Tubing Headache

[TubeDude]

[cool][font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1][#0000ff]Not a good way to start the day. I was awake a lot from midnite on with a nasty headache. Still, fisherman that I am I loaded up TubeBabe and the gear and headed for Yuba, as planned.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Calm and 36 degrees at the state park, at 7 AM launch time. We launched behind the bridge and the water temp was 45 degrees. Still cool.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe agreed to let me have a couple of casts at my favorite pike penthouse before she got in the water. My fire tiger crankbait hit the water, dove a few feet and started back toward me in the still dark morning. THUMP...SURGE...CHUG CHUG. Pike? Nope. Just a nasty male rainbow with milt dripping from its vent and anchor worms on it's sides. Still, it made me forget my headache for a minute.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Second cast. Repeat. Same thing. Only this fish was a half n half. The front part was a dark color and the back half looked like it had been bleached. Wierd fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tried a few more casts with the crankbait, to see if there were any pike that wanted to play. Nopeski. Did get a skinny perch on the crankbait while it was still almost dark though.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We moved out to the rocks on each side of the bridge. TubeBabe went east and I headed along the dam. Neither of us were seeing anything on sonar and there were no fish cruising the rocks. We guessed that the storm had scattered them or turned them off. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I worked spinners, swimbaits and crankbaits clear along the dam and around the exposed rock structure along the south side. I had a few light bumps and did hook a female rainbow on the fire tiger crankbait. Poor baby was spilling ripe eggs and was also infested with anchor worms. Skinny too, compared to the bigguns of a couple of years ago. The trout in Yuba do not look good. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Talked to a couple of guys in a boat who said that the lake was full of fish before the storm but they couldn't see anything on their sonar this morning. Just as I told them to be patient, that the fish were scattered but they would get one...they got one. another funky little rainbow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Talked to TubeBabe on the radio and we decided to work our way back and maybe try around Painted Rocks. She had kept one small female bow and had released one perch. At least no skunk. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As I moved back out in front of the dam, I looked at my sonar screen and saw a large mass of fish from the bottom to about five feet up, in 14 feet of water. I guessed perch and dropped a double jig rig straight down. I quickly brought it straight back up with with two porky perch on it. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I hung around to play with the perchies for about a half hour. I caught perch on just about every drop and caught many doubles. I actually experimented with several kinds of jigs. Made no difference. If it showed up in their living room, it was food. The smallest I got was maybe 8 inches. I got several around 13 inches and many 11-12 inchers. I am sure I caught close to 50 in that short time. Can't wait for dinner tonight (but it won't be perch. GOTCHA!)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As we took our tubes out, inside the bridge, we observed that the water is only about 4 feet from spilling. Hope it stays up a while. We also observed groups of dark colored spawning male rainbows cruising around in the shallow water inside the basin. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Got to Painted Rocks a little before 11 AM. The standard afternoon breeze was already tuning up. By the time we had fought it for an hour, with nothing to show for it, we decided to go home early so the old man (me) could try to get some sleep and finally get rid of the headache. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think I'll try a tourniquet around the neck.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also think that Yuba has seen the last of me until DWR quits being silly and lets us keep some perch. Too far to drive for nonexistent walleye, occasional pike and skinny and diseased rainbows. Plenty of better options.[/#0000ff]
[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22811;"][#333366] DRIPPING MALE.jpg [/#333366][/url](163 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22812;"][#333366] HALF N HALF BOW.jpg [/#333366][/url](378 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22813;"][#333366] SKINNY PERCH.jpg [/#333366][/url](189 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22814;"][#333366] MORNING CALM.jpg [/#333366][/url](207 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22815;"][#333366] CHUBBY PERCH.jpg [/#333366][/url](260 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22816;"][#333366] PORKY 12.jpg [/#333366][/url](292 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22817;"][#333366] SEVERAL DOUBLES.jpg [/#333366][/url](382 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22818;"][#333366] TUBEBABE'S DINNER.jpg [/#333366][/url](496 KB) [/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]Attachments:[/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=22819;"][#333366] NOON ZEPHYR.jpg [/#333366][/url](317 KB) [/size][/black][/font]
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[tlspyder13]

Nice report and pics as always. Too bad about the headache.

You have probably answered this before but why do the trout have all the problems with disease down there?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Anchorworms are usually the result of stress...warm water, poor food, bad chemicals, etc. Many reservoirs in Utah are subject to it. However, the fish in Yuba were healthy and fat two years ago. Now the perch have eaten all the minnows and the trout are smaller and skinnier...and have anchor worms.[/#0000ff]
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[buckdawg]

Thank you! you're reports are awesome! i, too, am sorry to hear about your headache, hope it clears up soon.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for the concern guys. I got home, took a hot shower and a short nap and I think I am going to live after all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not suffer from headaches often but once in a while I get a doozy that lasts a couple of days. Makes me want to use a tourniquet around my neck.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Oh, and thanks for the kindly comments about the reports. I assure you that I enjoy putting them together more than you do reading them.[/#0000ff]
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[tubeN2]

Except for the minor discomfort, it looks like you 2 had a nice day after all.

