November "Just Passin' Through" Article 2012

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Brad Kerr Just Passin' Through

I remember reading in an outdoors magazine many, many years ago a listing of 10 things to do when the fishing got tough. Number 10 was “try something wild” as a lure or tactic when fishing. I saw this come to fruition some weeks ago when my son-in-law rigged up a spinner bait to look like something out of a joke book.
The lure was a Rooster-Tail spinner in a large size with one hook of the treble holding a threaded on, two-inch white grub. Another hook was adorned with a gob of nightcrawler. To look at it, it appeared to be a tangle of multiple fishing lines. But to Strawberry’s cutthroat trout that morning, it was a gourmet special. I couldn’t get bit with a flatfish, Needlefish, tube jig . . . nothing else would entice a hit. But this weird rig Jon was using was getting hit every couple of minutes. He was busy the entire time we were on the water.
I figured it was mainly the crawler that enticed the bite, but a tube with a bit of worm on it did very little in the way of catching trout.
Now whether that contraption would ever work again like that is anybody’s guess. But it was indeed something wild that we couldn’t believe the results on. However, trolling at a rather fast speed enticed strike after strike that morning. I’ll be interested to see if that rig ever works again.
Needless to say, I switched to a similar contraption and caught more fish. Too weird.

Pineview panfish

The water level at Pineview is too low for me to risk trashing a boat trailer to launch a boat. So a float tube was my weapon of choice for a Saturday morning’s pursuit of crappie and perch.
My strapped-on portable fish finder was quite a helpful tool, making it easier to find schools of suspended fish. Most were crappies, and they were not in a biting frenzy that morning. But I was able to entice some bites by vertical jigging a two-inch grub in front of their noses. I picked up some perch off the bottom as well, as they seemed more willing to bite. I focused on crappies for the most part, because I just love to catch crappies. I love to eat them, too.
I moved my lure up and down the water column until I had a good presentation to the crappie below. When a bite did come, it was rather solid, and there was no mistaking that a fish was scarfing down the grub.
In spite of the colder weather, I’ve caught crappie and perch right up until it’s too cold to get on the water. Then at early ice, if schools can be located, the bite is pretty good.
Some ice anglers have that crappie fishing down to an art, and will catch a mess every time they go out. They have some hot spots marked that hold fish, probably on a GPS, and have great success. I usually have to move around to find active fish on the ice, but it’s worth it. Perch will often move in as well when a good bite is on.

Winter ice season next

Speaking of ice fishing, the season is drawing near, and it’s time to get out the gear and give your reels a shot of WD-40, or some similar lubricant. Grease will thicken in cold weather, and make your reel handle more difficult to turn. So use something lighter to keep your gear operating smoothly.
Fresh line will go a long way to stop break-offs and weakened line. The cold weather has the capability of making line brittle, especially when it’s been on a reel for some time.
Check your auger blades, too. You might as well make a tough job as easy as possible when toting a hand auger. But even power augers need new blades, and it’s worth looking into it before getting on the ice and being sorry you didn’t look before.
Look in the local fishing shops for new lures and baits to try under the ice, too. Many new designs of jigs and spoons are constantly becoming available.
Don’t forget to maintain your fly rods as well. Weber River whitefish are fun to catch in the winter time, not to mention the hungry brown trout that are eager to bite after the fall spawn. Cold weather doesn’t defeat the hardy fly rodders. They will continue to pursue their streams with as much vigor as they do in summer months. There’s just something about walking a stream, stalking good holes, and casting to a likely spot that is invigorating. Of course, when it gets so cold that the ice freezes up in your guides, it makes fishing a little tougher. Not impossible, just tougher.

Brad Kerr is an avid angler who can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.

Ace's Learning Curve

Ace has yet to kick up a wild rooster pheasant on a live hunt. But he's still working hard on the ducks Jon gets. We're anxious to see him react to bird out of the brush. He'll be off and running on a brand new sport.

Time for Rooster Pheasants!

Jon and I went out on the opener to West Layton, where we've been duck hunting. But during all that time, we always hear roosters squaking. So we thought this would be a good place for the opening day. We walked forever, and never kicked up a bird. There is so much thick, tall cover that I think the phesants just held steady and let us walk by them. We didn't kick up a single bird. But we're going to try again.
I used to just live for the pheasant hunt, but got away from it after all my good hunting grounds were developed into housing sites. Yet I found I'm still excited about it, and want to get a rooster or two this season.
Uinta Ice