It’s great to be back home and I was looking forward to getting in a couple of trips to the lake before kings open for area 10. I made it to the launch by 9:00am and the conditions were perfect. With overcast skies and a slight breeze out of the southwest I ran to the north side of I-90 and set my gear at 35’ on the downrigger. A few minutes later the rod goes off and I’m into my first of many sockeye of the day. After releasing the fish, I switched out my hoochie for a mini Apex which also turned out to be a sockeye magnet. I decided to use a Brad’s Mini Cutplug as a sockeye deterrent for the rest of my time trolling. The weather started to take a turn for the worst as a storm cell came in from the northwest. It looked like it was going to blow by just to the north of me so I kept on trolling towards the west highrise just in case I needed to make a run for it. My rod goes off again and the fish is peeling line and jumping behind the boat, it looks like another sockeye! I manage to get the fish to the boat and much to my surprise, it is a tank of a cutt (just shy of 4lbs) that looks perfect for the smoker. Just as I net the fish, the storm hits with lightning a very short distance away. I run for cover and make it under I-90 just as the skies open up. After anchoring in about 20’ of water, I take care of the fish and set up for some perch fishing. Managed to pick up a few perch and eat some lunch by the time the storm passed. The wind is now coming out of the east and the cloud cover is gone when I resume my trolling. For the next couple of hours I manage just one 14” fish that was kind enough to self-release at the side of the boat. My take on the day is that with so many sockeye in the lake, fishing for kokanee is out of the question. Also, bag the shrimp and krill scents and stick to spoons or plugs to target the cutts. Surface temps were in the low 70’s, so fish that are released don’t fare too well after an extended fight. I did not see enforcement out today, but I imagine that will be out and about in the weeks to come. Note: the first thermocline is sitting at around 70’ with the second right around 110’. What is unusual is the high amount of dissolved oxygen found throughout the water column which is probably why the sockeye can be found just about anywhere.

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