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[#0000ff]Back to Echo? Sounds like a title from the Department of Redundancy Department. But Pa and I were there a couple of weeks ago and just hadda give it another shot. Kinda glad we did.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we were launching, we were joined by fellow BFTer MrShane, in his boat. Good to see ya again Shane. I guess you didn't believe us when we told you we had the lake reserved for float tubers today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Air temp a chilly 39 at launch. Water temp still 67. Light breezes from the south for a while and then it became glass for the rest of the morning. Tough duty when you gotta fight all that calmness.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I powered (electric motor) down to an area that had produced well our last trip. The water level had dropped about 3 feet since then so I did not know if it would still hold up. It did. First perch just after 7 am...a feisty 11 incher...the first of many that size for the day. And the second was just a bit bigger. Good start.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]MrShane was already set up in the area and had caught a couple of perch and a smallie when I got there. He later moved closer to the good action and caught fish regularly all morning. Sad to see a nice guy like him suffering such abuse.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fished a variety of small jigs...all in the pale perch pattern...each tipped with a piece of worm. Didn't even take any PPP (processed perch pieces) today. Didn't need anything else. There were fish on the sonar screen almost constantly...in 10-14 feet of water. And there were schools of baby perch in the area to keep the bigguns happy and staying around.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It was rare to go more than a few seconds without a munch. The "rattle rattle" bites of the small fish did not get much response from me. But when my rod tip took a quick downward dive...and stayed there...I set the hook...and often into some decent perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I wrapped it up a bit before noon...overfunned and figuring I was close to my allowable quota of perch. Actually ended up keeping 42 and releasing about twice that many. I did keep a few 7 inchers to process for future bait. But most of my keepers were at least 9 inches. Quite a few 10 and 11 inchers and a half dozen footlongs. One of the best days of perchin' I have had since Starvation starved out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Pa and I chatted back and forth on the radio. He also caught quite a few perch...but not many larger ones. And no smallmouth this trip. Bummer.[/#0000ff]
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That is colder air temp than I would have thought. Nice post and amazing perch action. I have never fished at Echo. I know they did well there ice fishing. I guess I should put it on my "to fish" list.
Thanks Pat for the fun post.
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Looks like an outstanding perch day. Been awhile since I had one of them. Good on ya.
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Does this mean you are going there AGAIN..AGain..Again...again soon? Sorry, couldn't resist. It looks like a fun outing. I'm glad to see you are resting your arms a bit for the big cats this fall!
Thanks for the report and pictures.
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I did manage quite a few small perch today. Like you all on the pale perch flig and a piece of worm. No smallmouth came to play. real bummer. I fished the brush line on the other side of the dock mostly in 4 - 8 ft of water. these are thee only ones worth picturing but catching is catching. It was a beautiful day by the time we finished.
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No action on smallies?. If not that suprises me. Would figure a few would be hanging around to munch on the school of perch fry and end up tangling up your rig.
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[#0000FF]I caught a couple of 9-10 inch smallies...and lost one maybe 13-14 that munched my flig, went airborne and gave it back to me...just that fast. In truth, today was a dedicated "perch-search". I know from past experience that if I really wanna get some smallie tugs it ain't that hard to do on Echo.
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[#0000FF]The water is full of baby perch...clouds of them on sonar. I suspect that most of the larger perch and the smallmouths are probably stuffed. I know the ones I filleted all had "remnants". There was one boat that was throwing larger plastics along the shoreline that probably picked up some smallies. I saw a couple they caught earlier when they were closer.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]MrShane was spot-locked in a small area that had a lot of perchlets under and around him. There were frequent "mini rainstorms" as perch fry hit the surface to escape "something" attacking them from below.
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[#0000FF]A few more degrees of coolness in the water and there will be some epic topwater at daybreak. Then in the late fall the smallies really go on the chew along steep banks...if you know how to work a crankbait or the right plastic.
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[#0000FF]Until Echo became a state park a lot of folks stayed away. I understand it was a bit problematic with the folks who ran things. Plenty of other places to fish. But I started fishing it last fall and have been pleased with the facilities and the fishing. Also, the power squadron is nothing compared to some of our other fishing holes.
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[#0000FF]Thankee sir. You owe yourself some good trips. Dr. TubeDude said so.
