I had an itching to fish this lake again and as my day got free I asked JoAnn if she wanted to fish and she said "yes". So off we went, me with thoughts of the last time I fished the lake and did really well on cutthroat. My goal this time was to tangle with some kokanee.

We had the lines in the water by 7:45am, running four rods, staggered at 15 feet intervals, using an assortment of hoochies, wedding rings, and thin blade spoons. Baits included the standbys, corn, shrimp, and maggots.

Started trolling in about fifty feet of water out from the launch and headed due west to the islands. I noted fish marks everywhere! Some really nice concentrations including some larger markings, which looked to be classic kokanee marks. My anticipation was off the dial but unfortunately on this day the fish were uncooperative. I tried everything to coax a bite, speed up, slow down, turn, downrigger depth changes, all for naught.

We did manage to scratch out three cutthroat of 10-11". We also had a solid kokanee hookup on the north side of the big island at 40 feet on the rigger in 45 feet of water. Got the fish half way up and it came unbuttoned. It felt pretty good.

Beautiful day to be out on the water, with just one other boat the whole day. This lake is very peaceful. The drive is under 70 miles from my house, but it takes a bit of time with winding roads and such. I'll give it another try later in the year, I know the fish are there, it's just a matter of timing.

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