Gdp 1/29/14

[Transplanted Sportsman]

You are the man Chris!! loved the response!!, I'm still the groupie but I know if I put the time and continue to ask questions, document my trips and observations and listen to the advice given it will be just a matter of time before I can get proficient and may even develop my own way to catch fish and do it year round, thanks to all of you who have shared knowledge and advice in such unselfish way (and there are many on here) too many to mention!!

[agelesssone]

Or you can do like me....use your boat as an icebreaker. Launched at Flipper's at 5:45, broke a path out to the river and back before I parked the truck.

Steering was frozen, felt like wrestling a linebacker trying to turn it. Out in the river, running about 15 MPH in the dark....my Phace saver mask iced up about a mile into the run so bad I had to lift it to see where I was going. What is the wind chill when it's 2 degrees with a 15 MPH wind?

Finally got to the channel, foggy as all get out, trolled up to the barrier and dropped the trolling motor over the barrier....and here comes another idiot up to the barrier! I thought for sure I was the only one dumb enough to fish on a morning like this.

Fished for skippies to get a couple of live lines out. Got that set up and started casting flukes, top water baits, spinnerbaits. Hooked up on a 16" LM on a spinnerbait.

Then the SHTF! Big stripers started blasting the surface 50 yds. in front of the boat, coming closer every second. Huge boils! The other guy, Jason, hooked up on a topwater bait, landed a 32 pounder, asked me to photograph him, (which I did). Both of my down rods started screeching. Grab the port rod and the fish dropped the bait. Put that rod back in the holder, grab the other rod. Fight the fish for thirty seconds, it get's off. *@#$*())*^%$#@

Jason, (the other idiot) hooks up another big one. Finally lands it, another 30+ fish, trolls over to have me take his picture. I do but accidentally drop his camera in the water. oops, sorry, cold hands, ya know? Well, not really, but that's what I was thinkin.

My live bait rod starts screeching again. I pull it out of the holder.....and he drops the bait....again. Buttwipe!

No problem, they'll be back......famous last words.

Fish for a coupla more hours with no results, move over to try for some tilapia. Catch a few small ( small, as in tiny) bluegills, then, a tilapia. Not too big, 8 incher. Next cast, another tilapia, nice one too. Probably 1 pound. Go to swing him in the boat with the 8' ultralight, he bangs the side of the boat...falls off....in the water. Why don't they ever fall off into the boat?

Fish for another half hour catching 4 inch pumpkinseeds and bluegills and finally I've had enough.

Headed downriver for Flippers, see a log in the choppy water (whitecaps) just in time to say "OH CRAP"! as I run over it. Cool, nothing major. Of course once the boat is on the trailer, I see the transducer dangling by it's wires. Broke the mounts on the transducer itself. Nothing a little crazy glue didn't fix!

AND I'M GONNA DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN TOMORROW!

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by Jim

No big deal with the Gallatin Steam Plant. It is a big community spot that everyone has known about for years. Nothing new about fishing it. Mostly it is about getting people to be courteous about how to fish in a crowd. But after a trip or two "most" people figure it out and have a good time fishing and talking to folks in boats right next to them.

With that said, we all have our tricks that don't show up here and can make a huge difference between catching a few fish and a boat load.

Jim

Shorty Holt used to post pics on his fishing show every week from the GSP. How long ago has that been?

[jad2t]

Originally Posted by JeffsLowe

ARe you kidding? I love this board. I have been looking for a place to dock my 28' houseboat and based on the info i found here will be pulling it up to the barrier at GSP for the rest of the winter.

Oh please do it. I'll bring whiskey and bacon if I can join.

[XxthejuicexX]

Originally Posted by jad2t

Oh please do it. I'll bring whiskey and bacon if I can join.

I got the cold beer and burgers.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

Or you can do like me....use your boat as an icebreaker. Launched at Flipper's at 5:45, broke a path out to the river and back before I parked the truck.

Steering was frozen, felt like wrestling a linebacker trying to turn it. Out in the river, running about 15 MPH in the dark....my Phace saver mask iced up about a mile into the run so bad I had to lift it to see where I was going. What is the wind chill when it's 2 degrees with a 15 MPH wind?

Finally got to the channel, foggy as all get out, trolled up to the barrier and dropped the trolling motor over the barrier....and here comes another idiot up to the barrier! I thought for sure I was the only one dumb enough to fish on a morning like this.

Fished for skippies to get a couple of live lines out. Got that set up and started casting flukes, top water baits, spinnerbaits. Hooked up on a 16" LM on a spinnerbait.

Then the SHTF! Big stripers started blasting the surface 50 yds. in front of the boat, coming closer every second. Huge boils! The other guy, Jason, hooked up on a topwater bait, landed a 32 pounder, asked me to photograph him, (which I did). Both of my down rods started screeching. Grab the port rod and the fish dropped the bait. Put that rod back in the holder, grab the other rod. Fight the fish for thirty seconds, it get's off. *@#$*())*^%$#@

Jason, (the other idiot) hooks up another big one. Finally lands it, another 30+ fish, trolls over to have me take his picture. I do but accidentally drop his camera in the water. oops, sorry, cold hands, ya know? Well, not really, but that's what I was thinkin.

