Locals Only

As many of you are aware, my lunch breaks are usually spent fishing whatever water I can find, close by. The river has been a staple for me over the past few months, but I've also found some other water to investigate.


As a result, I've been hooking into some LMB and bluegill lately.


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...6.jpg~original


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...7.jpg~original


It's been a lot of fun, catching species I don't usually target and the bucket mouth pack a pretty good fight too. Some of them are pretty nice. Here's my new personal best:


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...e.jpg~original


Yesterday was pretty nasty, weather-wise. Regardless, it was my only chance to get out, so I left with hopes of going to Strawberry and getting in a brisk float.


Only a short distance up Provo Canyon, my desire to take on the drive to the Berry in snow and ice withered. I pulled over at Canyon View park and caught a couple of smaller browns below the Murdock. Some bigger fish were messing with me, but I either missed those bites or broke off.


Another person showed up as I broke off a snag and I offered him the hole. My plans were evolving by the moment, so I chose to head farther up the canyon and hit a stretch I had a good day on, last fall.


The fishing was pretty good for average browns (13" or so), but I also smacked some bigger ones. Overall, the average size per catch was nicer than usual and that coaxed me into staying all day. Browns were caught on Gulp minnows:


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...9.jpg~original


Blue Fox:


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...3.jpg~original


And Black Marabou:


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The longest of the day was really skinny, but had large fins. Kind of a neat looking fish.


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At one shallow spot, the browns were going crazy, churning up a gravel bed. There had to be 20 fish or more in that spot and they were throwing a lot of water around. Pretty cool to watch. The Blue Fox got chased aggressively by exposed dorsal and tails fins, leaving strong wakes, but only one was hooked through there.


Bringing my fly rod for that may have been a better choice, but I was still doing well enough with the spin gear. It's nice to see the activity though.


http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/...1.jpg~original


All things considered, it was an enjoyable day on the river for pretty good browns. It would have been nice to float Strawberry, but staying local was probably a better idea.


Happy Fishing, Humans.