My first time on Sprague Lake. I paid 5 dollars to fish off the dock at the Four Seasons Resort. The Four Seasons Resort is about 6 miles off the highway. Most of the way there, you're on gravel road. Also, if you visit, make sure you take cash or check - no plastic accepted.

Actually, I didn't fish off the fishing dock. The fishing dock is very small and appeared to only accomodate 4 to 6 people, and it was full when I arrived. Instead, I fished off the boat slip closest to land. On the furthest pier, there was a fellow who was fly fishing. While I was there, he landed 4 trout. More about him later...

I started out bottom fishing. No luck. So, when I got bored, I put on a feather-tailed spinner (pink and green - 1/16 oz). That's what I caught my first fish on. I later got a second using the spinner; however, just as I was hauling him onto the dock, I lost him... (will bring a net next time). That was it for my 3.5 hours of fishing.

Now, the fly-fisherman next to me... He was using floating nymphs and was very successful. While I was there, he caught his limit. He was also very meticulous. After every fish he caught, he'd take it over to the cleaning station and get it cleaned up for storage on ice. (I bet he has good tasting fish.) After he caught and cleaned a lunker that must have been at least 20 inches long, he went over to talk to his buddies on the fishing dock. While he was there, he didn't realize that his nymph was still in the water (he left his pole on the dock). I'm sitting there, minding my own business when I hear a "zzzzzzz" from his unattended pole. Then his pole jumped and it was dangerously close to going over the side of the dock. He couldn't hear it. Okay, I stowed my pole so it wouldn't go overboard (just in case I got one, too). As I was doing so, his pole jumped again and landed in the water. I sprinted down and around to where he was fishing.... as if I was sliding into home base at the end of the pier, I was down on my belly and reached down into the water and... I saved it! I got his pole! Next thing going through my head was get the pole out of the water and LAND THAT FISH! I pulled the pole out of the water, and perhaps going from water into thin air was a little gravity shocking that I jerked it out too hard. The fish broke away with the nymph at just that second. Must have been fate. At least I rescued his $200 fly rod.

pacificdawg

5/24/2009 10:05:00 PM

any idea what type nymph he was fishing with?

kenbarb

5/25/2009 10:37:00 AM

landlocked, you are a great sport, what a comical story. Once in a lifetime event that you will be smiling about for a long time, and I will bet the guy with the $200.00 fly rod will be smiling too. We need more fisherman like you. kenbarb

Landlocked

5/25/2009 1:22:00 PM

Sorry, Pacificdawg, I should have asked what type of nymph that was. I missed a good opportunity for some good info!

nycfishguy

5/25/2009 7:23:00 PM

Landlocked,

Nice rundown of what happened that day. I was one of the guys on the dock that was laughing everytime the "fly guy" got a fish and his brother had to sprint down to the boat docks to help him net the fish. The "fly guy" was nailing them left and right all day long. I finally ended up with 2 nice bows at the end of the day between 4-5PM. I was tossing rooster tails and spoons all day long and only caught one small planter. He hit my rapala "minnow" that was cruising the surface. I just came back from a weekend of lousy fishing up at Deer Lake in Stevens county. Will be back out at Sprague ASAP....THAT LAKE RULES!

Landlocked

5/25/2009 7:49:00 PM

Hey nycfishguy! Good work on your catch that day! I wish I could have stayed a bit longer. I think Sprague definately had some fish worthy of catchin'!

And, I'll never understand why Fly Guy's brother just didn't leave the net over on the boat docks! That was amusing! Maybe I should have shouted out "NET" when I was reeling in my second fish - the one that got away! Maybe he would have come a running over to help me out too...

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