Starvation - The water is cooling off

[gofish435]

](Gofish1 — Postimages)

[doitall5000]

@gofish435

A couple of us fished Starvation today from our tubes. We launched in Rabbit Gulch about 10:30 and fished until about 2:30. The temperature was in the 40’s all day and the wind blew from 11 to 15 MPH while we were there.

We used fast sinking lines (#7 & #8) and size 6 and 8 bead head leeches, buggers, and soft hackles. My buddy caught his fish on a leprechaun and a Christmas tree fly. I caught mine on a size 6 bead head olive leech, size 6 bead head (green) green meanie (a Tube Dude pattern), and a size 8 bead head black/orange woolly bugger.

We picked up four rainbows from 15” to 19”, three smallmouth from 12” to 15”, and six walleye from 12” to 17” long. We missed about as many as we caught so the fishing wasn’t that bad.

The water temperature was 58 degrees and the visibility in the water of about 5’ because of algae. The reservoir level is just over 61% full and rising.

We saw one boat with two guys that were trolling along with an occasional flurry of shotgun fire after the ducks. I didn’t know that the season was open but then I’m not a hunter. There wasn’t another person besides those two guys while we were there.

If the wind would have let up I’m sure we could have gotten into some more fish. I located a school of smallmouth just before my motor ran out.

I’m normally a catch & release guy but those darn walleye are just too good eating to pass up. I’m trying to do my part in thinning the herd.

Good looking walleyes, can’t pass up a nice dinner. Did you have sonar? I am interested in the perch, did you see any?

[Cowboypirate]

Ya I am curious about the perch status as well. But those walleye sure look like tasty nuggets in planning

[TubeDude]

Glad you found a few fish. Doubt I will make the drive over again this year. Wonder how soon Starvy will freeze this year. Looks like we are developing a wintry weather pattern. So enjoy it while you can.

[gofish435]

I saw a few small fish on the bottom that were scattered, no real concentrations of fish. I caught a 9" & 12" perch the last time I fished Starvation with Pat on September 22nd so I know they are there. I found a good number of smallmouth schooled up and I’m guessing that there were some perch in the area too.

Pat, I’m hoping Starvy don’t freeze, I hate to hang up my tube in the winter.

[TubeDude]

@doitall5000

Good looking walleyes, can’t pass up a nice dinner. Did you have sonar? I am interested in the perch, did you see any?

The perch population in Starvy has been poor at best since the crash in 2014. Too many hungry predators to allow the perch to reestablish a major presence like they had before. Still enough escape hungry mouths every year for some to survive and grow large enough to please anglers. But they are sparse and scattered. No huge schools of footlongs as in times past.

Those who catch perch these days are happy to catch one here and there. Any trip with more than a half dozen is a stellar trip. Best shot at multiples is being able to find a winter school under the ice…usually up in the Strawberry River arm…in deep water out off the rock points.

Definitely a “biblical system”…Seek and ye shall find…maybe.

[doitall5000]

I think I’ll wait to see how the local resevors do first.
They might freeze early this year.