What part of the lake are you fishing. I started from the condos and worked my way to the VA and then the military side of the lake.

Nice work Mike! I for one am not growing tired of your reports, keep them coming!
ps: not seeing the picture with the report. Seems like that function doesn't work with iPads, not sure though (or if that's what you're using), it wouldn't work when I posted on Sammamish. I may start a thread on that to see if it's known problem.

I had two pictures uploaded but they must not have worked. If Mike Carey reads this maybe he can give some pointers on what to do or how I can send him the pics so they can be posted if not no big deal they look like all the other Rainbow trout out there which is why I have not been posting pictures but I know I like reports more when they have pics.
Roaks I am fishing the opposite side of the lake as you. East of the island.

I just tried posting it again, it took about 4 times but the pictures finally worked so hopefully they can repost my post with the pictures. I think I was pressing next too soon.

Photos added. If you don't SEE the photos on the page before clicking next they will not be part of the report. if you don't SEE the photos on the preview page they won't be part of the report.

Thanks for the tip Aaron! Thanks for adding the pics too.

Nice catch ! I trolled the north east of the island saterday after noon and picked up a cutthroat and a bow 35ft down with a red f-7 flat fish . Then boated 3 more bows over on va side 1 on the same rig and 2 more on a all black wedding ring with worm chunk 100+ pulls back main lining of the rear of my sled . I seen 2 whales roll over on the north side of island eating flys.

Yet again, Nice Work Mike!!! Weather permitting, I may be out there again this weekend; most likely Sunday. It's the Sportsman Show for me on Saturday.

Yep Mike keep taking out those bows. It will be easier to get to the koke's. ;-) I hope

Great pics Mike you're making me want to get back out there !!!

The only reason I am fishing for the trout Toni is because I am going through withdrawls not fishing for Koke's. I will be fishing everyday for my favorite fish! Not to mention it is kinda fun fishing without using downriggers for a change. Cant wait to see you out there in your new boat! See you at the Sportsmans show Thursday.

Sounds like ya fellas are out there quite a bit. Would it be safe for a kayak out there? I'm looking to catch Crappie, but will catch whatever bites.

I fish the lake this time of year at least twice a week and once the Kokes start biting I fish it at least 4 times a week, so yes I spend a lot of time on American Lake. Yeah safe for Kayaks I have a couple myself I just don t fish out of them, I use them to go back and forth to the island and so do a lot of other people.
unfortunitly there is no Crappie on American Lake. We have Perch, Blue Gill, Small Mouth, Rainbow, Kokanee, Red Eye Rock Bass.
People say there is Cuts but all fish are planted except for the bass, perch, blue gill, and rock bass and I have never seen a plant report for cuts. I talk to the trout hatcherys quit a bit and they told me that no trout can spawn in the lake because there is not enough running water. They are working on a Kokanee run in Murry creek and I am hopefully going to be getting involved with that real soon.

Toni, do kokanee like tri-hulls?

Thats some funny stuff rseas! I dont think they do, guess we will find out come April.

Maybe she'll catch tripleoids...

Mike I have only boated like 3 cutts in american but they are in there , next one I boat ill snap a photo of it .


B P

I have caught lots of trout on American (probably around 600 or more) and every trout looks different. I have caught lots that have markings like a cut. Like i said above all trout and kokanee in the lake are planted (400,000 kokanee and about 80,000 rainbows) i have never seen a report that has said they plant cutts in the lake. If someone knows please let me know. I caught one the other day that i would have swore it was a cut but just figured it was a trout that had similar markings.

Ok ok Mike please if you have time look back at my 4-24-10 post I posted a report for american lake and its a nice 16inch cutthroat nice picture of it as well . I fish sammamish and lake wa. alot durring the none salmon time of the year and if thats not a cutthroat please let me know thanks .

snake7676 I looked at the post, I dont know to me it just looks like a rainbow but we should really ask someone who knows for sure. If anyone out there reads this look at the pic and let us know. Like I said every rainbow I catch looks different. Some have almost no spots and others have millions of spots, some have really bright pink and green and others look flush. I am no expert of trout so I really cant say, maybe all these years I have been catching cutts and just think they are trout???? If they dont plant them I dont know how they would get in the lake though thats the only thing that makes me think its a trout. I am not saying your wrong snake7676 it would just be nice to know for sure.

Is it possible that they are cut-bow hybrids? I caught a couple last season that definitely had characteristics of both cuts and bows. I just assumed that they were hybrids but like you mike, I am no trout expert. For the sake of argument, is it possible that the state planted cut-bow hybrids and listed them under the trout plant?