I always found that tubing in itself was good enough to get rid of my head aches and other pains.[cool]

There is a "Theratubical" solution for almost everything.[]
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[Dusty_T]

Are those the new cross bred "MagnaTrout" [mad] (sorry to offend any Magna residents.....it was just a joke)

Looks like a great day -- those were some chubby perch, they should at least give you a March-May take period or something at that lake....
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[Fishheiser]

Dude you were robbed. Thanks for the report. You should be eating like a king after catching those perch. Aren't perch made for eating?.... I'm sorry to hear about the health of that lake. I'm no fishologist..... but I did stay at a holiday Inn Express last night>>>[pirate]sorry!!!> but it seems weird to me too stunt the growth of the rest of the lake so the perch could develope an obesity problem. That half/half is a really funky looking fish.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]For all non-Utahans who are not familiar with the ongoing soap opera of Yuba reservoir, here is an abridged explanation.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yuba is a reservoir on the Sevier River...a fluctuating stream that is owned by many water users. In good years there is plenty of water for both the farmers and the fish. When there is a low water year, or a prolonged drought, the lake gets low enough to adversely affect the spawning and food cycles of the fish. Boom and bust.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There have been several "10 year cycles" over the decades I have fished the lake. In peak years the lake kicks out bunches of BIG perch...up to 16" and almost 3#. It also produces lots of walleyes, plenty of pike and grundles of catfish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At the end of the last drought cycle, the lake was extremely low. Officials used that opportunity to finish draining (killing) the lake, in order to complete some planned work on the earthen dam. Fortunately, the next winter brought a bumper snow pack and the lake filled to the brim...with water, not fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has always been trout oriented. They have not managed "warm water" species and have no hatchery from which to replant missing fish. They usually just let nature take it's course. However, they did plant a bunch of rainbows, to at least provide a fishery. And, until the explosion of perch, the trout did very well. I am attaching a picture of what those fish looked like.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Rocky Mountain Anglers, a Utah walleye fishing club, arranged for the supervised harvest of perch from Jordanelle Reservoir and transplant into Yuba...to establish a food source for whatever walleye might have survived upriver in the Sevier. They also arranged with DWR to restrict the taking of perch until 2008...or after...to give them a chance to repopulate.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With no predators in the lake for almost two years, a small population of fathead minnows exploded. These provided good chow for both the perch and the trout. With high water flooding up into the brush that had filled the lakebed during the drought the perch had fantastic spawns. Combine good spawning, no predation from walleyes and lots of minnows for food and the perch population skyrocketed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By May of 2006 it was being observed by anglers that the perch were everywhere throughout the lake and were reaching good sizes. There were tons of perch, but no walleye showing up at all. In short, with no walleye to cull the herd, the lake could well be opened to harvest of perch by anglers, without any harm to the ecology.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On the flip side, the perch were affecting the ecology of the lake by vacuuming up the formerly abundant fathead minnows. They were no longer evident in the big swarms that had fattened the rainbows to steelhead proportions. And, the rainbows that were being caught were smaller and skinnier...with many of them sporting ugly anchor worm sores.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As provided by Utah processes, I went to the DWR meeting in September (RAC) to petition for the opening of Yuba Lake to the taking of perch in the 2007 regulations. At that meeting, the voting members voted for the change 7-2. I then took the measure in front of the DWR board meeting, in October. And, in spite of being told that once RAC had voted for it, it was automatic, the head of DWR fisheries shot it down with a simple "we recommend that we stay the course"...no opening for perch. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Since then, DWR people and everybody else has admitted that it was a mistake to keep the lake closed to perch fishing. The only reason used for denying it was protocol...I did not have the measure in front of RAC by May...rather than in September. Therefore, no matter how much sense it made, they could not (would not) approve it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, because of stupid beaurocracy, anglers are deprived of a great potential fishery...that could crash at any time. All the fisheries biologists and officers wanted it open. Kids and old timers are getting tickets for keeping perch and do not understand. Anglers...like myself...are deciding to stay away from Yuba for the next year because it is just not worth the 2 hour drive from Salt Lake for ugly trout and no perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That IS the short version.[/#0000ff]
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[Dusty_T]

Thanks TD - My dad had told me a thing or 2 about Yuba from a water level perspective, but I never realized about the "nature take it's course" stocking program and the reason for the Perch protection plan.
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[buckdawg]

Red tape sure is fun huh?

