This report is actually for two days: The 27th and 28th.

I hit Soda Lake around 11:30 am on the 27th in the hopes of some panfish action. I pitched mini-tubes tipped with maggots from the rock banks on the campsite-side of the lake. After half an hour the only thing I caught was a dink smallmouth. On one of my casts a 3/4-pound smallmouth followed my tube up. So I switched to a brown senko and proceeded to catch smallmouth up to a pound for most of the day on both sides the lake. I know the size isn't impressive for you bassers, but I'd caught three smallmouth in my life up to that point (all very small), so I had a total blast. I must of caught and released around two dozen smallies. If you could find a spot that looked like it may hold a smallie it typically did. I also caught two undersized walleyes on the senko. I talked to a boating couple coming off the lake at the end of the day, they said they caught about 30 walleyes between them, three of which were keepers. I also saw an angler pull up a crawdad trap which appeared to be pretty well full of largish crawdads.

The next day I returned and fished the lake from 9-3. The smallmouth action was a little slower, and they seemed to be holding a little deeper today (it was around 100 degrees out). I caught several by blindly casting into the open lake. I decided to try fishing at the mouth of the channel that feeds Soda Lake around 11. After a few casts my senko got nailed hard in about 15-feet of water, and what I assumed was a large smallie started peeling-out my drag. The fish jumped revealing that it was actually a beautiful large rainbow trout. After an intense back-and-forth battle I landed the fish. It measured just shy of 22-inches. I tried to release it, but unfortunately the bass hook had gone through its right gill plate. It probably could of took off, but it was leaking a lot blood from its gills and still couldn't stabilize in the water after a few minutes of nursing it, so I decided to keep it. It was very good eating, but I do feel bad for removing such a magnificent specimen from the gene pool.

In any case I've fished Soda Lake three times now, and each time has been great. Between the good fishing, great scenery, and relatively low pressure, it is fast becoming my favorite lake.

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