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4/27/14

Springtime Update (Channel Cats, Tiger Trout, and Big Brookies)

It's long overdue that I share what I've been doing for the past few weeks. Though I haven't posted lately, I've been fishing about 5 days per week to some extent.

Lunch breaks are always fun, whether I head south (warm water species) or north (Provo River). I get skunked a lot on lunch break, but most 20 minute spurts on the Provo provide a couple of dinks to pass the time. Occasionally, I nab a decent specimen.

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My warm water spot is much more hit or miss. I haven't spent as much time there lately, although the other day, I finally landed a good sized channel catfish.

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My previous personal best was only 9 or 10 inches. Not very impressive. This one was really fun to catch, especially on lunch break.

A good lunch break can do wonders for bad day at work...or a good one.

On Easter Sunday, I thought I'd try fishing a big tiger trout spot I've done well at, which happened to be on the same day I fished it the first time. 4-20-07 was my first visit, and that went very well.

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The 2014 redux was much less impressive.

11 hours were spent on that mission. I walked around the entire lake (it's not small) and never got any action until I had made a complete circuit around the lake, from the first spot I fished from. Go figure.

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A 19" Tiger Trout found my minnow after such a grueling wait. My history at the lake would cause me to feel some level of disappointment for a catch of the day under the 20" mark. Likewise, spending 11hrs at a body of water with absolutely NOTHING happening would normally be disappointing.

Regardless, I still enjoyed getting out and visiting that crazy lake again. Plus, I even saw the Easter Bunny!

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This week, my fishing libido required something a bit more productive and rewarding. Given the time of year, it would likely involve a lot of work, but that's alright. I'll work for big brookies.

There was a degree of anxiety about this trip, since I was unable to find my GPS unit, leading up to Saturday. Having my normal access point to the lake snowed in, it was necessary to use a different trail head I had heard about.

Detailed notes were taken about the route from the maps and I was confident that I would find my happy place, once again.

The hike was actually somewhat difficult with a fully inflated tube on my back and a backpack across my chest. My notes instructed me to stay left on a series of clearings that would lead me to the promised land. Those clearings were filled with knee-deep snow, so it was actually easier to bushwhack through the naked aspens along the edges.

Somewhat quickly, I found the lake and was greeted by a pretty good snow storm. It didn't take long and I had my first catch, a 3lb 4oz brookie:

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Big brookie.

Shortly after, a small cutthroat came to hand. There were a few of these that I met today, but all were about this size:

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On occasion, a nice brookie would introduce themself.

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And this one probably outweighed my first one:

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I was really glad to have made the trip. The weather was awful, but that doesn't really matter to me when I'm doing something I love. There were a couple of times when the storm let up, but most of the day was spent getting snowed on. It was actually really peaceful. The only person around for miles.

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The hike back to the car got interesting with a lot of snow flying around, but I eventually found my way back to the clearings. What a day!

Happy Fishing, Humans.

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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.