After a BUSY weekend and morning, I decided it was "me time" so I hit Fish Lake for the afternoon. I started fishing at about 3:45 and immediately began getting some light hits but no hook ups. There were spiny ray fry in the shallows by the boat launch so figured maybe a small crappie or bluegill was tapping the fly. After a solid strike that didn't hook up I decided maybe the trout were hitting short. I trimmed down the tail on my green bugger and immediately got hit by the big fish of the day, a hard fighting 17 inch Brookie!!

Action was steady for the next two hours with numerous Brook Trout and Tiger Trout to hand. The Brook Trout were the bigger fish on average, running from 13-17 inches. I got one fat 14 inch Tiger but the rest were planters. In 2.5 hours I boated 10 fish, lost 3 and had about 15 more strikes.

Final tips. Even with the trimmed tail on the bugger, I still had fish hitting short all afternoon. About half the time, if I quit rowing and stripped real fast after the strike, I would get slammed by a fish. The boats on the move seemed to be getting the fish today. The shore fisherman looked pretty bored.

GritStomper

5/8/2012 8:43:00 AM

17 inch brookie!! I want to see a picture!

flyfis4fun

5/8/2012 9:24:00 AM

Well I released him so you will just have to trust my word. :) I actually had the camera out but couldn't get a good angle and was having problems seeing the image on the screen due to the sun. I decided a quick release was better for the fish so turned him loose without removing him from the water instead of stressing him further. It was the nicest brookie I have taken out of this lake though.

I will say that the fish are healthier in Fish Lake then I have ever seen them. Typically the fish are a bit long and skinny with big heads. This year, the carry overs all have some shoulders to them. The big Tiger actually was shaped more like a football so it had been eating well. This lake has the potential for some BIG fish as evidenced by the state record Tiger coming out of here. I know it is one of the favorite put and take lakes in Spokane County but it could kick out some big fish on a consistent basis with a little less pressure.

raffensg64

5/8/2012 1:16:00 PM

Oh, yeah. I remember those fish and their habits well! Lots of bumps, taps and short strikes while fishing there. P.S. If you want a chance at some bruiser brookies, make some trips to McGinnis Lake on the reservation. There are some big buggers in there!

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