Tag Archives: lakes

Northwest Outdoor Report

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Sol Duc Picking Up for Springers
Bill Myer from Anglers Guide Service in Forks says he’s been hooking a few nice spring Chinook on the Sol Duc river every day and the fishing appears to be picking up. Myer said most of his springers have been in the 8 to 14 pound range, but he’s heard of quite a few spring Chinook over 20 pounds already. He’s been backtrolling cured eggs and cut plug herring to get his bites on the Sol Duc. The Sol Duc springer fishery will continue to produce fish well into the month of June.

Trout Fishing Still Great Despite High Flows on Upper Columbia
Jack Mitchell from the Evening Hatch Guide Service checked in from Black Bear Lodge on the upper Columbia River to say that the trout fishing has remained great despite really high flows the past couple of weeks. The upper Columbia has swelled from 85,000 cfs to over 175,000 cfs recently from snow melt in the upper part of the basin. Mitchell says the fishing has remained great right thru the uptick in flows. He said they’re catching trout over 20 inches on a daily basis on anything from carpenter ant patterns to caddis, baetis, mayflies, and pmd’s. Mitchell says the great fishing will continue thru the month of June when the Green Drake hatch takes off.

Hein Bank Comes to Life on Second Halibut Opener
Kevin John from Holiday Sports in Burlington reported excellent halibut fishing on Hein Bank on the second halibut opener on Thursday of this past week. Kevin and the gang from Holiday Sports had their limit of halibut between 25 and 45 pounds before noon on Thursday. They caught their fish on the south end of Hein Bank in 120 to 180 feet of water. He said the hot baits were squid with a big glow in the dark hoochie and a large squid with a whole herring stuffed inside of it. Anglers should have decent weather on the Strait of Juan de Fuca for today’s halibut opener until the wind kicks up later this afternoon.

Last Razor Dig of the Season
Clam diggers will get one more chance to dig razor clams at Twin Harbors beach near Westport next Friday thru Sunday. Twin Harbors will be the only beach open for digging. WDFW coastal shellfish manager Dan Ayres says this has been the most productive clam digging season in over 20 years on the Washington Coast. Since last October diggers have harvested more than 5 million razor clams. The coast will close after this last clam dig to allow the razor clams to spawn and provide another crop of clams for digging next fall.

Kids Fishing Event on Heart Lake
One of the hottest trout fishing lakes in the region, Heart Lake near Anacortes, will close over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend for a kids fishing event. The event takes place on June 1st and the lake is closed two days prior to allow freshly stocked trout to acclimate. Kids that otherwise might not get a chance to catch a trout get the entire lake to themselves on June 1st. The Kids Fishing event has been held for 20 years on Heart Lake and is sponsored by the City of Anacortes and the Fidalgo/San Juan chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers.

First Copper River Salmon Arrives in Seattle
Alaska Airlines pilots carried a 40 pound Copper River king salmon to waiting chefs at Sea-Tac Airport yesterday. It was the first Copper River king to arrive in Seattle and marks the beginning of the yearly craze for this great eating strain of king salmon. Copper River king salmon are prized for their high fat content and restaurants pay as much as $50 a pound to purchase them for their patrons. The Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 contained an additional 24,600 pounds of Copper River king salmon and Alaska Airlines said it would run three more Copper River salmon flights like it on Friday.

Minnesota Lakes Test Positive for Cocaine
Associated Press – Scientists just studied 50 lakes in Minnesota for water quality and found a myriad of manmade chemicals in the lakes – including cocaine, DEET, synthetic estrogen, antibiotics, and antidepressants. The bug repellent DEET was found in 76 percent of the lakes and researchers were shocked to find that 32 percent of the lakes tested positive for cocaine. Cocaine was the third most common chemical found in the lakes and scientists were surprised to find it in some very remote lakes that weren’t close to population centers. Before you head to Minnesota and start snorting lake water understand that you’ll probably drown before you catch a buzz. Scientists say the levels of cocaine in the lakes that tested positive is around several parts per trillion…hardly enough to catch a buzz.

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle

Try Micro Hots Shots for Opening Day Trout

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As we quickly approach the lowland lake opener here in Washington I’m reminded of how much fun I’ve had over the years trolling for rainbows with small plugs. In case you’re not sure when the opener is…it’s this Saturday.

