Deja Vu at Flaming Gorge

Location: Flaming Gorge (Lucerne)

Weather: Partly, 39 °F, slight breeze in the afternoon

Moon Phase: 39% Waning Moon

BP: Morning - 30.58 Hg trending down, Afternoon - 30.44 Hg

Best Baits: River2Sea 200 series glide bait (party crasher)

Water Temp: 40 °F

Who Went: Dunc

Catching a monster lake trout does something to your brain.  It becomes all you think about and the only thing you want to do is get back up there and do it again!  Luckily, I have a wife that understands my addiction and so I planned another trip over the weekend.  I invited others to go but due to sickness or different plans they couldn’t make it.  Another solo trip!  No problem, I don’t mind being alone (just ask my wife).

With all the electronics issues from the last trip I took my lithium battery to someone smarter than me to check it out.  It seemed like we fixed the issue and had it figured out. All my electronics were working before I hit the road.

I arrived to another gorgeous morning.  This weather is unlike any I’ve ever seen in January.  The best part was seeing one truck and trailer beside mine on arrival and departure!

The solo launch went great, and I was ready to roll.  I went to turn on my electronics and nothing!  Same story different trip.  Only thing I can come up with is the cold temps overnight are causing my batteries brain to shut it off.  Lithium batteries are great, but only when they work correctly.  I was so sad!  I had lots of plans of trying new things and here I was in the same situation as last week.  So disappointing!

After a few cuss words and contemplating life, I got over it again and headed to the area where I had success last week.  I also rigged up my manual depth finder that became my best friend for the day (sigh).

I fished the entire area I focused on last week but never got a bite.  I moved a bit further south and finally hooked up with a feisty pup lake trout.  Not what I was looking for, but a fun fish to get me started and add some confidence to keep going.

I ended up moving a bit further south and this time I had a rod bender that literally twisted my rod holder to the back of the boat.  I knew it was a good fish, but as soon as I grabbed it, the fish was gone.  It’s becoming obvious to me that this is just part of the technique and they don’t always stick.  I went 1 for 2 on bites last week and this week I was 2 for 4. 

I made one final big move late in the day and finally got the bite I was looking for, but at the most inopportune time.  I was heading right into shore when it hit, the wind kicked up for the first time all day, and my remote on my fish finder was not turning on, so I was about to run aground!  

The fish also ran straight towards my other line, and I thought for sure it was going to get tangled and I would lose the fish!  It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but after a lot of chaos, I was finally able to land this 19-pound beauty!

The addiction is full on now and starting to get out of control.  I have already checked the weather and next weekend looks amazing! I might find out just how understanding my wife really is!