Sounds like a very frustrating battle you have on your hands. Would it be possible to stir the pot in the media or contacting your local state representative or senator. I'm sure there are enough anglers who feel the way you do that there might be enough of a voice to at least be heard. This yay-hoo that runs the DWR is appointed by the governor I assume. Point out to the powers that be that his inaction is having a devastating affect on one of Utah's most valuable resources.

Luckily here in Ohio our DNR works very hard on the warmwater species and they stock everything from walleye to saugeye (hybrid sauger/walleye) to muskie. They do stock some trout too but we have very limited water that will support trout so it's not nearly the focus it sounds like it is out there for you guys.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]IF YA CAIN'T LICK 'EM...JOIN 'EM.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After learning more (too much) about "the system", I decided to jump in and do what I could for Utah Anglers. I am semi-retired (retarded) and have both the time, experience and interest in working to make things better instead of just beefing about what I am handed. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So...I got theangler (BFT head honcho) to put up the money to allow me to join the Utah Anglers Coalition. This is an organization of most of the different anglers groups...bassers, fly flingers, conservationists, etc.... We meet once a month but have ongoing communication on many issues related to fishing and ecology. Most of our meetings are attended by two or more members of the DWR heirarchy and we interact on a daily basis. They know me well and I regularly contribute useful information to them, to help them better underatand angler perpectives. We are also well connected with the media and contribute a lot of material that goes into outdoor newpaper columns and TV stories.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]In January, I became secretary treasurer of UAC. I am the one who receives and forwards virtually everything newsworthy on the subject of fishing, ecology and conservation for Utah...and much that is national in nature. In short, a lot of folks know me...for better or worse.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Believe me, our group is VERY active in what goes on in state legislature. And, we do contribute much toward what happens with our DWR. But, in defense of DWR, they do have their limitations. First, far too much politics. Because of the controls and funding from above, nobody in DWR wants to do anything that might jeopardize their pet projects...or their positions (income). As with many governmental positions, they would rather do nothing than something that would ever reflect back upon them. The are not "proactive".[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Money is what makes the world go round...and what gets things done in DWR. Unfortunately, our DWR personnel are some of the lowest paid in the nation, for the jobs they do. It is to see the dedication and hard work put forth by many of them, simply because they love what they are doing...not because they are paid so well. The end result is that there are not enough good people in the right positions, with the time and money to do what needs to be done. Many things that are recognized as vital or necessary are simply pushed aside because of the staggering load. Sad but true.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]So, in a nutshell, while I am frustrated with what I have seen and experienced with our Utah DWR, I have a great deal of sympathy and respect for them as individuals. That's why I have jumped in and become more active in trying to become a part of the solution, rather than being a part of the problem.[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]During my active years in business I held several management positions. One thing I always said, whenever someone brought a gripe to me..."DON'T COMPLAIN...COMMUNICATE". i had a policy that before I would listen so someone voicing a problem, they had to also be able to present possible solutions. That is a good policy for all of us. It forces us to think about where we fit into the overall scheme of things. It also serves up some healthy doses of reality. It is easy to point a finger of blame at someone else. But, as my ol' buddy Zig Ziglar says "Whenever you point a finger at someone else, look down and you will see three more fingers pointing right back at you."[/#0000ff]

[#0000ff]Hope that is enough moralizing. I'm done.[/#0000ff]
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[Bassmaster-ND]

Wow great report TubeDude. I've never seen a trout thats half and half like that before. Looks really cool.

Last year I did catch a trout at a local dam here and he had a big V cut out of his back and he still looked healthier than ever. It was probably from a trolling motor.

Nice looking perch too! What were you using for bait on the jigs?

Does that usually work when you see fish on your sonar and you drop a lure down to it? Whenever I see fish I usually just try to kick off the spot and then cast to it and I get mixed results, but whenever I have a slip bobber rigged on a pole that usually works pretty good if I drop it down[cool].
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I usually just put a half inch piece of nightcrawler on the jig for "sweetener". In lakes where it is legal, a piece of perch meat or a perch eye works well too. And, since perch are voracious feeders on minnows, tipping with small minnows is good for perch and many other predators as well.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Vertical jigging is deadly on perch, crappies and other species that bunch up in a small area. When they do not cruise around very fast, dropping something right on them is often better than cast and retrieve. A shivver-shake and then dead sticking can be the best way to get them to munch. You can't do that as well on a retrieve. That's why the slip bobber technique can be deadly too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, you are correct in assuming that with some fish, on some situations, that it can be better to locate fish, mark the school and then get back within easy casting distance to work them with active plastics, spinners or hardbaits.[/#0000ff]
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