# Yuba 17 OCT. FINTASTIC!



## pezvela (Nov 3, 2007)

Today is my 64th birthday, a time to reflect on the past. Rather than go back through all of those many years, I'm going to concentrate on the last 3 weeks and specifically on yesterday which was the only good day in the last 20.

The list of things that have gone wrong in October is almost limitless, but a few highlights are; boat won't run decently, lost my wallet in lake powell, boat still won't run right and finally the dam boat doesn't run right and every shop in the state is busy for 2 weeks winterizing what I can only assume are ski boats. No self respecting angler is going to winterize his boat this early!

After working on the boat myself all day Friday, I decided that Saturday was going to be a fishing day no matter what else happened. Three weeks being off the water is way too long.

Judd Ritter pulled up at my house at 6:45AM. Ritter had yet to catch a northern in spite of several attempts so we decided to give it a try, in spite of the fact that we might get stranded on the water if the outboard conked out.

Yuba is so low that the park service has closed the ramp at painted rocks. We launched at Oasis ramp to an empty parking lot. The motor started instantly, but was running rough. We headed up the reservoir as the sun was breaking over the mountains. It was cold but not miserable and the clear skies promised a beautiful day.

Cutting the big motor, Judd dropped the bow mount electric troller and we began casting to the shoreline along a gravel bank that dropped off steeply. The water temp had dropped 10 degrees since my last trip here, but pike still feed actively at 55 degree water so we were optimistic.

20 minutes into the morning I was fast to a pike. Things were looking good. The fish was on the small side about 10 pounds. A half-hours had passed without a strike so I changed from the rattle trap to a jerkbait. The first cast from the fresh bait brought another 8 or 10 pounder.[attachment=2:3kevvpn8]pike in net0005.JPG[/attachment:3kevvpn8]

Judd continued to change lures searching for the magic lure that would lead him to his first pike. I was starting to feel guilty. He was in the bow of the boat which is a definite advantage as you can position the boat where you can optimize the cast. In the stern you take what you can get and hope for the best.

It warmed up some bu 9:30. I was watching Judd's rod tip after each cast and finally The deep bend and the head shake was there. "Fish on."!
[attachment=3:3kevvpn8]judd ritter0001.JPG[/attachment:3kevvpn8]

After several long runs Judd brought the fish to the net. High fives and congratulations were in order. The drought was over and Ritter had his fish.

We continued to fish until early afternoon, managing to add two more to the live well. Five fish for the day. Although we didn't weight or measure them; 4 were from 8 to 12 pounds and one was a baby of about 5 pounds. 
[attachment=1:3kevvpn8]DSC_00950141.JPG[/attachment:3kevvpn8]

The general size of the pike is continuing to decline. I believe this is due to the UDWR encouraging anglers to kill the Pike. A slot should be instilled to protect the big breeders. but that is not likely to happen. We release all pike contrary to the DWR's wishes. The pike fishery had the promise to be world class, but I'm afraid that isn't going to happen with the continued kill of big fish, but that is another story.

There were about a half dozen other boats on the lake. I have no idea how any of them did except WrongWay Johnson and his lovely wife Vicky, who caught a nice fish on a dead minnow at the rock poles. Her first pike.

One other note of possible interest. The lake was speckled with dead yearling perch about two in ches long. One of the pike we caught spit out several small perch and Wrongway told me that the fish Vicky caught had 13 perch in it just before it hit the dinner table. I have no idea what was killing these baby perch, but there were alot of them on the water. The gulls were diving for them and taking them off the surface. I'm not a perch fisherman, but they are an important prey specie for the pike so I hope they don't all die.
[attachment=0:3kevvpn8]baby perch0003.JPG[/attachment:3kevvpn8]

Good fishing should last until early December. Bundle up and give it a try. IF I can get my boat running right I might see you on the water, but until that time I'm afraid I will only be able to dream about the giant pike of Yuba.


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## Pez Gallo (Dec 27, 2007)

Congrats on your birthday Steve. I'm glad you were able to celebrate with a great day of fishing.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Nice work. You are the Pike magnet for sure. I have been itchin to get back!!


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## FishMogul (Sep 8, 2007)

nice job on the fish you are the man for sure down there at Yuba and Happy B-day always nice to celebrate with a fish on the end of your line...


