# Playing Hookie on Leap Year



## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

I was finally able to cash in some PTO at work and get a weekday off. Of course, I had plans for such an occasion.

Stevo and I made plans to meet at the ladders at 7:00 for some good ice fishing! The day was supposed to be really nice, so my hopes were high for some fast action on slot cutts and hopefully a couple over.

Well, we were both a little early (good for us...punctuality) and got off to a good start into the fog towards the lake. The sun was coming up over the hill and lit all the fog up for a nice eerie ambiance.










Kinda neat, I thought.

At the first spot (that my lame arse chose), we got a hole drilled and checked the depth to behold a daunting 6 feet! 

We moved out a little further. :lol:

Got some more holes drilled in about 21 feet of water and rigged up with minnows, meal worms, and nightcrawlers. My chub minnows from a previous outing were crap and fell apart on contact, mostly. I got a couple to stay on for a few drops.

Stevo had the first action with a sweet cuttie right inside the slot!










And then another:










Umm...










Well then.










Hey Stevo, did you catch another? Yes? Oh, okay. :x










:lol:

Approximated time elapsed: 6.5 hours

STEVO: 5

LOAH: Zip!

Then after taking a deep breath and finding my happy place, I finally got one:










Released without incident or measurement. No need, really. It was nice to finally get some action though. I had already dug a pretty mean trench by tapping my heel impatiently.

Whaddaya know? Stevo got another one, just like the others:










The day was long and super warm. I was "special" enough to face the sun the whole time, so now I'm Mr. Rosy Cheeks. I feel crusty when I smile. :lol:

Fishing was really slow for us, despite STEVO scoring all the marks. The people around us had about the same type of luck with a few fish coming up from time to time, but no real pace to speak of.

The snow was pretty rough to clomp through later on. The sun did a real number on the (once frozen) slush under the foot or more of snow. Following others' tracks was the only real way to get anywhere without pooping out.

We head back to the parking area and toyed with the thought of hitting the open water in the channel (yep, about halfway open) below the steps and fence, but opted not to and went our separate ways. It was good to get out when I would normally be at work and it was good to fish with STEVO again. He's a good guy and his chessie is a fun pup.

When I left the ladders area, I made a last minute decision to turn right instead of left (towards home) to check the status of the Soldier Creek road.

Still completely snowed in. Nobody's getting anywhere on the SC side w/o a snowmobile. There's a small area plowed out at the turnoff for minimal parking. A few more warm days like today and that status may change. I turned around and drove back toward Heber.

I was tempted a couple of times in the canyon to utilize some plowed pull-offs and fish the creek, but it was snowed over in most places and access would've been pretty tough.

Being one that doesn't like to go home from a day of fishing empty handed, I had to make a last-ditch effort to catch something I could keep. Charleston Bridge, here I come.

I parked at the bridge and made my way to the river nervously. I was nervous because I had a brand new Lucky Craft on the line and was really afraid of losing it on the first cast.

First cast, nothing. Change direction, second...Pow!










That one was released, even though I had dinner on my mind. I figured with this weapon on my line, I'd hook up with a chunky brown or two in the area.

It wasn't but three casts later that I caught a bush on the other side of some fast moving water! O|*

I had to know that was coming, but I wasn't ready to part with my newly acquired lure. I crossed upstream in a slower section almost getting swallowed by the soft bed and chugged back to the lure. Score! Recovered. Hey! I even got a free Jake's lure out of the deal that someone else had caught a bush with. :mrgreen:

Now, I needed to get upstream if I was going to find any more fish. As I pulled the Lucky Craft down to hook it to an eyelet, the knot popped and I was lucky to catch the lure before it got washed away in the current.









That would've been a cold, frantic swim.

I decided to put the expensive LC away and switched to a worm.

Upstream, I didn't get anything, but I spooked a really nice brown from some cover and watched it snake away. I also ran into some muleys:










Nothing over there either. I went back toward the bridge, tied the Lucky Craft back on, and hooked up with 2 planter bows that went right on the stringer. I had another one on for a bit, but it spit out the hook while showing me some pretty impressive aerials.