The second I lift the lid on my old trout box every year a lifetime of trout fishing memories flashes across the ol’ mental movie player. There’s stuff in this box that dates clear back to the mid-70′s when I was just a pup.

In one small compartment is a pile of small spoons, another contains a bunch of Mepp’s spinners, there’s a box of trout flies I tied in the 4th grade, some old red and white bobbers, and in yet another compartment is a little pile of Hot Shot plugs. Some are new and some are old.

The memories of hooking opening day trout on these small plugs are some of my most vivid because the strikes were vicious and the trout would jump for the sky the second they were hooked.

Dad would run the 15 horsepower Evinrude that vomited noxious exhaust fumes and my brother and I would sit at attention in our huge orange life jackets waiting for a strike. We had a twelve foot Smokercraft, which seemed plenty big at the time. Mom would be there too, stuffing food in our faces and keeping us warm.

I didn’t talk much. I would stare at my rod intently as dad meandered around the lake looking for a concentration of trout. When a trout would pound one of the plugs I still remember that moment of pandemonium when the rod would slam down and a chunky rainbow would launch itself into the sky trying to shake the hook.

It worked out best when they did spit the hook so we could fish a little longer. Regardless, I would get a big charge out of how hard a trout would slam these little plugs.

When I think back to the trout openers of my youth those are the first memories that come to the forefront, of trout smashing small plugs.

Trout-sized Hot Shots come in size 50, 60, and 70. If you choose just one size, however, I’d go with a size 60. They’ll dive a few feet down and if you need to go deeper simply add some split shot up the line three or four feet.

All of the colors above work great, but it seems like I always drift towards the froggy pattern and the flame orange Hot Shot. That’s what we used when we were kids and they still spank the trout to this day.

If you’re running an electric trolling motor you can let the plugs out around 30 feet and still get strikes. When using a gas-powered engine I recommend letting them out at least 50 feet or more. Be sure to troll slowly and when you get a few strikes in a certain area of the lake be sure to whip back around and make a few laps thru that area. Chances are there are more willing biters in the area.

A friend down near Portland, Oregon suggested running these small Hot Shot’s behind a Ford Fender. He catches some huge trout on some of the larger lakes in Oregon on this rig and says they absolutely paste the plugs when they hit them. That’s something I’ve got to try!

My wife and I will be taking our one year old daughter out on the boat this Sunday for her first trout fishing experience and I plan on trolling plugs. I’m pretty sure she won’t remember it when she’s older. We’ll remember it though and that’s what counts!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle

Northwest Outdoor Report

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Jerry Thomas Wins Oly Pen Salmon Derby

A record catch of 351 hatchery Chinook were weighed in at the Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby last weekend setting a new record for the 40 year old derby. 820 anglers fished in the event compared to 650 last year. Mount Vernon native Jerry Thomas took first place and $10,000 with a 15.90 pound blackmouth, Lauren Selvig from Port Orchard took second with a 14.80 pound blackmouth, and Don White of Hansville took 3rd place with a 14.35 pounder. Thomas hooked the winning fish first thing in the morning on Saturday near Protection Island on an orange label herring. It’s the first time he’s fished the Olympic Peninsula Derby and he says he’ll be back next year.

Lake Roosevelt Producing Limits of Rainbows

Don Talbot at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee says the rainbow fishing is still good on Lake Roosevelt. He recommends trolling small Apex lures in either purple or bright red with anywhere from a half ounce to an ounce of lead. Talbot says the fish are cruising in the top 20 feet of the water column and anglers should set the gear as much as 200 feet back from the boat to get strikes. Talbot also recommends using a K-Fly tipped with a nightcrawler if the Apex’s aren’t working. Talbot says to launch at Spring Canyon boat launch and fish the lower six to eight of the lake just above Grand Coulee Dam.

Steelhead Showing in the Cowlitz

Derek Anderson from Screamin’ Reels Guide Service reports that a few of the “B” run steelhead are starting to show up in the Cowlitz. He said a friend of his caught three the other day and there were some fish being caught by the bank anglers at Blue Creek, as well. Anderson thinks that things will pick up the first week of March when the run typically starts to show up. The majority of the hatchery steelhead planted in the Cowlitz River now show up in the river as a late “B” run that starts in late February and goes all the way thru the end of April. These fish are big too…averaging around twelve pounds and steelhead into the upper teens aren’t uncommon.

