Return to Deer Creek 9-5-2018

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]I couldn't believe it when I checked my fishing logs and found it has been 4 years since I last fished Deer Creek. The combination of the mussel quarantine and the increase in wacko water traffic has kept me pointing my tube in other directions. Changed that this morning.[/#0000ff]
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[/#0000ff] [#0000ff]Pa and I launched at the Island ramp about 7ish. Believe it or not, this was his first ever trip to Deer Creek. Air temp 52 and water temp 67. Water still needs to cool a bit for ideal fishing. Saw lots of "bugle- mouth bass" rolling and slurping but no trout showing at all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Moved around and watched the sonar. Not much showing anywhere. motored to the island and started throwing plastics along the shore. Hokay! Some smallies wanted to play. Got 10 or so as I moved around the point and around the north side of the island (now a peninsula). Biggest was about 13 inches. Average 10-11 inches. Fun on light tackle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Cruised out over the flats on a perch search. Saw some likely marks on sonar and sent down a flig on one rod and a tandem plastic rig on the other. Got perch bites on both. Very slow but managed about a dozen perch...up to maybe 10 inches. Kept a couple of small ones for bait and 3 of the larger ones for munching...along with a couple of smallies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Interestingly, I also brought in a small largemouth. No, not an oxymoron. Good to know there are still a few in DC. Before smallmouths there were lots of nice largemouth...up to about 6 pounds. Since smallies both the perch and largemouth have taken a big hit in numbers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lovely weather. Just a light breeze. But it was scary to see poor old Timp with only the tiniest patch of snow. Better get a lot more this winter or we gonna be hurtin.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Met up with BFTer wall3y3 up on the flats. He and his boatmate were bottom bouncing but said they had not scored any walleyes at least up until our meeting.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As Lee and I were packing up back at the ramp we saw a DNR hatchery truck pull up and puke out a few thousand hatchery pets. Liable to be a lot more boats on the water now pulling pop gear and worms for the "finless Freddies". The word got out fast among the birds. The gulls flocked in to pick off any disoriented troutlets that ventured too close to the surface. And there were a few.
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[pa]

Thanks for a great outing Pat. Rest assured I will return to Deer Creek. It was great place to launch and fish. Even tho I only manages 3 smallies it was great. Dont know why my camera was on the blink. most likely cause it old as me damn near. Guess I need a new one. Again thanks a bunch Pat.
Pa
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Glad I could arrange an introduction to a new "girl" for ya Lee. Too bad she wasn't nicer on the first date. But once she cools off a bit she might warm up to you. Might even reward you with some troutskis.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Always a pleasure to share the water with a fellow old fart like yourself. Now if you would quit losing all your fligs.
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[Freakyfisherman]

I haved scored some largemouth on the railroad side of the lake on DC. Not any big ones, some up to a pound.
Gabe
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[pa]

Imjust generous to the fish that way. Be damned if i know what happened to that box. Major loss for sure
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[Dirty42]

I had my boat on the water today too, but didn't get there until around 11. Most of my focus was on getting my outboard dialed in a little better since it had been having issues. Smaller jets seem to have helped it. I marked a few places where my sonar was showing lots of fish. Still learning where to fish since having a functional boat is fairly new to me. An ugly storm was rolling in around 2:00, so I headed in.

After loading my boat, both bunks on the right side of the trailer separated halfway. Luckily it didn't do any damage to the boat and I was able to get them stuck back into place for the ride home. Looks like I'll be taking some measurements to replace them tomorrow. Next time I attempt DC, I'll definitely be going earlier in the day. It was really nice without 200 other boats on the water.

