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Rock Lake Report
Whitman County, WA

Details

02/06/2011
Trolling
Crankbait
All Day
02/06/2011
3
1013

Fished rock between 9-3. Nice weather, sunny early, then cloud cover. Got checked by the game wardens for the first time ever on this lake. There must have been about 10 boats out there, and several shore fishermen.

Water was greenish, fishing was kind of slow with about 1-3 strikes per hour trolling. Bites were on a surface rapala and a deep diver. Trolling speed ranged from 1.2-2.2 mph. 6 fish to the boat, and lost a couple. All fish were smallish browns, largest maybe 15 inches. I'm thinking maybe they were doing a lot of following and mainly annoyance striking the baits. Many hits were just slight taps that didn't result in hookups. Many of the fish were hooked outside the mouth. I often got hooked up right after I started reeling in to check my lure. If anyone had it figured out it would be interesting to know what the fish really wanted. I'm thinking of trying a crawler tipped fly next time. Maybe the addition of bait will get them to hang on long enough to get hooked.

Nice day on the water, but not a lot of action catching wise.


Comments

afk
2/6/2011 2:20:00 PM
Hey rwl, I been told at times like this(short biters) to speed up and use slightly larger lure. Thanks for the report.
rwl
2/7/2011 5:03:00 PM
Afk, will try that thanks!
bajajoas
2/7/2011 7:45:00 PM
hey rwl, i fished the day before you at rock and found the larger aggressive fish running around 12 feet. I used a slower trolling speed with down riggers and they were just nailing them. caught our limit in 4 hours (15 fish). what a kick ass day on rock. does anybody know how the bass fishing on rock is? watch out . fish and game has been out in force and writing all the tickets they can.
blood&water
2/9/2011 6:13:00 AM
bass out at rock is great in the spring and summer most of the time the bass there are very picky they wont eat just anything although i have had some success aggravating them into striking. just be calm and take your time, don't be afraid to try different baits.
rwl
2/9/2011 6:51:00 AM
thanks bajajoas for your info. I may try to go to rock this afternoon and try a slower speed or larger baits.

re: bass, where are they hanging out at? I've thrown a lot of crankbaits towards the shore and cattails and onto flats and have never picked up bass, only trout.
Anglinarcher
2/9/2011 2:34:00 PM
The old joke applies, you find them where you find them. The Bass are, as suggested, tough in Rock. The lake structure is not really great for LMB, but they do exist, and some are very large. Also, with all of the food sources in that lake for predators, the Bass are seldom hungry. Finally, as green as the water is right now, it gets super clear in the summer, making for more difficult fishing.

Later, try fishing soft plastic craws down the rock slopes. Yes, you will snag a lot, and I do mean a lot, but if you can get the feel and keep the craws just ticking the tips of the rocks, you can, at times, to extremely well. Sometimes, if the conditions are just right, a spinerbait works well, but I have not done great at this on Rock. I do have a secret way for Rock LMB, but if I told you what is was, it would not be a secret anymore. LOL
rwl
2/9/2011 6:42:00 PM
Anglin archer, thanks for the tips. Went to Rock Lake this afternoon 1:30 to 4:30. There were 12 boats trailers in the parking lot! The situation was much different than last saturday, all of the take downs hooked up solid. 4 rainbows and 3 browns. Nothing too large, but saw someone with some 18 inch rainbows at the boat launch. Leadcore and flies didn't get any attention (been that way the last 3 visits). Everything was on a rapala taildancer.
Anglinarcher
2/11/2011 11:56:00 AM
That sounds like Rock. I have found the fish to just follow, and follow, and follow, then on the next trip they try to take the rod out of the rod holder.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709