RMA Tournamnet at Willard Bay

Thursday I participated in the Rocky Mountain Angler tournament at Willard Bay. We met in the parking lot at 6:30 am and stared in awe at the 4 foot swells being produced by the descending cold front. Having the smallest boat in the group I was extra intimidated by the wind and whitecaps. As the wind started to subside I was feeling extra confident, as the week before I was able to fill the boat with walleye by trolling crank baits. The weather conditions were not friendly to casting or bottom bouncing so trolling crank baits seemed to be on the menu once more. Along with about four other captains I slowly made my way out past the safety of the marina. We spent the next 30 minutes nose into the waves and hoping the worst had passed. This was not the case. The wind made another rally and chased us back to the marina riding with the waves the whole way. After another half hour of waiting the weather pulled a 180. Like someone had flipped a light switch, the sky turned blue and the wind stopped. Finally, it was time. I tried trolling the same locations that I had previously had success, trolling the same lures at the same speeds. Something was different. We were not catching fish. We changed lures, speeds and colors. No fish. A few hours later I finally connected with a fish. I was relieved to have removed the skunk from the boat but a little let down to see it was a catfish. I had never trolled a catfish at 3 MPH. Soon after I caught a nice sized wiper. Dan, my tournament partner caught a 20+ inch walleye which ended up being the final fish of the day.

I believe any day of fishing is a good day even though my expectations were corrected and brought down to earth in comparison to the previous weeks success. All in all I learned a few things:

1.   Be very careful when judging wind conditions prior to launching your boat. The waves and wind are often much worse than they look.
2   Fish are not always where you left them. Always consider environmental factors when targeting fish.
3   Especially when targeting predator fish, the wind blown side of the lake will often yield better results. Even if it is where the water is the most turbulent.

Final Tally:

1 Walleye

1 Wiper

1 Catfish

Dugway Geode Beds

Saturday morning we packed up the kids, assembled a hunting party and set out on a treasure hunting expedition. Our destination was the Dugway Geode Beds approximately 50 miles west of Faust on the old pony express trail. The weatherman forcasted a 20% chance of rain but two hours into our journey we wondered if he meant there was a 20% chance that the rain would eventually let up. The ride out was wet and muddy but as we passed Simpson Springs and approached the final descent toward the beds the rain subsided and the sun broke through the clouds presenting us with the perfect rock hounding weather.

Up until this point the showers definitely played a part in thinning the crowd on what would have been a crowded memorial day weekend. There were plenty of visitors but not so many that we were unable to choose a promising location to dig in one of the large quarries.

As we arrived I was informed that the main rock quarry that we had used so many times in years past had now required a permit at a $30 fee. We eventually found a BLM dig site further to the southwest and open to the public. Normally I buy into the philosophy "you get what you pay for," however,  I was doubtful this saying applied to rocks.

Over the last couple of years I have lost track of the number of times I have had to tell my kids "don't play with my tools" and "stop digging in the dirt". Today the rules did not apply. We gave each of the kids a hammer and a shovel and encouraged them to get as dirty as possible.

 Kristian and I started in search of the magical layer of dirt. In years past we were able to find the bulk of our specimens in the same geographical layer of dirt and clay. It took some time but we eventually started finding geodes. We were finding less than previous visits but this new dig sit was yielding higher quality crystals.

There was a thick layer of red composite containing lots of rock and crystals. This seemed like a good place to start but there was no way to excavate the fragile stones without shattering them to pieces. We eventually found a layer of what seemed to be white clay just below this red layer about 8-10 feet under the surface of the ground. In this layer you can carefully scrape the clay from around the geode until you are able to remove it from the surrounding sediment. It is important to take your time once you identify a geode. On a few occasions I lost patience and tried to force out a large stone only to have it break into several pieces revealing large gorgeous crystal.

Shelley became quite adapt at hammering the geodes open in such a way that they fell into two halves. This is a talent that I have yet to master. Many geode hunters take the stones home whole and cut them open using a tile or concrete saw. This method is much better for producing beautiful pieces but you do end up bringing back a lot more rock that may not be keeper quality.

The day proved to be a productive adventure, exhausting the kids but fulfilling our yearnings for buried treasure. We brought back over 40 lbs of geodes and a great adventure story to tell friends and family.

