JULY 09, 2007

GO DEEP AND GO SMALL!

Well I'm only a month behind in updating my report. But the news is good regarding the fishing. The thermocline has set up well in the lakes and the salmon are now hitting good. The smallies are schooled up and the big lunker largemouth are in the shallows.

The salmon fishing was pretty slow over this side of the lake for a while there, but things have finally turned around. Although I haven't heard of too many big fish being brought to the boat, I have heard of plenty of smaller fish. They are keying in on the young of year shiners and smelts so going down in lure size is much more important than choosing the right color. Even the big lakers are hitting tiny lures and flies. Trolling with down riggers has been the preferred method because smaller fish are sometimes not noticed on the end of a lead core setup.

The smallies are hanging around the 12-15 foot mark according to Shawn Marzerka, the local guide here in town. He has been doing well with big tubes in black and green pumpkin colors and with crayfish imitations, also in the same colors. Almost all the fish he has caught has been puking up lots of crayfish, so find the rocky ledges and humps that will attract this favorite forage food. Work your imitations slowly along the bottom, giving them a little jerk every once in a while to make them hop.

Over the past few weeks my evenings have been spent targeting the largemouth in local ponds and the shallow bays of the big lake, looking for a lunker to put on the wall. I've been doing really well with top water lures and as anyone who has ever fished for bass with a top water will tell you, there is no greater thrill. Dark colors on dark days and light colors on bright days have been the norm. Perch colors have been working any day. The past few nights I've had some savage responses by burning a lipless crank bait over weed beds. Even the smaller fish have been hitting with a reckless abandon that masks their actual size.

The trout fishing has slowed up as the fish have gone deep in the ponds and in the spring cooled holes of the rivers. The same rules apply for trout fishing as they do salmon fishing. Go deep and go small. For the streams, you best bet is to fish early in the morning and late in the evening. The smaller mayflies are starting to hatch so carry some #14, #16 & #18 imitations with you. Adams and BWO patterns are always a sure bet. So are the terrestrials this time of year. You should never be without some sort of hopper pattern, or at least a muddler to fish on the surface film. But the biggest thing to remember when trout fishing this time of year is to have patience.

Good Luck Fishing!