________________________________________

11/17/13

Locals Only

As many of you are aware, my lunch breaks are usually spent fishing whatever water I can find, close by.  The river has been a staple for me over the past few months, but I've also found some other water to investigate. 

As a result, I've been hooking into some LMB and bluegill lately.

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY004_zps93508f66.jpg

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY005_zps1daeb7e7.jpg

It's been a lot of fun, catching species I don't usually target and the bucket mouth pack a pretty good fight too.  Some of them are pretty nice.  Here's my new personal best:

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY020_zps70a4e9ce.jpg

Yesterday was pretty nasty, weather-wise.  Regardless, it was my only chance to get out, so I left with hopes of going to Strawberry and getting in a brisk float.

Only a short distance up Provo Canyon, my desire to take on the drive to the Berry in snow and ice withered.  I pulled over at Canyon View park and caught a couple of smaller browns below the Murdock.  Some bigger fish were messing with me, but I either missed those bites or broke off.

Another person showed up as I broke off a snag and I offered him the hole.  My plans were evolving by the moment, so I chose to head farther up the canyon and hit a stretch I had a good day on, last fall.

The fishing was pretty good for average browns (13" or so), but I also smacked some bigger ones.  Overall, the average size per catch was nicer than usual and that coaxed me into staying all day.  Browns were caught on Gulp minnows:

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY010_zps07d4e269.jpg

Blue Fox:

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY011_zpsd6337c83.jpg

And Black Marabou:

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY012_zpsac7f18c0.jpg

The longest of the day was really skinny, but had large fins.  Kind of a neat looking fish.

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY013_zps6c78cccd.jpg

At one shallow spot, the browns were going crazy, churning up a gravel bed.  There had to be 20 fish or more in that spot and they were throwing a lot of water around.  Pretty cool to watch.  The Blue Fox got chased aggressively by exposed dorsal and tails fins, leaving strong wakes, but only one was hooked through there.

Bringing my fly rod for that may have been a better choice, but I was still doing well enough with the spin gear.  It's nice to see the activity though.  

 photo PRIV-LUNCHY017_zps9191d301.jpg

All things considered, it was an enjoyable day on the river for pretty good browns.  It would have been nice to float Strawberry, but staying local was probably a better idea.

Happy Fishing, Humans.

7 comments:

  1. Man, that one trout looks skinny. Lack of food?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who knows? There were some skinny ones in the mix this time, but there were also some pretty fat ones too. The Provo is full of all shapes and sizes of browns.

      Delete
  2. Justin
    love it when you hit the so called grand slam--warmwater, and cold water in three different species--thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great stuff man, and what a way to spend a lunch break. I am envious.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great looking fish! Browns up and down the Wasatch Front.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, they're everywhere. Kind of why I wanted to hit Strawberry instead, but didn't want to risk anything with the weather.

      Delete
  5. Nothing wrong with giving the local warm water fishery a go. Bass and Bluegill are fun to catch and reasonably available. Good plan to chase them during your lunch break. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Like it? Hate it? Drop a line.

Some Background...

WHY FISH?

Why not go jogging, hit the gym, start a garden or whatever it is that normal humans do? What's so fascinating about these slimy little creatures that live in the water?

Fishing is a bit more to me than a hobby or a sport. It's an essential part of life that helps me connect with the Earth in ways similar to the long-practiced traditions of mankind. Wherever man has had a water source, there has been fishing.

It's only natural.

Happy Fishing, Humans.