody!!!

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Realy nice job Pat. Deer Creek is one of the prettiest waters in our state IMO. Nothing like the morning after a storm. I passed DC at around 1215 and it was GLASS!! I can not believe it chopped so fast.

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:sunglasses:**Okay, you posted LATE…after I had signed off for the night. Not the best way to get info for the next day if you need it. Now I am posting early in the morning, before I leave for DEER CREEK to do some more tubing. **

**If you read this in time, I have not observed many folks doing too well from shore yet. There are some places where soaking a worm will get small perch or the occasional trout. PowerBait will also pick up a few if you can get deep enough. **

**With the water cooling down, the trout will be moving closer to shore and fishing bubble and fly from shore, or throwing spinners and Rapalas will catch a lot of fish. One day you will blank and the next day the fish will be all up and down the bank and on the top within casting distance. **

A lot of anglers like Rainbow Bay. You have to park and walk a ways down to the gravel shoreline but it can be good. Ditto for Walsburg Bay. Park to the east of the state park entrance if you want to avoid the fee and walk down to the steep banks. It usually produces some good action this time of year for bank tanglers.

If you have a pass or don’t mind paying the fee, go into the main state park at Walsburg. Lots of good fishing from shore near the ramps and along the accessible gravel banks.

Once the water drops a bit, you can walk out on the “island”. It can be great fishing in the late part of the year too, but there is still a bit of water covering the access point.

Here’s a map if you need it.