Frozen turkeys on Willard 11-21-18

[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]BFTer fishdigger is a recent joiner of the fellowship of floatation fishermen (float tubers). He has three new craft and has been working to turn them all into fishing machines. Since he had some new things to try...and since today was forecast to be "nice"...we decided to hit Willard.
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[#0000ff]Forecast was for 24 degrees at 7 am...same as the last two trips I have made. They lied...by 10 whole degrees. It was only 14 degrees when we drove up to the ramp...which was starting to grow some ice around the edges. TDC. We both put our gear together in fits and starts...getting into our vehicles to warm our numbing fingers frequently. As Dan was getting ready to launch he commented that he never put on any more layers when he went skiing. And he supposed he looked like the Pilsbury Dough Boy in all his finery. I took his picture for posterity.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad we had those little handwarmers in our pockets to help keep felling in our fingers as we moved out to try to find some fish. Water temp was just under 40 in the boat channel...with depth of 12 to 13 feet. Absolutely no fishy marks on sonar all the way out to the open lake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just as the sun started to peek over the hills to the east, I put out a couple of fligs and minnows and then jammed my hands back in my pockets with the hand warmers. I was almost mad when some stupid fish started trying to take one of my rods out of the holder. Almost. But I made the supreme sacrifice and set the hook...into something substantial. Turned out to be my biggest fish of the day...a 26 inch kitty with surprising attitude in the cold water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After wiping my wet hands, rebaiting, recasting and putting my hands back in my pockets I got to wait only another 5 minutes or so for number two cat. This one was smaller but still gave good tugs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Shortly after Dan joined me...after a belated launch...I went bendo again. And while rasslin' with that fish I saw my other rod take a big dip toward the water. Double time. With the excellent fish handling skills I have developed from plenty of double ups, I netted the first fish, put the rod in the holder and then brought the second fish to net. That was my only double of the day. But I did miss two other opportunities. Those fish were not as experienced and one of them was unable to get hooked well enough to join his buddy in the net.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Meanwhile, Dan was using fligs and minnows for the first time. Those crafty cats played upon his apprenticeship and stole his bait a few times without getting the hook. But one inquiry turned into a purty 12 inch perch...our only perch of the day. I chided him about his "wimpy footlong", since I have caught some 13 inchers this year.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At one point we had kicked our way out near the new rock piles. Since Dan had the "numbers" in his GPS he elected to hunt up some rocks and see if there might be any fishy inhabitants. He did and there weren't. So he came back to the "zone" where we had seen the most fish on sonar and had had the most bites.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The one and only boat on the lake launched a bit before 10 and roared off across the lake. We could see it working along the north dike for a while. Then it came back in and trailered before we got off the lake about noon.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I caught a couple more cats just after 11...the last being a porky 2-footer with shoulders and "catitude". It always amazes me when those silly whiskerfish act like it's midsummer and the water is only 40 degrees. Love it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once the sun climbed a bit higher, it almost got warm enough to fish without gloves. ALMOST. Just about the time I was codgertatin' removing my gloves a chilly light breeze from the norwest started nibbling on my fingers and reminding me what time of year it was. Never took my gloves off all day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp climbed to a lofty 41 by the time we shivvered our way in to the ramp. Coincidentally, the air temp had risen to the same 41...the exact flip of the 14 at launch. Big whoop.
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[doitall5000]

41 degree water!! All I can say is you must have a really hairy body. Or maybe you have a spinal block!
You make me feel like a wimp.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Way to go Pat, that takes some will power. Can’t believe you’re still charming those cats so well. Congrats. J
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[fish_digger]

When I pulled up to Pat on the ramp this morning, I began to question my sanity when I looked at the temperature displayed on the dash. At 14 degrees nothing works, fingers, buckles, air pumps. It took more than twice what it normally takes to get set up. With 3 plus layers I stayed warm once I got on the water.

All in all, it was a fun day. It is always fun to hang with the Flig master and get a few pointers and swap stories.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I have fished in colder water...only a couple of degrees above freezing. And I have broken my way out through thin shore ice to reach open water. It ain't that I am a masochist...just a fisherman who tries to take advantage of good fishing often overlooked by "wimps".[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I do not have any bears or bigfoots in my ancestry...that I know of. So I don't got a layer of fur to help buffer the cold. [/#0000FF][#0000FF][#0000FF][b]As always, the key is proper layering to suit the circumstances. Although yesterday my Heat Holder socks were barely adequate to keep my tootsies comfy.[/#0000FF][/b][/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF][#0000FF][b]No spinal block. Just a mental disorder.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Will power? More like "won't power"...or a combination. I won't quit fishing just because it gets chilly and I will brave the elements if fishing is still good.
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[#0000FF]You still ice fish. I don't. Not because I can't take the cold. But I can tell you from personal experience that sitting in 40 degree water...with proper layers of warmth...can be more endurable than standing on ice in below zero temps with the wind blowing.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]As I have been known to say: "My mama drowned all the dumb ones...except my sister." And there are plenty who believe she also missed me.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Glad to could make it for your new tubing R&D session...for your new innovations. Despite the cold it turned out to be a productive day overall.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]But I think I agree with one of your final comments before we headed for home. "I think this may be about my last inflatable craft trip this year."
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[riverdog]