Despite how peaceful it was without tons of people there, I still had issues with a pretty large boat go flying by about 30 feet from where I was sitting. My shallow 18.5' boat doesn't do well when something twice as big creates what seems like a tsunami. Couldn't see bow numbers by the time I pulled the hook out of my finger and decided not to follow to avoid saying or doing something I'd later regret.
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[Tin-Can]

Last time I replaced the bunks on my boat trailer, I used Trex 2x4's wrapped with indoor-outdoor carpet. The Trex is plastic impregnated and won't rot. Works even better than pressure treated wood. Kind of tough to find Trex in 2x4 size though. It is made mostly for decking and most common size is 1x5 with grooves on one side. Found mine at Barton Lumber in Layton. They had some way up high on an outside rack that was 20 ft. long. They cut it half for me and the 2 10 ft. pieces were perfect fit across the mount brackets of my trailer for a 14 foot Lund.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Sorry about your trailer issue. Hope you have the motor thing taken care of.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Also sorry to hear about the idiot boater. Must be something in the water at Deer Creek. No matter how few or how many boats there are on the lake there are some who have to go out of their way to harass the others.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I used to like to hit the lake early and then be off by mid morning when the boat traffic started building. But during the summer you can't get on the lake early enough...even midweek...to keep from getting harassed by skiers running the shoreline. On one of my early excursions it was not even fully light yet and I was working the rocks below the railroad tracks. Yep. A ski boat with music blaring...but no lights...came screaming down the shore towards me. I had to kick right up onto the bank to keep from getting run over. The boat never swerved and definitely would have hit me.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I stayed off the lake all together while the mussel thing was an issue. Now I hit it only early and late in the year...when there is liveable boat traffic.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Pat, nice to see ya on a different adventure, funny those fish like you as much as the kitties do... Glad you had some tugs... Later J
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I dearly love my kitties, but sometimes I just needs a break. Always had a soft spot in my anglers' heart for Deer Creek. It was nice to get back on it...and to find a few fishies willing to play.
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[wall3y3]

We should have targeted something other than walleye. Had we done that we probably would have caught some [] Had we caught a brown and a walleye we would have had a deer creek grand slam. First fish was a largemouth, we caught quite a few smallies, one decent rainbow, a ton of perch (I kept enough for some fish chowder), one small crappie which was a bit of a surprise on a bottom bouncer and we even managed to snag a great big carp - that was fun.
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[coues52]

Dirty42 sent you a PM on Boat trailer Bunks..received the wrong item and had to reorder them..very well made ..2x4 by 8ft long carpeted with a 1x4 backing to prevent twisting etc..posted on KSL for pictures..trailers & under fishing /hunting ?...let me know..just want them gone any offers.. made a post on here BFT under items for sale..
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Looks like you guys at least got some tugs...even if it wasn't from the targeted walleyes. That's one of the things I have always appreciated about Deer Creek. If you can't be with the fish you love, chances are some other fish will still show you some love. It really is amazing how many species there are in that lake...either by design or bucket biology. No bullheads or white bass?[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Always good to meet new BFTers on the water.
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[wall3y3]

Are there bullheads and white bass in Deer Creek?
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[wall3y3]

According to this I guess so: http://www.utahfishinginfo.com/utahlakes/deercreek.php We didn't catch any bluegill or green sunfish either []
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]There have been quite a few bullheads caught out of Deer Creek...but only less than a handful of white bass...one year. I'm guessing there are too many mouths to feed to support another voracious predator.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I do not ever remember catching any bluegills from Deer Creek. But there used to be a lot of green sunfish. Don't hear much about them being caught any more. I suspect they are another victim of the smallies appetites.
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[Piscophilic]

It sounds like a worthwhile trip to DC after all those years. I'm glad the fish still remembered you or didn't remember you I guess[] Thanks for the report and the pictures. I might have to venture up that way, after the cat contest is over, of course.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Deer Creek freezes much later than most other lakes. Some years it does not freeze at all. I have fished it in both December and January. Almost always some good rainbow action. Sometimes you can find some deep perch and a walleye or two.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I'd be happy to arrange a personal introduction.
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[Piscophilic]

Thanks, that sounds like fun. Once the contest is over, I'll check back with you and figure out a way to get up there.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]In the meantime I'll send you my writeup on Deer Creek. Should provide some good background.
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