Another newbie tuber

[TubeDude]

[cool][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]Put Princefisher in a Fat Cat (float tube) this morning on Starvation. His first time in a tube for serious. We were on the water a little after 8 AM, water temp 73 and light breezes. Clear skies and no people or boats on the whole lake that we could see. It was like fishing in our own private pond.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PF needed a few minutes for a shakedown cruise, to learn how to paddle around and control direction. But, he took to it like a duck to...well, water. Before I could even get launched he was out whipping the water to a froth, trying to get the first fish before I got out there.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]He was good enough to wait until I was within earshot and easy sight range until he sneaked in his first of several small walleyes. It was followed soon after by a larger one...he said about 14". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water has dropped about two feet since my last trip, a couple of weeks ago. It took some sonar exploring and some lure changing before we finally found THE ZONE. Actually, PF got into them pretty good while I was still playing with the tiddlers. He got several "basket perch" in short order and called me over on the walkie talkie.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Once we found the right area it was nonstop action. We both caught lots of doubles on our tandem rigs, often by just lowering them less than 10 feet in 20 feet of water. The fish were cruising at middepth a lot today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We only kept perch over about 9 or 10 inches, but we both had a nice basket for the fillet board when we got back to the car. We also both had a few small wallies. My largest perch ran 13" and my largest walleye was 16. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No smallmouth today, but I did manage one chubby chub about 14". Fought good.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The weather stayed nice all morning with only light breezes. Then, about noon some clouds to the south sent some strong southerly breezes that got some water slopping over the backs of our tubes. We had overfunned anyway.[/#0000ff]
You can fish...or you can worry.
But...you can't fish AND worry.

[/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][size 1]Attachments:[/size][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17827;"][#000000] LOVELY FOR LAUNCHING.JPG [/#000000][/url](179 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17828;"][#000000] PRINCEFISHER AFLOAT.JPG [/#000000][/url](223 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17829;"][#000000] PF AT WORK.JPG [/#000000][/url](165 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17830;"][#000000] PF PERCH.JPG [/#000000][/url](216 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17831;"][#000000] KEEN THIRTEEN.JPG [/#000000][/url](170 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17832;"][#000000] SWEET SIXTEEN.JPG [/#000000][/url](147 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17833;"][#000000] SOUTHERLY BREEZES.JPG [/#000000][/url](174 KB) [/size][/black][/font][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=17834;"][#000000] ALL ASHORE.JPG [/#000000][/url](208 KB)[/size][/black][/font]
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[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?username=PrinceFisher;"][#000000][size 1]PrinceFisher [/size][/#000000][/url] (Response on Utah Board)
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[size 1]A few things The Tubester left out. [/size] [ol] [li]The place where we launched isn't called Rabbit Gulch for nothing: We saw several cottontails and one big jack just prior to launch.
[li]Can you say "hands-free fishing from a rocking chair"? Fishing from a tube and letting your feet and fins do all the work has got to be the most care-free and relaxing fishing I've experienced. I was able to fish all day without dropping my rod to anchor, motor around, or fight the wind. I believe I will soon be one of the converted tube-fishing faithful as soon as I can convince my wife that I need to spend an additional $300 on fishing "necessities."
[li]Starvation is a gem (I guess TD didn't leave that part out). Beautiful red rocks, calm water, blue skies, and fast fishing for 'eyes and perch. Fun!
[li]And without question, the best part of yesterday: Fishing with The Dude himself. He graciously shared some of his homemade jigs with me, let me borrow TubeBabe's craft for the day (thanks Delores), and made sure the sonar was functioning, his homemade rod holders were in place, etc. How could I not catch fish?[/li][/ol]
P.S. As Pat said, a few times when we'd float stationary for long enough, the perch would gather under our tubes, and the bite was an almost sure-thing thereafter. Thus, from now on, I'll answer to both "PrinceFisher" and "Floating Structure." [sly]
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[AdictedBassTard]

Lovely place, Starvation. I was there a few years back and did some jumping from the bridge into the reservoir with some buddies of mine on a typical Utah Summer day.

-ABT-
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[flygoddess]

TD, I was up the road in Altamont for the week. The storm that hit Monday was very welcomed. With the full moon the stillwaters slow down. The rest of the week HOT! Fished the rivers last night and that was nice!
Here is a picture of one of my clients this week.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Beautiful bow. Be he was a happy client. But, he looks kinda grim in the pic. Did you just hit him with a big surcharge or something?[/#0000ff]
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