Great to be back at it! Utah Lake 4/25/2020

[Piscophilic]

Sounds like a great trip and always fun to get an interested newbie into fish.

It was great to be out and pretty lucky to get a rally good one first time out this year. I suspect I won't see another like that for a while.

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Nice report!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  Looking forward to getting out on the water soon and hooking into some big cats.

Matthew

Thanks! I hope you get out there and find some soon. They are fun anytime, but another 5 or 10 degrees of water temperature and they really get going.

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Good to have you back in action Jim. Wish you a speedy and continuous recovery from your surgery. Great start with a 30 incher first trip out. Will be watching for more and bigger in the future.

Thanks Lynn, it is really good to be back. They tell me I'm a poster child for the recovery. Pain and numbness all gone and only a small loss in the range of motion. I was sort of stiff in the neck before though 

Will be watching for more and bigger in the future.

It took until July or so to get a 30 last year. I like you optimism though. I'll try not to dissapoint too much.

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It was nice of the kitties to give you a welcome back party. 

Hope your back holds up and doesn't  cause you any pain...or difficulty in pursuing the important things...like fishing.

Thanks Pat! it was a neck surgery. I'm told that they have a much higher success rate and easier recovery. I hope to never be able to compare.

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That neck looks mighty familiar...I have one just like it haha. Great report. Ive been waiting to hear about it. My wife asked if you were going fishing Saturday as she thought she saw you pulling your boat and I said yep that was him.  I'm so glad your back on the water and among the fishing folk again. I hope maybe one day we cam team up out there.

Thanks Justin! I hope we can gang up on them sometime too. Lots of good days ahead!

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Jim, that was a great return to the water. I didn't know you had surgery this winter.......ouch...... that photo made me hurt from neck to toe.  Glad to hear that it was a successful procedure. Stay healthy, stay safe. 

Thanks Forest! That picture makes me feel a lot better than last winter. It sounds like you have been harrassing a lot of those northern cats. Have fun!

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You know TubeDude's rule ?  If no one else saw it, it can be as big as you want

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Great report. What is a good fish scale? I need a new one. Mine only goes to 8 lbs. The 26 Inchers I caught this weekend buried the needle on it and I guessed them to be around 10. Am I too high? I really try hard not to exaggerate. Too much. Lol

I have had several fish scales (weighing scales). The one I have now seems to be the most reliable one I've found. It is digital, will weigh in both lbs. (up to 50 lbs. I believe, runs on 3 AAA battreies. I just can't remember if it is a Berkley or a Rapala      

Thanks! I think my scale is a Rapala. Certainly wouldn't get certified by the IFGA, but I don't need that. That is often why I say "..scale said" rather than stating. I also round the digital readout to the nearest half pound because I don't beleive it is any closer than that.  It is only for reference for me. The 26 we got Saturday marked at 7.5 and that could go plus or minus a pound or so depending on the health of th fish and time of year.