We fished from the 5th to the 8th from Ticaboo to White. Parked the wife's house boat below the snake wall on a nice patch of sand on the south side of Ticaboo. All of GHB had a few slurps here and there, nothing to get too excited about. Just past the Horn they turned into full blown boils with fish splashing and clearing the water and staying up long enough to catch multiple fish with out having to move. Hot spots were half a mile either side of MM 130 just past the Horn - between two mile and Trachyte, and one good boil at the back of battleship rock in the back of White. We caught 127 stripers on the 6th and 7th fishing only a couple hours one morning and two evenings. SMB fishing was better than usual for this time of the year. Green tubes and grubs on the rocks in 10 to 30 feet of water. Most were small - 9 to 12 inches. Did get a 16.5 "one on top water one morning. Water clarity was clearer than I had ever seen it for this time of the year, 12 to 15 feet in GHB in most places. Even up at Trachyte - striper city and White is was 4 to 8 feet. No muddy color at all and not as "green" as usual. This may change a little due to the recent rains here in CO. The north fork of the Gunnison here in Paonia has been very muddy for the last two days. Water temps were 78 to 83. Did not see any one but us fishing any where. On the trip up and back in the house boat saw very little surface action. It was mid day both ways? Talked to a friend that did well in boils early and late between Moki and Forgotten.
Was a good trip for spotting critters. Saw a coyote and four otters in Ticaboo on Sunday morning. The coyote was surprisingly close - within bow range. He watched me catch a couple small mouth. I ill hooked a small one that was bleeding bad so I decided to toss it over on the bank. He watched it flopping around but would not approach it, so I backed the boat off a little and he went over and grabbed it up went over to the shade of a big rock and had breakfast. The otters were a little shy and would not allow me to get any closer than about 100 yards. They were very playful and vocal. I had seen a lot of Otters before but never 4 at once. Had a small rattle snake camp out under our house boat on Saturday. Found him while backing out the house boat to relevel it. It was a small one, about 18" and stayed there all day. He was gone the following morning. Spotted two smaller desert bighorn rams, one about a half curl and one a little bigger, getting a drink just past the horn on the north side Friday night. They were very patient with us and stayed nice and close till every one had a chance to look at them with the binoculars.
Had a great trip. Spent mid day and afternoons skiing and swimming and sight seeing. Mornings, when we could get up, and evenings fishing. Had the grand kids with us. My 5 year old grandson caught several fish on his own, and reeled in lots of fish that his dad hooked up for him. About an hour into fishing the second night his dad handed him a pole with a fish on it and he told his dad that he was just too tired from catching all of his dad's fish for him the that he would have to reel in his own fish for the rest of the night. He relinquished himself to netting duty.
They would hit about anything we threw at them. I prefer the 3" Storm swim shad. They only have one hook. They have a built in weight, are reasonable inexpensive - cast well and fairly durable. Cast masters and white grubs on a jig head worked well also. The last night we switched to mid sized top water baits and did equally as well. Don't catch as many using top water, takes too long getting all those hooks out, but it sure is fun fishing with them.
Was a good trip for spotting critters. Saw a coyote and four otters in Ticaboo on Sunday morning. The coyote was surprisingly close - within bow range. He watched me catch a couple small mouth. I ill hooked a small one that was bleeding bad so I decided to toss it over on the bank. He watched it flopping around but would not approach it, so I backed the boat off a little and he went over and grabbed it up went over to the shade of a big rock and had breakfast. The otters were a little shy and would not allow me to get any closer than about 100 yards. They were very playful and vocal. I had seen a lot of Otters before but never 4 at once. Had a small rattle snake camp out under our house boat on Saturday. Found him while backing out the house boat to relevel it. It was a small one, about 18" and stayed there all day. He was gone the following morning. Spotted two smaller desert bighorn rams, one about a half curl and one a little bigger, getting a drink just past the horn on the north side Friday night. They were very patient with us and stayed nice and close till every one had a chance to look at them with the binoculars.
Had a great trip. Spent mid day and afternoons skiing and swimming and sight seeing. Mornings, when we could get up, and evenings fishing. Had the grand kids with us. My 5 year old grandson caught several fish on his own, and reeled in lots of fish that his dad hooked up for him. About an hour into fishing the second night his dad handed him a pole with a fish on it and he told his dad that he was just too tired from catching all of his dad's fish for him the that he would have to reel in his own fish for the rest of the night. He relinquished himself to netting duty.
They would hit about anything we threw at them. I prefer the 3" Storm swim shad. They only have one hook. They have a built in weight, are reasonable inexpensive - cast well and fairly durable. Cast masters and white grubs on a jig head worked well also. The last night we switched to mid sized top water baits and did equally as well. Don't catch as many using top water, takes too long getting all those hooks out, but it sure is fun fishing with them.