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[quote Piscophilic]Does this mean you are going there AGAIN..AGain..Again...again soon? [#0000FF]Yes...yes...yes.[/#0000FF]
I'm glad to see you are resting your arms a bit for the big cats this fall! [#0000FF]Hey, at my age I gotta rest up before I take a nap. But you can bet I'll be amongst the other wild-eyed cataholics trying to close out the contest in style.[/#0000FF]
Thanks for the report and pictures.[/quote]
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[#0000FF]Hope you kept a few of those smaller ones. They are well received by Willard fishies...as you well know. It will be time to test that theory when you get back in September.
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I sure did keep some. Enough for the rest of the year I think
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I'm embarrassed & ashamed, TubeDude.......that was me in the blue & white Crestliner one long cast away from you. I was gonna shout, "Hey, is that you, Pat?",
but I thought you ran a blue tube. Later in the day, Shane told me it was you.
Glad you got 'em. We did, too, but not as many as last week and, as you indicated,
not as many as two weeks ago. We beat up the smallies using what caught us the
larger perch: 3 1/2" kuttails, ala Yamamoto. Seems the jumbos prefer a slow-moving, horizontal bait; the littler ones a stationery vertical presentation. Rockport is a ditto
report ---- dropping water, and not as many keepers as two weeks ago. Should be
a perchapolooza this winter when these lakes cap.
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That was quite a coincidence to run in to you and Pa (nice to have met you Lee) at the ramp this morning.
It was also good seeing Mike in his blue Cresty, he was the one catching all those smallies.
My first smallie and couple of perch came while bottom bouncing but the remainder came while jigging a mix of perch belly slivers and bits of worm.
I stayed until almost 1:30 and ended with maybe 8 smallies and who knows how many perch.
Kept enough for a dinner that I will enjoy on my deer hunt coming up next month.
About 1 set the hook on something that took over and I could not turn around. Fought it till my light line snapped at the jig.
Most likely a carp but in my mind it was a 12 lb walleye...
Thank you for the fligs Pat, I can’t wait to try them out.
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It was a pleasure meeting you Shane. We will have to beat em up again soon. Glad you got into them today.
lee
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Pat
Nice work, that's more than I caught out there last Thursday morning.I did a quick trip out to Echo last week and saw some interesting marks on the sonar in 20 to 25 ft of water that looked walleye like. Nothing I had in my tackle lured any to strike. I mean without catching one, they could have been carp or something else, but they sure looked familiar. I wish I had some worms with me cause that has produced for me for eyes on DC on a jighead lately. My back decided it wanted to fall out of place, so for now fish are safe from me for a short while. As soon as I can get back out in the tube I will be chasing fish somewhere. I hate being out of action.
Gabe
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Pat, I feel like I missed something work just keeps getting in the way of fishing, I need to put a stop to that but my wife says no. I think you just put Echo on my radar but I think it may have to wait until next year.
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[#0000ff]Hey Mike, I guess we got to go fishing together after all. Did you guys get any smallies of any size?
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[#0000ff]I did get a picture of you and Shane abusing those perch.
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[#0000FF]It was good seeing you again Shane. Been a few years since our last trip to Starvy together.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Although most of the perch were not jumbos, it was still fun playing with the dinks...with the occasional bigger one. I noticed that you weren't complaining as you repeatedly set hooks and reeled in perchies. No complaints about the action.
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[#0000FF]You are welcome for the trinkets. Hope they treat you well.
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[#0000FF]Sorry to hear about your back. I have been having a few "twinges" lately but I still got enough mobility to climb in my tube.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I also saw some good-looking marks in the mid 20 foot level yesterday...also with closed mouths. That's gotta be walleyes. With all of the perchlets available for chow right now they are probably well fed...and well-fed walleyes just don't like to play with silly fishermen.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]The perch were in a fairly small area...both two weeks ago and yesterday. There were some scattered all along the shoreline...usually in water from 8 to 12 feet deep...cruising along to make periodic rushes into shallower water for some "perch parfait". And Pa also found some just outside the stickups and reeds to the north or the ramp. I think as the water drops lower and the currently flooded structure disappears the fish will be more widely scattered.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Good luck with the back.
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