Razor Clam Dig Scheduled for this Weekend

WDFW approved another razor clam dig for this weekend at Long Beach and Twin Harbors on the Washington coast. Today’s tide is at 5:12 p.m. and tomorrows tide is at 5:47 p.m.. Clam diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 clams they dig. Check out the WDFW website for more details.

Spring Chinook Seminar at Three Rivers Marine

Northwest salmon fishing expert Josh Hughes will be doing a spring Chinook seminar at Three Rivers Marine in Woodinville on March 9th. Hughes will cover in detail where to fish on the Columbia River for springers and exactly how to rig up to catch these prized fish. Three Rivers will also be conducting mini-clinics starting at 10:00 a.m. on everything from how to rig a cut plug herring to wrapping and tuning a Kwikfish. If you’re at all interested in fishing the Columbia and its tributaries for Chinook this spring this seminar is a must. There’s bbq’d hot dogs and soda at the event and please RSVP to let them know you’re coming.

100,000 Descend on Tulsa for the Bassmaster Classic

Approximately 100,000 people are expected at both Grand Lake and in the city of Tulsa this weekend for the 43rd annual Bassmaster Classic. It’s the first time the Bassmaster Classic has ever been held in Oklahoma and the farthest west the Classic has been in more than 30 years. The angler with the best three day bass total in the Classic wins an impressive $500,000 and much, much more in endorsements. The big story at the Classic this year is the weather. There was snow on the ground for practice during the week and temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing every night.  The cold weather didn’t slow down Mike Iaconelli and Cliff Price though, who are both tied for 1st place after day one with 21 pounds, 8 ounces apiece. 4 time Classic champion Kevin VanDam is in a very close 4th place with 19 pounds 12 ounces.

Wolf Population Doubles in Washington

According to a survey just released by WDFW the number of gray wolves in Washington has nearly doubled in the past year. The survey found at least 51 wolves in 9 packs in Washington state. In 2011 there was just 27 wolves in the state. Bioligists suspect that there are two additional wolf packs in the state and think there could be as many as 100 wolves in Washington state.

Russian’s Crowned Ice Fishing Champions

From the A.P. – The Russian’s just took the gold medal in the World Ice Fishing Championships in Central Wisconsin last weekend. Eleven teams from around the world competed Saturday and Sunday on Beg Eau Pleine Reservoir near Wausau. The Finland ice fishing team took 2nd place, Lithuania took 3rd, and the the U.S. team took fourth place despite having the “home ice” advantage. Last year the ice fishing championships were held in Khazahkstan where the U.S. team took 11th place.

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

Opening Day 2012 “Top Ten”

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If there is a more popular fishing "rite of passage" than the lowland lakes trout opener, I sure don't know what it is!

The Nelson Clan at Perrygin Lake in Okanogan County a few seasons ago…

I would venture to guess that more "first fish" are caught on this final weekend of April than at any other time of year. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters all descend on the lakes of Washington, three-hundred thousand strong. In preparation of this massive effort, the State of Washington plants these lake with literally millions of rainbow and cutthroat trout which are ready, willing and more than able to provide action as well as dinner or a smoker full of a tasty treat!

To aid in their quest this weekend, I would like to offer the following ten tips for an enjoyable opening day experience!

1. Get legal!

The WDFW licensing cycle for the year runs from April 1 to March 31. In other words, if you are not sure if your license is current… it's probably not. Which, brings us to the second item on our list:

2. Bring your crew to the store!

If you have a young bunch (and even if you don't) it's always worthwhile to bring the crew along to get their licenses, get a copy of the fishing regulations and do a little shopping. "There's that new Snoopy rod Dad, Can we try this?" Let your fishing gang get a little fired up about their new gear and in all likelihood, your opening day will get a lot easier!

3. Know your fishermen!

What size raingear do they wear? Boots? Warm coats? Can they cast? What's their favorite snack food? The correct answers to these questions are best found out well in advance of "O" day!

4. Know your gear.

Seriously now, when is the last time you opened your trout box? How old is the line on your reel? If the answer to either of those questions is "I don't know"… You know what to do!

5. Float your boat

While a boat adds to the complexity of any fishing trip is also adds productivity, mobility, comfort and convenience. In my opinion, more than a fair trade. However, the early dawn of opening morning is a poor time to find out that the batteries are dead, the drain plug is missing, the trailer lights are burned out and the tabs are expired. Just don't ask me how I found that out…

6. Rig all the rods

Another way to dodge Murphy's Law is to rig all the rods in the garage the night before…or the night before that! Trust me, it's a lot easier to tie up under a fluorescent light than a dome light.

