The 2014 Scofield Ice Fishing Derby

As a reward for a fantastic report card I signed me and my boy up for the Scofield Ice Fishing Derby. He was excited to compete in his first tournament and I was excited to get out on the ice before January. We had fished Scofield many times before but had always caught our share of Cutthroat Trout. Since the Tournament was a Rainbow Trout only tournament I began my parental duty of trying to figure out how to catch a rainbow trout. I decided it would be best to take the kid up the day before for a practice run. We caught loads of Cutts and Chub but no Bows. Our pre-fish trip taught us two important lessons on how to catch rainbows: Where not to fish and how not to fish. The only thing that gave us hope at this point was the fact that no one else on the lake seemed to know how to catch one either.

The morning of the tournament started early and led us out onto the dark frozen lake. The morning was bone chilling, and the ice was a crusty slush sandwich that somehow found its way into our "waterproof" boots. Holes drilled, we began the work of sorting through piles of cutts and chubs looking for one solitary rainbow trout to turn in at the measuring table. After several hours of no bows and in an attempt to keep the experience positive for my young trooper, I offered a warm ride down the canyon to the burger joint of his choice. I could not believe my ears when he replied "No dad, I have a tournament to win. Besides we are catching tons of fish." He even asked me if we were aloud to come back out after the tournament was over. Was I ever proud of my boy!

With an hour to go the kid ran after another sprung Jaw Jacker. This time, as the fish lay on the ice we both paused for a moment. He asked "Is it? I replied "Ya". Then we danced around like stupid people and gave each other high fives and hugs like we had won the lotto.

 I had never been that excited about a 12 inch fish. I didn't care that we had little to no chance of winning with such a small entry. I was just relieved that he was going to be able to turn something in. At the measuring table they gave him a generous length of 12 & 1/8 inches. We looked at each other in astonishment when they put his name on the leader board in 5th place. A short time later he was replaced by someone else who had him by an 8th of an inch, and then a 4th, and then a 1/2.

Even though he did not place, there were no looks of disappointment in his expressions. Out of 400+ of the roughest looking camo-covered die-hards he was number 8. His desire to keep fishing was replaced with one to hurry home to tell his Mom and siblings about the greatest day ever. As we drove home I was overcome with the feeling that this was the greatest day ever. Not because we had won anything. Or even caught a decent sized fish. It was because of the determination and attitude presented by my son.

Deer Creek in the Fall

Saturday morning started slow with plans of cleaning the yard and raking leaves. As we made our way out into the warm Fall sun my wife suggested that the weather was too perfect for yard work and demanded that I take her and the kids fishing, at least that how I remember it.

45 minutes later we were making our way across a beautiful glassy Deer Creek Reservoir. Even though the trip was more of a boat ride with some fishing than a dedicated fishing trip we managed to put 3 fish in the boat while enjoying a fantastic Fall day on the lake.

 I had the crazy idea that we could catch some Perch but the only success was found long-lining worms and crank bates for Rainbow Trout. There were no large fish caught today, only large smiles. Even if we had hooked a monster I had left the net at home.

Some trips are for the fish and some are for the fishermen.

At about 3 pm the wind kicked up and we retreated back down the canyon toward Chuck-a-Rama. It was a great day thanks to the kind suggestion of my loving wife. Looks like we will have to save the yard work for another day.

Roasted Duck

The preparation was simple but the outcome was delicious. I rubbed Salt, Pepper and Paprika into the skin and roasted in the oven at 375 degrees for one hour basted in butter every 15 minutes. Ducks move through the air at great speed. They disappear just as fast at the dinner table. 

Opening Morning at Farmington Bay

The morning started early as I headed up toward Farmington Bay for the opener of the duck hunt. I agreed to meet a friend who had arranged a hunting party of 5 others at the boat launch at 3:00 am in the morning. As we loaded the boats and made our way into the darkness the excitement more than overcame a sense of uneasiness about the unknown hunting spot with a group of individuals I had just met. We made our way through the shallow marsh by the light of a few dim head lamps and the spotlight of the occasional passing boat. After arriving at "the spot" we quickly set out a spread of 80 or so decoys and hid in the tall cattails while shooting time approached.

