Date:: 9/2/2004
Thanks-to:: Don

Most people fish this lake for kokanee, and Merwin's tiger muskies are all but ignored. This lake is twice as big as Mayfield Lake, and has lots of shoreline wood, but very few weeds. The tiger muskies hold in or near the stumps, sunken logs, and stickups along the shoreline. I hooked and lost one at about noon, and boated a 20-pounder near the boat ramp about an hour later. Both fish hit the same lure, a red-and-black bucktail with a nickel blade that runs about 3-4 ft. deep, a lure easily visible to fish in this lake's clear water. It rained on and off all day, and both fish hit shortly after a rain squall passed by. Free public access is provided by Pacific Power and two locations near the head of the lake. I launched at Speelyai Bay, which has a good ramp and ample parking for about 30 rigs. Sheltered coves and indentations are prime areas but the entire shoreline is worth fishing wherever there is wood in the water.

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