7. Scout your location

One of my favorite opening day memories is taking my young son to our chosen opening day lake the day before the opener. The lake was stuffed to the lilly pads with rainbows that were literally jockeying for position to eat the next bug to hit the surface. Watching the surface activity was secondary to scouting out the ramp and available parking. A word to the wise: It's time well spent!

8. Friday night load up!

Get it all in the rig the night before. If its missing, you still have time to find it or replace it… 'nuff said!

9. Get 'em up easy…

Set the alarm a little early and let the gang go through a little of their morning routine. Rushing your charges out of the house so they can sit with you in a ramp line is not going to score you any points.

10. Make it fun!

Quick limits are great and are huge braggin' rights fodder… on the Columbia for springers!…. Nobody is going to stop the presses and roll evening news tape for your stringer full of six inchers. The goal on opening day is to provide your friends and family with an introduction to a sport, a way of life that they will enjoy for the rest of their lives! Let the kids handle the rods and play every one of the fish! Let another kid handle the net, sit back and enjoy the mayhem that ensues!

Opening day is like a fishy Christmas. The more you give, the more you get and what you get from a successful opener you'll never forget!

Go-To Techniques For Taking Stocker Rainbow Trout

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The biggest fishing event of the year will occur this weekend as a quarter million plus anglers hit the lakes of Washington in search of easy limits of stocker trout and perhaps a few of the jumbo-sized trout that are planted along with them. There are a lot of opening days in Washington, but this one's the big kahuna!

Here's a few techniques that might help put a few of these silver-sided torpedoes in the boat this weekend.

Dough Baits
Pautzke Fire Bait, Berkley Power Bait, and Zekes Sierra Gold are the three most popular dough baits on the market right now. These baits work extremely well for both bank fishing or fishing from a boat and they consist of a dough-like substance that can be molded into many different shapes. All three companies make baits that are formulated specifically for hatchery-raised trout and stocker rainbows simply go nuts for this stuff.

The most common technique is to mold a round or elongated ball around the hook, leaving the point of the hook exposed. All of these baits float and the most productive technique is cast it out and let it sit on the bottom in three to six feet of water where stocked trout are cruising early in the season. Slide a half ounce egg sinker onto the main line followed by a bead, then tie a swivel on below the egg sinker. Tie a two foot leader of 4 to 6 pound monomfilament leader to the swivel with a size 10 to 12 single or treble hook and your in business. Shy away from flourocarbon lines for this of fishing, as they tend to sink, pulling the bait down with it.

Single Eggs
When I was a kid the only egg we used was green label Pautzke's Balls O'Fire and not much has changed since then. Pautzke's has sold 85 million jars of single eggs in their storied history for a reason…they work! Single eggs can be fished under a float or on the bottom. They don't float, so a marshmallow is needed to float them up off the bottom. A garlic, cheese, or anise flavored marshmallow will do the trick. 

When using a bobber set the float three to four feet above the bait and use a split shot or two to get the eggs down. Put an egg or two on a single 12 or 14 egg hook and use 4 to 6 pound flourocarbon leader to draw bites. Single eggs have been overshadowed by dough baits in recent years, but they still put plenty of spring trout on the stringer and many old-school anglers still swear by them.

Trolling
My all time favorite lure for catching stocker trout is the F-4 Flatfish in frog pattern or orange with black dots. I've put limits of trout in the boat on this lure for over 30 years now and it works just as well today as it did in the 70's. A close second would be the Triple Teaser in gold with a red head, silver and blue, and white and silver UV.

Flatfish will dive enough so that they can be flat-lined and to get them down a little deeper add one or two small split shot two to three feet up the mainline. Triple Teasers won't dive without some weight and require a split shot or two to get them down below the surface. A small swivel is also necessary a few feet up the mainline to keep them from twisting up. I suggest starting light with a single split shot and then adding more weight if the bite is slow to get the lure down a little deeper. Troll slowly, work the edges of the lake, and make turns on long straight stretches to vary the lures action. Rainbow trout will hit both of these lures hard!

Stocked rainbow trout will generally hang out in the top 3 to 5 feet of the water column the first few weeks after they are planted. Target the edges of the lake and the edges of underwater shelves to find trout early in the season. Unless we see a dramatic change in the weather here in Washington the next few days, which is not likely, still fishing with bait could be the most productive technique until water temperatures warm up a bit.