My live bait rod starts screeching again. I pull it out of the holder.....and he drops the bait....again. Buttwipe!

No problem, they'll be back......famous last words.

Fish for a coupla more hours with no results, move over to try for some tilapia. Catch a few small ( small, as in tiny) bluegills, then, a tilapia. Not too big, 8 incher. Next cast, another tilapia, nice one too. Probably 1 pound. Go to swing him in the boat with the 8' ultralight, he bangs the side of the boat...falls off....in the water. Why don't they ever fall off into the boat?

Fish for another half hour catching 4 inch pumpkinseeds and bluegills and finally I've had enough.

Headed downriver for Flippers, see a log in the choppy water (whitecaps) just in time to say "OH CRAP"! as I run over it. Cool, nothing major. Of course once the boat is on the trailer, I see the transducer dangling by it's wires. Broke the mounts on the transducer itself. Nothing a little crazy glue didn't fix!

AND I'M GONNA DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN TOMORROW!

Wow now that's a day on the water


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jim]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

Or you can do like me....use your boat as an icebreaker. Launched at Flipper's at 5:45, broke a path out to the river and back before I parked the truck.

Steering was frozen, felt like wrestling a linebacker trying to turn it. Out in the river, running about 15 MPH in the dark....my Phace saver mask iced up about a mile into the run so bad I had to lift it to see where I was going. What is the wind chill when it's 2 degrees with a 15 MPH wind?

Finally got to the channel, foggy as all get out, trolled up to the barrier and dropped the trolling motor over the barrier....and here comes another idiot up to the barrier! I thought for sure I was the only one dumb enough to fish on a morning like this.

Fished for skippies to get a couple of live lines out. Got that set up and started casting flukes, top water baits, spinnerbaits. Hooked up on a 16" LM on a spinnerbait.

Then the SHTF! Big stripers started blasting the surface 50 yds. in front of the boat, coming closer every second. Huge boils! The other guy, Jason, hooked up on a topwater bait, landed a 32 pounder, asked me to photograph him, (which I did). Both of my down rods started screeching. Grab the port rod and the fish dropped the bait. Put that rod back in the holder, grab the other rod. Fight the fish for thirty seconds, it get's off. *@#$*())*^%$#@

Jason, (the other idiot) hooks up another big one. Finally lands it, another 30+ fish, trolls over to have me take his picture. I do but accidentally drop his camera in the water. oops, sorry, cold hands, ya know? Well, not really, but that's what I was thinkin.

My live bait rod starts screeching again. I pull it out of the holder.....and he drops the bait....again. Buttwipe!

No problem, they'll be back......famous last words.

Fish for a coupla more hours with no results, move over to try for some tilapia. Catch a few small ( small, as in tiny) bluegills, then, a tilapia. Not too big, 8 incher. Next cast, another tilapia, nice one too. Probably 1 pound. Go to swing him in the boat with the 8' ultralight, he bangs the side of the boat...falls off....in the water. Why don't they ever fall off into the boat?

Fish for another half hour catching 4 inch pumpkinseeds and bluegills and finally I've had enough.

Headed downriver for Flippers, see a log in the choppy water (whitecaps) just in time to say "OH CRAP"! as I run over it. Cool, nothing major. Of course once the boat is on the trailer, I see the transducer dangling by it's wires. Broke the mounts on the transducer itself. Nothing a little crazy glue didn't fix!

AND I'M GONNA DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN TOMORROW!

Great story and you are not crazy. My first big steam plant striper came after dark in a snow storm. No one could hear me yelling and pumping my fist with finally getting a huge fish as I was the only boat out there

Cold weather is great for the steam plant fishing.

Good luck tomorrow,
Jim

[tkwalker]

Originally Posted by Jim

Great story and you are not crazy. My first big steam plant striper came after dark in a snow storm. No one could hear me yelling and pumping my fist with finally getting a huge fish as I was the only boat out there

Cold weather is great for the steam plant fishing.

Good luck tomorrow,
Jim

"When the weather is not fit for man nor beast, That is when you will catch Big Mama " !! <'TK><

[tacklemake]

That's alright I can wait till it's a little warmer and not so much wind..............woody

[MNfisher]

Fished last night from 4-7. Bunch of skippies. No hits on the skippies or topwater or jigs. It was VERY breezy. Next time!

[MNfisher]

Originally Posted by Jim

Great story and you are not crazy. My first big steam plant striper came after dark in a snow storm. No one could hear me yelling and pumping my fist with finally getting a huge fish as I was the only boat out there

Cold weather is great for the steam plant fishing.

Good luck tomorrow,
Jim

Been there! My biggest striper, 34 lbs, I was all alone, 1am. I was hootin and hollarin, no one to hear me! Lol

[jad2t]

Originally Posted by MNfisher

Been there! My biggest striper, 34 lbs, I was all alone, 1am. I was hootin and hollarin, no one to hear me! Lol

THIS Summer I'll be there to hear you and vice versa!!