So it was a long day of slow fishing and none of the berry fish were bows or over the slot. STEVO had one just shy, but not quite. Once again, the river provided my redemption after a weak day on a reservoir.

I don't care though. I'd never ice fished the berry before and I'm glad I gave it a go.

Way better than working.

So if you're planning on hitting Strawberry this weekend, be wary of the slush that will almost undoubtedly be horrible by tomorrow and Sunday. The ice is 2 feet thick, so bring a power auger. I can't believe how many people we saw today using manual augers! That's some true determination. I hope those guys were rewarded with some nice fish.

Good luck to STEVO at Fish Lake. Apparently, our Strawberry shindig was just an appetizer for his real fishing trip. Lucky guy is staying there all weekend.

Happy Fishing, Humans.


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## holman927 (Sep 28, 2007)

Good job guys. Nice report. 

Sounds like Orvis, Iceicebaby and I will hit the berry tomorrow in search of some fish action for Orvis. Stay tuned for a report. 
Stevo good luck at Fish Lake.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Good luck to you guys. I would go somewhere besides the ladders though. Have fun!


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## Greenguy88 (Sep 7, 2007)

Glad you two made it out and enjoyed the weather, catching a few fish as well! Sorry it wasnt fast and furious action, but at least the skunkage monster didnt reel its ugly head. I was hopin to see one of you with a big ol cutty over the slot but I guess that wasnt meant to be! Good job guys, wish I coulda been fishing today instead of work.


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

Nice report! I always enjoy the enthusiasm! I always love finding lures and other tackle left behind...I will never have to buy another bobber as long as I live! :lol:


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

I'd really rather work than go ice fishing.... :mrgreen: 

But....all in all , it is a good report and glad somebody besides me has to do it...


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## orvis1 (Sep 7, 2007)

Loah, I think you and I both just suck at ice fishing! The same thing happened to me watching holman and iceicebaby and his family just slay them. I like you managed a few fish from the day and enjoyed myself as well. But I know we are both looking forward to soft water again. You are right about sevo he is a cool guy to fish with and another ICEHOLE that knows his stuff. Glad you didn't lose the luckycraft and you managed to pick up another fish or two.


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

I had a great day up there with you LOAH, even though the fishing wasnt the hottest. For some reason that lake is that way. You need to try it in a few places that are difficult to get to(ive got a few in mind) I think the fewest i have caught in one of my spots is 10 in a day, but have had upwards of 60 fish in a day per person. If your up to it in the next couple of weeks we will get the snowmobiles out there(depending on how bad the slush is :? ) Im glad you got into some fish down on the river. Sorry about you losing that one lure though ( I think Thor ate it :lol: ). Oh yea, Saturday morning, I was a little sore, Saturday night the blisters showed up, by sunday morning I was in a world of pain, and today I look like some diseased guy losing all of his skin :lol:


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

No kidding! I look like a leper. :lol: 

Hey, at least there's a Hawaiian island with my name on it, if that's the case.  

About the lure, I don't think Thor ate it, I think the "Strawberry Triangle" ate it.

The "Strawberry Triangle" is also responsible for putting the power egg above the worm when I clearly remember tipping my hook with it. Strange happenings there. :wink: 

Yeah, we'll have to visit some better spots. Next time, it's totally up to you where we fish.

Thanks for a good day and an ugly nose.


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## orvis1 (Sep 7, 2007)

Sign me up when you two head out again, LOAH we have to break this ice curse with one solid 5+ fish day for each of us on the ice.


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## fishman (Feb 16, 2008)

nice job on the cuttes to bad you dident catch as many


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

orvis1 said:


> Sign me up when you two head out again, LOAH we have to break this ice curse with one solid 5+ fish day for each of us on the ice.


For sure. I have to work this weekend, but any time after tha will be good!!!


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## tcb (Sep 26, 2007)

I don't post on here very often, but that picture of the provo you took merits attention. It looks like it was taken by a professional outdoor photographer after waiting for just the right lighting. Great shot!


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Hey, thanks.

Here's an autumn shot of the same area:


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