Lastly, don't forget to check out the stocking reports before heading out to the lake. Here's a link to the Washington Catchable Trout Plant Statistics.

Best of luck out there and don't hesitate to post your reports on the Outdoor Line Forums, or better yet, call us in the 710 ESPN Seattle studio Saturday morning at 866-979-3776 with a live report!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com

Prepping for the Trout Opener

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Approximately 300,000 anglers will swarm the lowland lakes of Western Washington for "opening day" on April 30th, the largest attendance of any opening day here in Washington.

Hundreds of thousands of rainbow trout ranging from pan-fryer sized eight to twelve inchers to the coveted and beefy triploids are pumped into over a hundred lakes west of the mountains. This bounty of trout is opportunity galore for both young and old alike!

After a long and brutal winter here in Washington it's time to dust off the ol' fishing gear and pull the lake boat out of storage for the big fiesta. Opening day is a little over two weeks away and there's no better time than the present to start getting things in order.

Get started early with this opening day check list: 

-Purchase a new fishing license from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Last years fishing license expired on March 31st. Kids under 14 fish for free and kids over 15 need to purchase a license for $8.25. Click HERE for more information regarding fishing license requirements for opening day.

-Check the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Catchable Trout Plant Report to see how many trout were planted in your local lake.  

-If you forget to add fuel stabilizer to the gasoline in your small outboard tank before it was put in storage last fall it's more than likely bad and will need to be disposed of at an approved facility. The ethanol contained in todays fuel blends can cause phase separation when it sits for more than a couple months. This occurs when the ethanol in blended fuel absorbs water and seperates, dropping to the bottom of the tank where the fuel pick up line is located. Fuel that has been stabilized should be good to go.    

-Place "rabbit ears" that are connected to a garden hose over the water intake vents on the lower unit of the outboard to test the motor. A large 60 gallon garbage can filled with water will also work. After the motor warms up shift the engine into forward and reverse several times to ensure that the shifting cables are working. Also check that the tell tale is spraying a steady stream of water. If there is no water coming from the tell tale port on the side of the engine push a small piece of wire into the end of it to break loose any build up that may have occurred over the winter. If water still isn't present the water impeller could be damaged and it should be taken to a service shop immediately for repair. 

-Unhook the batteries in the boat and place them on a charger so that they are at full charge when it's time to hit the water on the opener. It's especially important to unhook the batteries if they are attached to an electric trolling motor before you begin charging, as damage can occur to the motor.

-Check the propeller on the electric trolling motor to make sure no fishing line is wrapped around the hub. If fishing line is present remove the propellor and cut it away.

-Check all the life jackets to make sure the squirrels haven't used them for a nest over the winter or even worse, a bunch of hornets haven't taken up shop in the life jackets. Clean them and make sure they all still fit the individuals that will be wearing them. In Washington kids under 12 years of age need to wear a life jacket at all times when underway in a vessel less than 19 feet. 

-Plug the trailer lights into the tow vehicle and test them to make sure they are working properly.

-Check the trailer winch assembly, the winch cable, and the stern tie-downs for wear and tear. Spray the trailer winch gears with WD-40 or teflon spray.

-Inspect the oars, oar stops, and oar locks for damage and replace if needed.

-Check the boat plug for damage and purchase a spare if you don't already have one.

-Grease the trailer bearings and check the brakes on the trailer if it has them. 

-Take a quick look in the tackle box for rusty hooks that will be used on the opener. Replace any rusty hooks on trolling lures and either sharpen bait hooks or purchase new ones. 

-Replace old fishing line with fresh new line. Eight to ten pound test main line is great for opening day trout.

-Make sure the bail mechanisms and bail releases work on all the fishing reels and that the fishing rods are all in good working condition. 

-Get the kids out for some casting practice prior to opening day. Heck, you might even need some casting practice too. It's a fun way to spend the afternoon with the kids.

-Take a couple of practice runs backing the boat into the driveway or even better, at the boat launch you'll be using. You don't want to be "that guy" that takes an hour to launch the boat on opening morning.

I'll never forget some of the great memories I have of fishing on opening day with my family in Kitsap County. Those great memories definitely helped to get me hooked on fishing and the outdoors at a very early age. It's a great way to get kids, friends, and family outdoors to experience one of our countries great pastimes…Fishing!

Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com