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1/10/13

100th Post! First Ice Trip + Lunch Cutt

The cold finally set in around here and most of the lakes are capped with a good sheet of ice.  Reading reports of good fishing at Starvation Reservoir, I dusted off my auger and headed east on Saturday.

Drilling holes was tough work though.  Working through only 9" of ice required 4 rest stops and I'm in pretty good shape, so I knew something was wrong.  At the end of last year's ice season, the blades got smacked against the ice a few times by someone I was fishing with.

That little detail had escaped my memory until trying to drill again.  What a shame!  Those blades were new that season.  Regardless, several holes were drilled and many existing holes were also used until I finally found some fish.

My first spot was in about 15 feet of water, right at the point of the entrance to a bay.  Last year, that was my go-to spot.  So far this year, it was bunk.  Moving farther out little by little, my first nibble finally came in over 50 feet.

Some small perch were playing with me and there were many missed bites.  When all was said and done, I was only able to get three of them to the surface and a bonus rainbow with some good size to it.

All in all, I was satisfied with the results, though the perch could have been a little bigger and eager to take the whole jig.

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Today, my lunch break yielded a first for me.  In over 7 years of fishing the local creeks near my place of employment, I've caught many different species of fish.  Never would I have imagine that I'd catch a CUTTHROAT, only about a mile away from Utah Lake though.

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It was thrilling to see that one splashing around.  After a quick photo, she was released.  At least the presence of a cutthroat so close to a warm water lake tells me that the water quality is high in my little creek.

Just for fun, I dropped my jig back into the same spot and pulled out a little white bass too.

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What a kick to get a white bass in the same spot that I just nailed a cutthroat.  Talk about a great lunch break!

Happy Fishing, Humans.

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.