The first shot heard in the distance, though way too early, seemed to get the adrenaline pumping and the heart racing. As shooting time arrived, the sky was filled with Teal which closely resembled tiny little F-16's flying in tight formation then pealing off into evasive maneuvers as soon as the first shots were fired. I had hunted waterfowl before and taken a few birds but I had never anticipated the fast action that had evolved around us. I felt like a complete rooky as I missed one after another, all of which were flying just overhead at 50 miles an hour. After half a box of ammo and whole lot of frustration I finally connected with a perfectly timed shot. Once I broke my missing streak the birds seemed to come easy and everyone in the group became more and more patient letting the birds get ever closer to the decoys before opening up. At the end of the morning we collected more than 30 birds including 3 beautiful drake Mallards, 2 Gaddies and 2 Shovelers.

The clean-up and trip back is never as exciting as the one out but it was fun to be able to see the scenery that was previously hidden by the darkness. Surprisingly the water looked nothing like I had imagined on the way out. Reminding me of Pea Soup, the entire waterway was covered by a film of duckweed.

In the distance we watched thousands of ducks that found safety in numbers holding out in the middle of the unit. 

After some quick pictures and some well deserved handshakes I was on my way back home. The whole way contemplating where I was going to hunt the following weekend.

I was welcomed home by some enthusiastic hugs and smiles. My boys were eager to see every picture and hear every story. I may have the best two hunting buddies a father can ask for, in a few more years. 

A very dark colored Drake Mallard

Drake Green Winged Teal, Hen Green Winged Teal, Drake Mallard, Hen Northern Shoveler

A Day Off Work at Stawberry Reservoir

We decided to skip work today and chase some early fall Cutthroat at Strawberry Reservoir. The last trip to Strawberry resulted with some uber fast fishing putting more than 30 fish in the boat. Our expectations for this trip were set accordingly. After a breakfast sandwich from the One Stop and a seamless boat launch we were on our way across Strawberry Bay. We could not have picked a more beautiful day to hit the water.

Not two minutes after we set the down riggers we made our traditional net scramble. Instead of setting the net out on the deck we always have a way of leaving it tangled with a bunch of other gear under the bow.You would think we would learn our lesson by now.

Last visit we were able to find the fish at 30' to 35' and we couldn't keep them off of the spoons but this time we found them active in only 15' of water and they were attacking the worms as we pulled them about 8" behind a Kokanee style dodger.

If at this point it appears as though I am getting out fished by my "deck hand" its only because I am getting ready to make a run of my own.

At the time we got a little caught up in numbering the fish we caught by holding out the appropriate number of fingers but now that I look at the pictures it looks like we are holding up a bunch of gang signs. It began to get a little confusing once we landed more than five fish.

Most of the the fish were in the 16 to 17 inch range with one that was about 20. I didn't get a picture of the big one because I decided to use my boat-side no-hands release technique. Really, it sounds hard to believe but I am very good at letting fish off the hook with out even touching them or removing them from the water for that matter. It happens all the time.

After birds-nesting one of my reels Adam hooked a decent sized Cutthroat. Being the kind person that I am, I offered my assistance by cutting the line free from the spool and handing it back to him. He looked confused until I suggested he should start pulling his fish in. If he had not been out fishing me at the time I probably would not have increased our trolling speed while he fought his fish.    

We ended up with just over 20 fish in all. Not as productive as the previous trip but not bad either. We pulled out of the water as the after noon winds started making things a bit choppy. We had accomplished just what we had set out to do. We were able to head back to reality feeling refreshed and fulfilled with another week of work ahead of us.

Fast Summer Action at Strawberry Reservoir

In honer of my birthday this week I decided that a trip to Strawberry Reservoir was in order. Dad and Keith agreed to come with me and both had hopes of large Cutthroat Trout. We had great success at Bear Lake earlier this year running spoons for large Cutthroat and I thought that we could try something similar at Strawberry.

We put the boat in at Strawberry Bay Marina and puttered across the bay toward Haws Point. A few hundred yards from shore we started marking large numbers of fish on the sonar and began a series of doubles that would last through much of the morning. Normally I like to stack the down riggers but when the action is this fast it was everything I had just to keep a line at 35' on each side. 

We tried to stay on the south side of the bay where we were marking most of the fish turning the boat around as we approached the point. We stayed about 200 yards from the shoreline zig zagging back and forth. It amazed me that a run-of-the-mill slot Cutt could get its mouth around the large spoons we were using. We were definitely provoking an aggression strike.

