Where Did My Tire Go...

Fishing Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Weather: Sunny, hot, T-90s, windy

Moon Phase: 41% Moon

Location:  Deer Creek Reservoir

Best Bait:  Bottom bouncers with worm harness

Who Went:  Bobber John, Sean Mitchell, Dunc

I haven’t been fishing much lately with the new COVID-19 world we are living in, but that hasn’t stopped my fishing buddy Bobber John from getting out there.  He reported catching some walleye up at Deer Creek, so naturally, I wanted to plan a trip.

I picked up Bobber John and his new fishing buddy/coworker Sean Mitchell bright and early and we were on our way.  Just as I was turning into the marina at Deer Creek the truck behind me honked and started waving at us.  At first, I thought he was mad at my driving, but we soon figured out he was trying to warn us of what was about to happen.  We felt a big thump followed with an awful grinding coming from behind my truck.  It took a second to realize that my boat trailer tire had literally flew off into the weeds and I was dragging the boat trailer axle along the asphalt.

I quickly stopped and we jumped out to assess the damage.  It didn’t look good with my tire off in the weeds smoking, trailer axle on the ground, and the side step on the trailer bent up towards the boat.  We were so close to the ramp and fishing, but everything changed in an instant. 

We put the tire back on using a jack and limped it into a parking spot and called a mobile service to come replace my hub and bearings.  The mobile service was there quick and provided good service, but the price reflected it at a whopping $528.  Yikes!

By the time it was fixed, we launched at about 11:00 am.  The wind was blowing, and the barrage of skiers and wave runners were out in full force.

We tried bottom bouncing the flat area on the north end of the lake, and Sean had what looked to be a really good walleye right to the boat before it came unbuttoned.  Add it to the day’s blunders.  Sean did catch another rainbow, and John and I added a couple jumbo perch, but before long the wind and boat wake became to much and we left.

My mind was not in the right place after the flying tire event, so no photos were taken during fishing.  I think I was trying to wrap my head around the cost for mobile service on my tire!  Lesson learned… grease your hubs regularly!

Fly Fishing Lessons on the Weber

Fishing Time: 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Weather: Sunny, hot, T-80s, breezy

Moon Phase: 12% Moon

Location:  Weber River (Coalville)

Best Bait:  Rogers #24 midge

Who Went:  Roger Parks, Dunc

My coworker Roger is a good fly fisherman and I have been asking for him to get me out on the river.  Roger wants to get into warm water fishing a bit more, so I told him we can trade services.  You make me a better fly fisherman and I will show you some places and techniques for some of the warm water species in Utah.

We snuck out of work a bit early and drove up to the Weber River, which is one of his favorite spots to fish.  I have fly fished there before with little success and was excited to have him show me how it’s done.

We made our way to the river and immediately Roger showed me how it was done by hooking up with a really nice whitefish.  He’s not a fan of whitefish though, so he wouldn’t let me take a photo.

We worked our way down river and found a good spot where fish were active.  Roger set the hook on another fish and luckily it was a brown trout, so photos were okay!  I took over his spot to try and get on the board.  I had multiple hits and a couple fish on.  I even had one all the way to the bank before it came unhooked.  The fish were small and that’s my excuse, but I never did get one in the net. 

I learned a lot about tackle and how to mend my line correctly, so the trip was a great learning experience.  I look forward to getting out with Roger more to better my skills as a fly fisherman.  Now it’s my turn to come through on my end with the warm water species.