I was just wondering that gfakkema, I will get down to the bottom of it though. I know the people and Lakewood Hatchery and Puyallup Hatchery and talk to them quit often. My thoughts are they cant be natural because if there was a natural spawn of any kinda trout they would not plant over 500,000 fish a year in American. I was just doing some research and some people say that cuts have spots that go all the way down to the belly and rainbows spots stop at the lateral line. If that is the case these fish all have to be cut-bow hybids. Hopefully more people will read this and get involved with the conversation.

Mike i can't wait anymore. The important question is... Is there coffee on at Bills Boat House and if so how late? I can donate a few cans of coffee if needed. I think i will launch my boat and be out there Sunday with Slayer! I think if i start now i can beat Toni to the first Koke of the year!

Nice to hear from you again !SG, I can not wait to get the first Koke either. I have not taken my boat out of the water for the year yet and now that it is almost February I dont know that I will because I want to get a nice fat koke early this year. I wont be out sunday but soon. Let me know how you do.

Mike copy and past this and its a bunch of links that might help you out about the whole cutthroat thing !
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=does+american+lake+in+wa+have+cutthroat%3F&oq=does+american+lake+in+wa+have+cutthroat%3F&gs_l=hp.3...1844.13434.0.13650.42.35.1.6.7.0.206.3471.20j14j1.35.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.RDGmixbQDTQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41524429,d.cGE&fp=c4a6a840dc754efa&biw=1921&bih=1364

rseas trihulls catch three times as many kokanee.

ok snake7676 so the link you posted it looks like just took me to a place that says American Lake has cutts, my problem is most websites so that American Lake also has Steelhead and Catfish. I am not so worried as much about if they are in there I would just like to know how they keep reproducing because that is more important. I am going to start really checking every trout I catch and looking to see if they have any markings like a cut.....hopefully pictures posted soon. I think I am going to go do some fishing right now.
I think all the kokanee fisherman and fisherwomen should have a contest to see who will get the first Koke of the year. no money just a friendly little competition.

Hey Mike, I had talked to you last season regarding those steelies that are supposedly in American. I have an article/map from fishing and hunting news that says that there are landlocked steelies in there, but this does not make sense to me. If steelhead are just ocean run rainbow, then aren't landlocked steelhead just rainbow trout. They might differentiate by sizes, like the wdfw regs for rivers (less than 20" is a trout, more than 20" is steelhead). The article/map also lists cutthroat trout as a catchable species and says the best place to go for both cuts and steel is little American. I am definitely confused about this and the whole cutthroat/cut-bow thing. Someday I will get in there to show you the article, after I get my limit of silver footballs of course.

Sounds good gfakkema! I saw someone catch a rainbow the other day that was 21 inches but I would not call that a land locked steelhead which like you kinda confuses me. In my mind I guess we just have regular trout and big trout. But I think you said it best when you talk about catching the silver variety! Hope to see ya one day to talk about it.

Don't know about the steelhead, but I can personally vouch for a sizable native cutthroat population in "the creek" that feeds American. That is where they are coming from. And its a cool thing because they are awesome fish,

I would love to hear how you know there is a native population? And when you say the creek you must mean murry creek? They have rehabilited this creek for kokanee but have not heard of cutts in it. More info would be cool. Like i stated before i have been told by the state hatchery people that no fish naturally spawn. Not saying they are right for sure but would like more info from you, please share. Thanks.

Sent you a PM, Mike.
Yes, that creek. If kokes can spawn in it, why not cutthroat?

hey gsiegel I dont have any PM's in my inbox and I never got notification that there was one waiting there for me. Real quick 5 years ago they rehabilitated Murry creek and from what I understand before that it was not suitable for anything to spawn. But they are not sure how successfull they are with the Kokanee spawning I will hopefully be able to get some answers from the hatchery people this year. Try and PM me again so we can talk more.

Sorry Mike, that was my first try at a PM and I somehow screwed it up.
So I sent it again, this time should work.
Something else I thought of... Back in the ate 60s/70s the army had a "kids' pond" set up at the very south end of American Lake (planted trout for kids only). At that time they had a sort of "gate" set-up between the pond and Little American across a channel that was maybe 12 feet wide. Anyway, at the far south end of the pond there was an outflow drain that actually carried enough water to call it a creek. Right at the pond it went under the road and then drained toward Sequalitchew Creek on the North Fort. The way it was set up the drain/culvert did not look passable to fish. But,Sequalitchew creek then drains down to Puget Sound on Ft. Lewis. Sequalitchew had cutthroat in it. And I heard rumors back in the day that it at one time held steelhead.

Putting these pieces together, it is conceivable that since American was likely connected to the creek that held anadromous fish, cutthroat and even steelhead could have made there way into the lake. Kapowsin and Ohop Lakes have salmon, possibly steelhead via outflow creeks. Chambers lake on Muck Creek (Ft. Lewis) had steelhead, and even had a fish ladder for passage.