After putting 30+ fish in the boat we re-rigged with Kokanee gear and headed toward the canyon across the lake. The bite was certainly not as fast as it had been but that was expected. In fact every time I though we had hooked a Koke the result was always the same, "Cutthroat". We had been successful at targeting Kokanee at the Gorge but I had yet to limit out on kokes at The Berry. At this reservoir I have only ever been able to land Kokanee while targeting Cutthroat or Rainbows.

After unsuccessfully chasing kokanee for about an hour and a half, we decided to chase some larger Cutts around the south side of Haws Point. We used larger spoons and flatfish just to see if a hog would strike.

Turns out that upping the presentation did increase the fish size but only slightly. Keith fought for almost 15 minutes with what we thought was a monster Cutt but it ended up being a fowl hooked slot fish hooked in the side allowing it to run freely but acting like a planer board when he tried to retrieve it.

The day was gorgeous the water was calm and the fish were biting. I had my Dad and Brother to catch up with and two new birthday reels to try out. Everything was as good as you could anticipate a birthday fishing trip.

Final Tally:

Quality Time Spent

More Cutts than I could count

A lake full of Kokes to chase next time

Victory at Flaming Gorge

For nine years we have been visiting Flaming Gorge Reservoir as a family and for nine years I have been trying to catch a quality sized Lake Trout. I have learned different techniques, identified optimal fishing locations and have even hooked a few small specimens. And like every journey to The Gorge I began this one absolutely positive that I was going to catch a trophy trout.

We set up shop at the Manila KOA only a few miles from Lucerne Marina. The camp site is definitely not the most beautiful place we have ever stayed but has plenty of comforts and many great neighbors. Some of the residents have been coming to the gorge for 20 years and have learned and are willing to pass along a mountain of fishing knowledge.

Out on the flats heading toward the marina we ran across several Pronghorn, most of which were enjoying the shade at the near by campground.

Kristian and I set out Monday morning for our secret boat launch near swim beach armed with rod, tackle and high hopes. After a morning of trolling we came back to camp with only a couple of bites to show for, knowing that patience is the key to success in these waters. Day two began much the same way but we had learned from the previous days strikes what lures to use and which locations to find fish. We were not out very long when my line came off the clip once again. This time it immediately tightened and began giving up drag. I was immediately surprised by the weight felt on the other end of the tackle. I kept tension on the line and let the fish decide how it wanted to be played. When it ran toward the boat I retrieved as fast as I could and when it ran away from the boat I did the only thing possible, I gave him line. Once the down riggers and lines were up, it was time to land the beast. Its hard to explain the excitement that follows the first glimpse of what would become the largest trout I have ever caught.

I know that larger Macs are common on these waters but weighing just over 20 lbs this was definitely a trophy in my book. After taking some quick pictures I spent a few minutes letting this speckled monster revive before watching him make his way back into the deep blue water.

Thursday was dedicated to the ladies. My wife and sister in-law wanted to catch some Kokanee Salmon and they had been more than patient waiting their turn. In the past we have done rather well for Kokanee, limiting out in just a couple of hours.

It took a little time to dial in the right colors and depth but we were able to fill the cooler in just a few hours. This year was a little different, we had to work harder for our catches but they were significantly larger fish. The girls got to land some flighty fish that never ceased to show off their agility and aerobatics. This 4 lb fish was a welcome start to our day.

This heavy rainbow was a welcome visitor and added variety to the days catch. 

The morning yielded over ten lbs of salmon fillets for the freezer. 

In the evening Kristian and I drove up to Buck Board for some night fishing in an attempt to catch some Burbot. In comparison to other species on the lake I was much less prepared to catch one of these eel like specimens but was eager to check the species off my list. We tried different depths, locations and lures but returned to camp at 1:30 am with only three bites to show for.

Fighting sleep deprivation on Friday morning we found our way back to the Lake Trout hot spots we had previously marked. As we made our first run over our best set of GPS marked humps and ridges we quickly hooked into a Laker. Before we could get it netted the opposite rod started dancing. This may not be the reason, but definitely the excuse I am using for botching the net job and letting the fish flip off the hook. Kristian quickly grabbed the second rod and pulled in a small lake trout. I lowered another line to 60 ft and right away had a fish on. I could not believe what was happening. A double Mac hook up was unheard of, three in a row was incredible even if they were all just pups.

I wish I could say that the day continued just as hot but the excitement stopped just as fast as it had started. There was an overwhelming sadness that took over as we made our way back to the shore knowing that we would be heading home the next morning. The Gorge is not just a remarkable fishery it is an addiction that always leaves you wanting more.