by Mike Wilson, February 14, 2003
Sitting by the fire and thinking about going fishing just doesn’t cut it anymore once February hits. Cabin fever has its wintry grip on most of us and we are dying to get out fishing. Fortunately, in just a few short weeks, dozens of lowland lakes in Eastern Washington will open. Some of these lakes offer trophy sized trout for the anglers who are willing to pursue them but it is never easy while the water is cold. The successful angler understands where to go, what patterns to use and how to modify their presentation for the still lethargic fish which is the focus of this month’s article.
Gearing Up
Your first step in getting ready for the new season is to make sure you have the proper gear to take with you. Early season trout can be sluggish and usually won’t chase after a fly very far. Therefore, small and slow are the two key words to keep in mind. For those who have a tremendous amount of patience, chironomid fishing is the way to go. Go small (Size 14-20) and use long, thin leaders. Trout can be a bit selective early in the season so take along several different colors and styles of chironomids. Also make sure you are very methodical in taking the time to determine the depth the fish are feeding at. Since chironomids imitate midge larvae trying to swim to the surface, they can be found in every part of the water column. In the early season, trout tend to hug the warmer water so fishing in mid depth waters just off the bottom would be a good starting strategy. Also work the shallow bays near the bottom. The shallow water will be the first to warm up and often draws in hungry trout. If you aren’t hooking fish near the bottom, begin working higher up in the water column until you locate some fish.*
* The exception to the above information is a lake that has just lost its ice cap within the last week to 10 days. In this situation, the fish will be concentrated in the upper 2 feet of the water column because that is where the oxygen is. A lake doesn’t turn over until 10-14 days after ice out so the fish are highly concentrated and fishing is usually tremendous for the lucky angler who encounters this situation.
I am not big on using chironomids because I lack the patience to sit still in cold water while watching a strike indicator. Truth be known, I have the attention span of a 3 year old. Hey, that is why I love to fly fish! I always get to move around and cast my fly. For more specifics I direct you to the chironomid guru, Brian Chan. He has several great books on how to use these fly’s effectively. Also visit this website for some great information.
http://www.chironomid.com/articles/chan_bio.html
I prefer to fish the early season with a size 8 or 10, black wooly bugger trolled very slowly on a full sink, type III fly line. I tend to work the shallow bays and also concentrate on the drop off zones to the deeper water. Sometimes this is incredibly effective and other times the chironomid guys dominate the day so be ready and willing to try both methods. The key is to move the fly twice as slow as you think you need to.
Where To Go
We are incredibly blessed in Washington because we have so many high quality lakes to choose from for the early season. Everybody has their favorite places to go but I want to touch on some of the more popular waters.
Lake Lenice- The chain of lakes known as Lenice, Nunnally and Merry are very popular with anglers all season long. They are located just south of the Vantage bridge near the small town of Beverly and feature large rainbows, browns and the hybrids, Tiger trout. Tiger trout are a cross between and Eastern Brook and a Brown trout and can range from a pewter color to the yellow and olive color of a brown. They have stripped bars on their sides like tiger stripes thus giving them their name. Last year the Tiger’s were slow to make an appearance on the end of angler’s lines but by the end of the season I was hearing a few reports of 14 inch fish starting to show.
These lakes can offer tremendous fishing with big, willing fish attacking fly’s aggressively or they can turn extremely technical with highly selective fish. The maddening part is that it can change from one day to another. I would recommend that you hook up with an experienced angler who has fished these lakes frequently should you decide to go.
Lake Lenore- Lenore was the crown jewel in the early season lakes for a number of years. Anglers could catch up to 20, 16-28 inch cutts on a good day. About 4 years ago, a red algae bloom hit the lake in late summer and killed off a number of fish. The numbers and size of fish were down dramatically the next season but the fish have made a nice comeback thanks to a concerted effort by DFW. Many locals were reporting that Lenore was just about back to its glory days by last Fall but the lake got very little pressure last season.
Most of the talk you hear about Lenore is about fishing the north end of the lake in April. The big cutts move into the shallows in a pre-spawn feeding frenzy and will actually attempt to spawn in the shallows. Anglers fight for space and fish elbow to elbow during this time. Add in all the float tubes and it looks like the fishermen have the fish surrounded and outnumbered. I don’t care to fish during this time and avoid the lake for most of April. I prefer to get on the lake during March and to fish the south end. There is a series of weed beds there and the fish move into the shallow water as it begins to warm up. Fishing a size 6 wooly bugger on a sinking line over the top of these weed beds will make for a great day of fishing.
The true charm of Lenore is fishing in September and October. You will have the lake to yourself and the fish begin to feed aggressively as the water temps drop. Again, I suggest focusing on the south end near the weed beds.
Amber Lake- New to the March 1st opener is Amber Lake, a local favorite of mine. You guys that love to fish Chironomids should have a blast at Amber in late March to early April according to some of the local DFW folks. Apparently this lake has a prolific midge hatch during this period of time but the lake has never been open for anglers to experience till this year.
Amber has a nice, shallow area on the west end that should provide good early fishing. There is a lot of food located in the weed beds here and fish actively feed in this end of the lake almost year around. There are some good areas to work down by the rock slide as well as the bay straight across from the boat ramp. A size 6 black or black and olive woolly bugger is a good stand by for this lake but don’t forget to try old standards like the wooly worm or the Doc Spratley.
Dusty Lake- Dusty is one of those lakes on my must fish list. I have been there a few times in the past and have heard the stories about monster browns out in the middle. I have never hauled my float tube down there to find out if the stories are true or not. Unfortunately, I may have to wait a year or two. The DFW rehabbed Dusty last year and restocked it in the fall but I don’t know if they put any triploids or brood stock in the lake. I would investigate the fish plants in this lake a bit more at the DFW web site before I go hiking in there but this lake should be filed away in your memory for quiet places to go in May.
The Seep Lakes- As many of you know, spread out around the Potholes Reservoir are dozens of small seep lakes. Some have names, some just have numbers. Every year it seems like one of these lakes emerges as this year’s sleeper with big, eager trout. If you are looking for a weekend destination, this may be the place to go. Grab a good topo map, a set of good hiking boots, put the float tube on your back and start exploring. This area also makes my must fish list for this year.
Just about every region of Washington has lakes that open March 1st and it is impossible to discuss them all. I have left many lakes off of this because there just isn’t space. Some lakes are special regulation lakes like Lenore and Lenice. Others are put and take lakes with no tackle restrictions. Some of these are multi species lake but since the water is so cold, rarely will you encounter any other fish then a trout. Trout in multi species lakes tend to be larger then average, too! My favorite early lake is a multi species lake and last year on my first outing, I landed a 26 and a 22 incher. You can't be that for starting your year off right! A lake doesn't have to be fly fishing only to have quality fish in it.
I highly suggest you read your fishing regulations before you head out on any fishing trip. The rules are becoming more complicated with some lakes opening March 1st, some April 1st and the rest the last Saturday in April. Seasons also change from year to year, so don’t trust your memory.
My final suggestion is don’t over look these March 1st openers once the lowland lake season begins in late April. Want to avoid the crowds on opening day? Go fish one of the early season lakes instead. Many of these lakes will just be starting to get good when everyone abandons them for more crowded waters.
Good Luck everybody but be safe. Fishing in cold water requires extra safety precautions and never fish alone!
Mike Wilson
frugalflyguy@aol.com