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## Jed (Feb 25, 2009)

Nice one! Happy B-Day!    8) :lol:  _(O)_


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## REPETER (Oct 3, 2007)

Great pics/story 

Congrats on another successful outing + not having the boat die.

Happy Birthday!


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## smallfry (Sep 22, 2009)

I have only been to yuba twice, once with two of my dad's friends from work, my dad and I, and then once with just my dad and I on his boat. the first time we went there we caught six northerns, but the second time we went there we got skunked! biggest were around 10 pounds.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Happy birthday. Glad you got out and grabbed some pike while you could.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Pez happy belated birthday and most of all you were out doing something that you truly enjoy on YOUR day...what more can one ask for. WTG nice job on the Pike...you're the master of Yuba Pike fish'n great report...maybe someday we'll venture to Yuba...that's if you leave a few for us to work a few lures at.

Ohhhhh how we can relate about motor issues...what type of problems you having?? we're nursing a power steering helm leak...doing the servicing/bleeding ourselves and will have it looked at pre-season 2010. I know it may be a drive for you but have you contacted Lee's Marine in Hyrum...we've even called him and Lee will provide you all the user type stuffage over the phone of via e-mail. Here's his link with phone number.

http://www.leesmarinesvc.com/

Maybe he can provide some over the phone or e-mail advise...Lee will always get back with you...at least he has with us.

Good Luck the rest of the remaining Yuba soft water.

:wink: :wink:


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Ohhhhh..... a recommendation we got from Lee last year when our kicker was running rough and would die at lower RPMs was to use Sea Foam that was the ticket a year or so ago...we hadn't put Sea Foam in for a while say the last 3 tank fulls...the last 2-outing our kicker again started running rough I put a can of Sea Foam in the tank 3/4 full already...ran the kicker up in neutral, throttle only and man had nasty gunk come out the exhaust with a nasty slick on the water (glad GreenPeace didn't have a chaser boat on us). The kicker ran fine after that. Additionally, we've also switched to running 87 octane and that seems to also help....here's the link to read up on Sea Foam...don't know if you've ever heard of it...we didn't until Lee via a phone call told us about using it... You can get it at Checker and it runs about $9 bucks a can...well worth it IMHO.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motor-treatment/index.html

Also prior to calling it a day...we're going to try and remember to run the kicker up throttle only to clean out any gunk...our kicker is a 4-stroke and we work it very hard as we troll from anywhere to 5-9 hours...so don't know what you're running and maybe/maybe not this info could help prelong your fall fish'n experience. :wink: :wink:


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## pezvela (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanks for the advise. I have a 150 hp merc optimax (2 stroke), It is a 2006, but lots of hours as I fish alot. 5 weeks ago it started cutting out a all rpms. Changed plugs and fuel filter..no help. checked olms at coils, OK. checked fuel pressure at fuel rail,OK. tried bulb on fuel line..couldn't pump up so I replaced fuel line and bulb, now the bulb pumps up harder than chinese math. Going to take it out on the water as soon as possible and my fingers are crossed harder than a high school kid at the homecoming prom.

I've about run out of things it can be except perhaps an injector or something screwed up in the wiring, but the olm reading don't show a problem, Cal Robertson is a friend of mine and I call him twice a day giving him a status report and asking for advise which he is glad to provide. Wed I am going to get on the water and see if the fuel line/bulb replacement fixes it. It acts like fuel problem. Incidentally I have added seafoam and fuel drier and run it on a clean 6 gallon fuel tank and it still misses.

I don't want to quit fishing, but I don't want to burn a piston or createt more problems than it already has. If this latest fix doesn't cure it I will have to put it in the shop. Jezzus will I be antsy without it. This is the best time of the year to fish for Pike/tigers...without my boat I am lost. Pray for me! Steve


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

You're boat (and YOU are) is in our fish'n prayers Pez...hope you fixed the problem. Ohhh the joys of fish'n then to have blasted boat issues this time of year...we can relate for sure...don't want the boat in the shop for a week plus with the last few weeks and/or month or so of fall fish'n left. All the best and get that Yuba and State Pike record. :wink: :wink:


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