Crescent Lake Report, Crescent Lake, WA - Sunday July 10, 2011

I had the chance to spend some time with the family in the Olympic National Park area this past weekend. One thing I was blessed with on this trip was having an opportunity to visit and fish at Crescent Lake.

If ever there were an example of God’s beauty or hand in creation, Crescent Lake and its surrounding area would definitely be one. We discovered its splendor in August of last year, but it was not in the cards to go fishing on that trip. This visit did set in motion an eager anticipation to fish Crescent Lake on my next trip here.

Fast-forward to Sunday, July 10, 2011. I get the green light to go fishing. I recalled the amazing water clarity of the lake from last year and assembled the gear and tackle I thought would provide a fair shot to catch fish from the shore; all of course, done so in my traditional, minimalist fashion:

Tackle: A small Plano box containing an inline spinners and spoons and my BASS bag with a few packs of plastic worms.

Rod/Reel: 6’6” Shimano Compre mated to a size 20 Rapala 6Sxi, that was spooled with 6# Sea Guar Invizx.

Target: The Beardsley Trout -- Lake Crescent is home to a sub species of Rainbow Trout called the Beardsley Trout. As a matter of fact, is it the only lake in the world where they reside. To some, they are also known as blue backs because possess a shade of blue on their backs.

Initial Observation and Game Plan Devised
The first thing I noticed when I got to the end of the dock was that the depth of the lake appeared to drop off very quickly. At my best guess, the water seemed clear enough see 30 ft. down easily. There was no real cover or interesting locations to try out and being stuck to the dock or shore didn’t help. My gut told me that my best bet would be to work the area where the drop off and back up to where it starts to flattens as it nears the dock. Then hope that a fish or school of these trout would cruise into this zone. The time was 12:20 p.m.

Inline spinners were given first dibs to catch a fish. I set up the inline spinner Carolina Rig style with a ¼ oz bullet weight to help me get to my intended depth faster and to make longer casts. Despite working the entire water column in a fan shape from right to left and switching blade sizes and colors, there were no takers. First out!

Spoons were up to bat next. Unfortunately, no amount of jigging, or wobbling at any depth proved to be enticing to any potential takers. Second out.

It’s now the ninth inning with two outs and the score is tied at zero. The thought of going home skunked cross my mind after about an hour of fishing. To add more pressure to the mix, I noticed my wife and kids started wrapping things up on the shore. Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve. It was time to employ finesse tactics… It was time to drop shot.

I started with a green colored French Fry type of worm and found a stumbled upon a small patch of grass down deep. After about four casts, I popped my weight free of some grass and started retrieving line quickly to make another cast. As my bait and weight come into view, I noticed something trailing it. It was a trout, perhaps only 8” in length. It lost interest after it caught sight of me. I took the encounter with the trout as an encouraging sign that I could be on the right track but I was running out of time. My wife and kids were already headed to the van. I called my wife to tell her that I would be there in about ten minutes. Yikes!!

I made the decision to switch to a Robo Worm because its more lively wriggling action just might be the ticket. The first two casts yielded no results. A quick look over my shoulder revealed that my wife was already opening the passenger door. This was it. The last cast of the day. The curtain was starting to fall. “Never give up!” I shouted in my mind, as I made the last cast. About two-thirds through the retrieve I detected the subtlest sit I have ever felt in my life. My line going slack followed the take. This suggested to me that it was heading up toward me, and it was! Yes! It started to ascend in a very slow and undulating zigzag pattern, meandering back and forth like a lazy river. The poor thing didn’t even realize it was hooked until I added tension to the line! At the top of my lungs I shouted, “I got one!!!” I must have looked like a fool trying to grab the attention of my wife or kids that I had a fish at the end of my line. Fortunately my daughter noticed my attention getting gestures and ran with haste with the camera to the dock. An employee of the lodge who also had fishing gear helped me land and release the trout.

The lodge employee also confirmed that trout I caught was indeed the Beardsley Trout (I sure hope he’s right). He had been reading a book the entire time I was fishing and commented that it my perseverance was the key to landing this one. I thanked him for his help and kind words.

I wouldn’t say this was a homerun but I think it was a decent base hit at the very least. Truly this was a blessed day and I’ll never forget it.

Conditions: Overcast, about 69 degrees.

-ib

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