My first post on Washington Lakes. Hopefully anyone readin this will be able to take something from it, for what it's worth. More importantly, maybe you have some helpful insights on what I'm doing right, wrong, or the other. Please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts.

I had a little time to head down to the Madrona fishing pier this evening. I got to casting around 7:30. On these rare, great summer days, if you're not catching anything at least you have a spectacular view of the lake, Bellevue, and Mount Rainer in the distance, clear as can be. I normally bottom fish of the pier with worms picking up Peamouth, Yellow Perch, and tiny Bullheads (bait stealers). However, last trip out, watched a guy pull a nice plump 13" small mouth from between the pier and shore with a spinnerbait. I decided to have a go at a nice SMB myself. I worked a black and yellow 3" jointed Rapala for about a half hour and then switched to a yellow spinner with a brass flash. I figured since Perch were in the area, so emulate the baitfish. On my third cast hooked a nice fish that fought like a 5 pounder, but was only an 11" SMB or so (the photo really doesn't do him justice as he was still fighting and turned away). Always nice to catch the fish you're targeting, and even better when they're larger than the little dock huggers I normally catch stealing my bait. No more luck for the rest of the day though, which was short lived as the misses was cold and had to use the restroom. But I'll take an hour and a half of fishing wherever I can get it.

I frequent Greenlake and Lake Washington from Seward Park and Madrona Pier. If anybody ever wants a fishing buddy, let me know. I'm usually down.