8-5, 8-6 Buckboard and South

[AlreadyGone]

I got the chance to run up to Buckboard on Friday evening and stayed until Saturday late afternoon. The wife was working and so was Gulfstream so I hit the water solo. Friday evening wind was still blowing but not too bad. I was able to catch dinner down by Lowe Canyon. I had a nice one come off but was able to keep another and barbeque it up at the slip.

Saturday morning I headed from the Breeze down through Lowe, Squaw Hollow, Anvil, and just above the pipeline before heading back. Fishing was tough, but you could get kokes and pup macks on the line if you were willing to use everything in your tacklebox and cover some ground. I was fishing no less than 70 feet the whole trip running 2 downriggers. Best production for me was bright pink and white pearl squids behind Fusion, Silverstreak, and Shattered Glass dodgers with an hororable mention to orange cotton candy. I did miss my wife and boating buddie as I had the biggest koke of my fishing career on the line down by the pipeline but failed to net him after numberous attempts only to see him shake the hook-nice male in spawn mode with huge hump. I lost 2 fish this weekend to poor netting skills with my heavier rubber net.

Gulfstream showed me the fix on his net to make it float, I might have had a chance then. All in all it was great to get away, but that wind coming from the south in the early afternoon put the kabosh on any thoughts of staying around that area and gunning for more big takers down by the Pipeline. Don't ever think you don't need your wife or fishing buddy out there when the wind picks up and you are multitasking from dropping gear, staying off the cliffs and landing fish all by your lonesome... I have a few pics I will put up later. I ran into WYG F&G on the way out-he says it has been really slow and I had done better than most-I had a 5 koke day boated and 2 lake trout on Sat-only one boated on Friday but had some nice hits...

MP

 

[AlreadyGone]

This was dinner on Friday-

A couple pics from Saturday

My fillet knife and I had a disagreement on Saturday-it won. Thanks to whoever you were that helped me fillet those last ones up there-I'm pretty sure you are a member here. The bleeding has finally stopped. : )

MP

 

[POk3s]

Still looks like fun! I was hoping somebody would post a report. Was thinking of trying to talk the buddy into going tomorrow but it doesn't sound like it's a great idea to dump a day of work for slow fishing (even though I would do it in a heartbeat if i was asked) . Did you ever go back through where you had caught fish to see if there were any other takers or did you just go straight down the shore??? Also, what did that red one weigh? looks like a good fish!

 

[AlreadyGone]

POks3

No, the wind was getting worse and I couldn't pull through there and hold a course. I have a 23' Trophy Hardtop and it will get spun around if I don't stay on the remote steering continuously. I brought everything up and moved back to Lowe, pulled through that area for a while and then went back to the dock to head home. I didn't weigh that last fish but my guess would have been somewhere in the mid to upper 3lb range. It was about the same size as the one I caught Friday which was closing the 4lb mark.

I thought I would at least give an update to the slow conditions. I saw a few others up there I have recognized on this board over last weekend. They could still be fishing or had to get back to work-it's hard for me to get away but it helps me keeps my sanity some weeks.

MP

 

[SuperD]

Did F&G look at your fish? I'm curious if any comment was / would have been made about a koke in a live well.

 

[AlreadyGone]

No, but that's where I keep them until I put them on the stringer and pull the plug when when the boat comes out of the water. I don't use the fish wells with ice on my boat-they don't pump all the way down when I drain them and I have to vacum them out later-(bad Trophy Design).

I believe you have to keep any fish that are in a livewell or basket once you catch them if thats what your asking. Any fish being released needs to be done immediately.

MP

 

[SuperD]

I think there are rules about even keeping a game fish in a live well. Since I'm not a local resident to Utah or Wyoming, I don't know if the law exists like it does here in CA. Fish & Game assumes one is either culling or preparing to transport a live fish and is why it is a law where I live.

 

[AlreadyGone]

superD

I don't believe they have a problem with you keeping your catch in a live well-i have read the regs and dont see the problem-why don't you call and ask them? Almost all my pictures of fish are after the day is over and they are on a stringer ready to be cleaned or filleted. I'm sure they might take issue with someone trying to drive to another lake with live fish in the live well but with kokes it's not going to happen-why would you do that? Man a guy tries to give an update and someone starts talking about culling fish? I'm alone with a camera dude-give me a break if I try to take some pics. I can understand why your Cal-regs might be different, but give someone the benefit of the doubt. I'm the kind of person that will drive 200 miles to catch some really nice kokes and enjoy myself on the water with my family and friends-I don't need to catch 20-30 and run them home and try to freeze them up. Other states have different regs-no sweat just keep within the law If we do well and keep catching fish, all that matters is I try to get them back in the water-fast.

I saw in another post about the idea of keeping the first 6 you pick up. I would be on board with that. Btw- I have always gone out of my way to seek Wyg F&G when I see them up there. I want to know how people are doing and what's working. Sometimes we talk for 1/2 hour or so while their looking over my boat.

MP

 

[SuperD]

I'm not giving you a bad time. Just letting you know that you might inadvertently get yourself in trouble if you are boarded. Trying to help, not judge or get in your shorts.

 

[AlreadyGone]

SuperD

No problems here-sorry if I came off wrong. I come from a family that includes a 35 year retired Utah F&G Director and have a son in law enforcement. We have always supported the the law and the hunting/fishing regs in our state as well as other states Like Wyoming. They have some awsome programs that include Flaming Gorge as a premier fishery. We are very forturnate to have it along with other fisheries within reasonable driving distance. We don't take these for granted and are more than willing to do our share to keep it going.

MP

 

[POk3s]

gotcha. Yes I also like to hear the updates.