Nice looking cat! I don’t suffer from the same mental disorder. My disorder is the opposite- I go out of my way to find warmer places to fish. Last Saturday was my last outing and the temperature hovered around 60. Unfortunately it was a case of you should have been here last week. I’m enclosing a picture with the only fish I saw.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Ain't it great that there is something available for all preferences? Truth be knowed, I much prefer warmth over cold my own self. I lived 20 years in Arizona and did just the opposite down there that I do in Utah. I fished in 90 degree water and air temps over 100 degrees. Why? Because that was my only option.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]When we moved back to Utah our friends and family asked us "How are you going to handle being back in the cold?" My response was usually "I can add layers of warmth to deal with the cold. In Arizona you can't take off enough to get cool when it gets too hot."[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]A lot of anglers like to challenge themselves. It is boring to do the same ol' same ol' all the time. I know you like solitude and go to great lengths to fish out-of-the-way spots that insure you usually don't have to put up with the slings and arrows of outrageous nutjobs. Me too. These days my elder mobility limits my trips to wild and remote areas to the memories I still have of some of those beautiful lonely places. And, of course I get to enjoy the reports posted by fine folks like yourself.
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[fish_digger]

Your "elder mobility" is rather impressive. It gives this younger buck something to aspire to. [fishin]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks...I think. All false humility aside, I still do pretty well. But the kicking motion while using fins in my tube are a lot more doable for me than even walking a moderate distance...especially up and down hills. In my younger years I hiked and fished all over the backcountry of just about every western state. Now my brain writes checks my body won't cash. Whimper, whimper.
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[#0000FF]As Dirty Harry said in "Magnum Force"..."A man should know his limitations." I reluctantly admit to mine.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]It's hell growing older...but considering the alternative...
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[Therapist]

It's hell growing older...but considering the alternative...

Amen to that !!

[fish_fear_me2]

Pat it continues to amaze me that you are still out there doing the slippery ramp ballet and breaking ice and all the other stuff you do to get your fabulous fishing machine in fishable water. Good job Sir!!!!!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks fer yer kindly comments, sir. It's a nasty business, but somebody's gotta do it. Right?
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[dubob]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]In my younger years I hiked and fished all over the backcountry of just about every western state. Now my brain writes checks my body won't cash. Whimper, whimper.[/#0000ff][/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Pat - ol' buddy/ol' friend - you know I'm always ready to give you a ride IN to just about any remote area -right?[/#800000][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Hey Bob, ol' buddy ol' pal, I really appreciate your kindly offer. But a big part of the appeal of hitting the remote areas is being able to get there under your own power...to places the less masochistic never see. And then to be able to make roughing-it side trips to other glorious and unspoiled venues in the general area.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Sadly, any place that can be reached by motorized vehicles is just not the same. The motto for this crowd seems to be "Pack it in...and leave it for others to enjoy." Can't believe how stupid, sloppy and destructive people can be in a pristine location.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Anyway, I wouldn't worry so much about you getting me IN to a remote location. I would be more concerned about being left there. I got experience.
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[dubob]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]Anyway, I wouldn't worry so much about you getting me IN to a remote location. I would be more concerned about being left there. I got experience.[/#0000ff][/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Thought you might have missed that.[/#800000][/font]

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[Piscophilic]

Great report and great work! It sure looks like those cats are well fed. I'm glad they are still chasing fligs. Did all those fish come on fligs? A couple of the pictures look like they might be one of your customized tube jigs?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Thanks.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]All cats came on small fligs...silver with a blue back...with a tail. Except one hit the same size flig in fire tiger. They are patterning on small dying shad right now so something shadlike gets their attention.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Sounds like the ice cap is close on Utah Lake. Probably on Willard too.
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[Piscophilic]

This morning I saw ice_sled's picture of the Lincoln ramp area being capped. Then I looked at the live camera of the state park and it is clear except for some shallow isolated areas. As always, it depends on the weather.
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