The ride back was peaceful and beautiful as we admired the interesting geography of the west desert and the wildlife back-lit by a fiery sunset.

As always our favorite part is admiring and showing off our treasures.

Success at Willard Bay

For 4 years now my brother-in-law and I have been jabbering about taking the boat up to Willard Bay to hunt Walleye and Wiper. Neither of us had ever caught a Wiper and Saturday we decided to realize this ever discussed ambition. We started out fishing just south of the submerged island with bottom bouncers and worm harnesses. We immediately marked a sizable stack of fish, dropped a marker buoy, and proceeded to catch 3 Walleye and 2 Crappie.

It was not long before reinforcements started arriving, but it did not seem like they were showing up to help. Within 20 minutes there were a dozen other boats closing in on my marker. The nerve of some people, trying to crowd me out of my own spot. After all I did have my name on it, yeah... um... technically it was written on the back of my marker which was floating on the spot. After 35 minutes without another bite we decided it was best to relocate. I started on a N.W. bearing trolling toward the West dike. Soon we began hooking into Walleye. The catch rate tapered off from earlier excitement  but the fish were definitely of greater size.

After reeling in 4 sizable Walleye and 2 Crappie the boy looked like he needed a break. In fact, he did not complain too much when I lovingly recommended that I should take the next one.  

As the afternoon started to settle in we had put 2 limits of Walleye in the boat but no Wiper. We decided unless we got serious now we were likely going home without checking Wiper off our species list. We trolled over to the S.E. side of the island. Then it happened, like I hooked a truck in oncoming traffic, my line started flying of my spool. I thought for sure this was it. After about a 15 minute fight I saw what appeared be a 40 lb fire breathing beast from the depths. Before the fish was netted, my brother-in-law leaned over and congratulated me on catching my first Wiper. I immediately knew I was in trouble. Before I could mutter the words "take it back" the fish came off the line and disappeared into the stained water. Don't get me wrong, I don't normally consider myself a superstitious man. But then again I don't exactly act normal when I am fishing.

To add insult to injury my brother-in-law landed the next fish and it was a Wiper. Time was running out and I was getting nervous. After releasing another Walleye we landed 2 more Wiper, one for me and one for the boy. I can now vouch for the athleticism of this hybrid. When they hit, there is no question as to what it is on the end of the line. To sum it up in one word, "Exciting!"

There was never a prouder moment than watching my son show up all the other guys around the fish cleaning station. I usually remind my boy that it's not polite to brag... But not today.

Final Tally:

13 Walleye

3 Wiper

2 Crappie

Vivian Park Picnic

Sunday we came down with a major case of spring fever. The cure came in the form of hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, family and fishing at Vivian Park. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was nostalgic. Surrounded by mountains and pine trees with  the sound of the river churning in the background, I couldn't ask for more. The pond was stocked a couple of weeks prior which set the stage for non-stop planter action for the kids.

After a rush job of transporting kids, food, camp chairs and gear, I rigged up a line with a casting bubble and a Berkley Power Egg and handed it off to the first set of eager hands I saw. Before I could start rigging up a second pole we "got bit".

Again!

And Again!

And Again!

Sometimes fishing is about targeting the big one, or going after a new species. Today it was about removing fish hooks, and re-rigging as fast as humanly possible. No, it was not glamorous but it did put a big smile on my face. After cycling through everybody making sure all had a chance to catch a fish or 2 or 3 we broke from reeling for a little bit of hot dog roasting.

After filling our bellies we noticed an interesting disturbance on the surface of the water. As if they were being pursued by a great white shark, dozens of 7-8 inch trout were literally jumping right out of the water, tail dancing for several feet at a time. This happened a few times before we caught site of what was causing this phenomenon. Moving stealthily through the middle of the pond was a 24 inch shadowy predator of the Brown Trout persuasion. We soon caught sight of several others though not as big.  My guess is that these fish make their way into the pond from the river and get big and fat living on planted rainbows. Immediately my focus changed from keeping the kids entertained to developing a strategy for landing a large brown.

I tried anything I could find in my tackle that may entice a large brown. I slowly and methodically searched the weed line for one of these elusive fish, casting whenever I located one. I wish I had one more fish picture to post but the words, "honey, its time to go" came way to soon. This ended up as one of those trips that was enjoyable for all, and like all good trips should, left me wanting more. Can't wait to come back.