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Show Wednesday, Hay 17, 2006 A5 c S Vernal Express, The Trip s. in is 16, at ine tender age bf 18, exactly one week past my high school graduation, I ; piled into Mark Brinton's 1953 Chevy, and we headed west We were driving to Idaho, to build a cabin in the woods and start : living for real. That first night, -we camped out on the chilly heights of Rabbit Ears Pass, glorying glo-rying in the mountains of the North Park Range. Altitude and excitement kept me awake for most of the night. Descending through the intriguing ski-bum ski-bum atmosphere of Steamboat Springs, we motored down the Vampa Valley on Highway 40. Since that day, I have thought of Moffat County as the Empty Quarter of Colorado, with mile after windswept mile of big sky country. As we crossed over the line into Utah, I distinctly remember my first awesome views of Cliff Ridge, and shortly thereafter, Split Mountain. I had been watching for Split Mountain, because I was already hooked on floating rivers, and had been reading about the Green River's canyons. can-yons. I didn't return to float the Green for 5 years. We drove for wearying miles through the pink badlands leading lead-ing west. I remember thinking that Utah's deserts were decidedly decid-edly overrated, since this was not coffee-table quality scen Pelican Lake begins to heat up The water and the fishing are heating up at Pelican Lake, an out-of-the-way fishing sport about 15 miles southwest of Vernal. "The largemouth bass at Pelican Lake are up on their beds right now and are very Vulnerable to anglers," said Ed Johnson, biologist for the Utah division of Wildlife Resources. ?'As the water warms up to about 60 degrees, start looking for bedded bass in two to four fjeet of water. If you check the small pockets in the emerging reed beds, you can often sefrjg jight spot the bass have cleared pn the bottom before you see the fish. j "These circular-shaped spots are spawning beds," Johnson said. "The male bass picks a next site and scrapes out a shallow shal-low indentation about twice his body length. He then guards his nest hoping to entice one br more females in to lay eggs. Once she has laid her eggs, he Will continue to guard the area until the eggs hatch and the fry get large enough to leave the protection of the nest site." f During the spawning period, peri-od, when the females lay eggs and the male guards them, the bass are the most accessible to anglers. "Many types of jigs and grubs will take the largemouths on their beds," Johnson said. prefer three-inch grubs in patural colors, like browns and greens to imitate crayfish, but Senkos, dropshot rigs, tube jigs and rubber worms will all work. "Simply cast just beyond the bass and slowly pull your lure into the bed. The bass will hit the lure in defense of the nest. They are surprisingly eager to bite and the fishing can be fan Hi -r -V - - ... an Rest ery. At Daniel's Summit, we camped a second night The third day took us across the lava-encrusted Snake River Plains, up the foaming green Payette River, and on into the green coolness of Idaho's mountains. Brinton and I split up, with him moving on to pick apples in the Wenatchee Valley of Washington State. Eventually, he settled in Arizona. On the other hand, I landed a job working in a garnet gar-net mill, sacking sandblasting grade garnet at a union wage, and living in the little logging town of Fernwood. Idaho would be my home for many years. The point? I remember this trip the way any kid remembers remem-bers their first big adventure ... yet there is one thing I have no memory of Vernal. I know we drove through Vernal there was no avoiding it but it left absolutely no impression impres-sion on me. People's lives were being spun out all around us as we drove through in our old-fashioned car, but we were totally oblivious. Years later, Vernal became my permanent home. If all goes according to plan, I will live and die here, in the anonymous town that I missed when I was a kid. You never know what will, in the end, become important to you. Tom Elder, Vernalite fishing tastic. The spawn only lasts a couple of weeks. "Bass that aren't spawning are also hitting spinnerbaits on the outside edges of the reed beds." Johnson said bass fisheries fish-eries are also heating up at other nearby waters, including includ-ing Steinaker, Red Fleet and Starvation Reservoir. In addition, addi-tion, like Pelican, Steinaker and Red Fleet also have blue-gills blue-gills that spawn in a similar manner to the bass. r , "The bluegill have also just started moving up into the shallow shal-low and are beginning to make spawning beds," Johnson said. "Sight fish the bluegill, and when you see them, cast small jigs of bait, such as pieces of nightcrawler or mealworms. Bluegill are an aggressive predator, but they have a small mouth, so anglers need to present pres-ent them with a small lure or hook. "Fly fishing is also a popular popu-lar way to fish for Pelican Lake bluegill and bass when they are shallow." Johnson says bass and bluegill blue-gill will be in all of the shallow shoreline area of Pelican Lake for the next two to three weeks. "There is shoreline fishing available now as the lake is full," he said. "Shore anglers are using the boat ramp area on the south shore, the highway and the dike on the Division of Wildlife Resources property on the north shore. "Fish move offshore into deeper water when it warms during the summer. Even if you miss the spawn, the fishing for bass and bluegill at Pelican will remain outstanding all summer and fall, as it does every year." ANNUAL FREE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION BREAKFAST Hosted by. Vernal City Uintah County Fire Dept. Saturday, May 20, 2006 7:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. Vernal Fire Station, 495 East Main C WHAT'S NOT IN YOUR WALLET? IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST OF US, THERE'S NEVER MUCH CASH. That's where we come in. Utah Saves is a United Way initiative that can help you begin getting out of debt and start saving. Regardless of how much you earn or how much debt you have.Vou can start saving. And imagine the peace of mind you'll feel when you can pay cash for emergencies. It is possible. This initiative is absolutely free. So call us and learn how good it feels to have more money in your wallet. ill J fli? V. .ty..'.a i fillllfii iMiiiiai UtahvS You Can Build Wealth visit utahsaves.org or dial: 2-1-1 We applaud you during Small Business Appreciation Month. In addition to supporting you financially, Wells Fargo supports your passion and persistence. We're dedicated to getting to know you and your business in the effort to provide smart solutions that will help your business thrive. As thel lender to small businesses nationwide, you can count on us to be there for you. To learn more, talk to a banker, call 1 -800-35 WELLS, ext 700, or visit www.wellsfargo.combiz. The Next Stage8 |