eenakok
2/9/2013 4:15:00 PMThanks for the report, my dad took our second trip out today ( I had to work) and he had a couple of bites but nothing else. I will make sure to check the buoy before heading out. We are going to try again next week. We are determined to get this figured out... Thanks for all the information you have provided!
ballardbrad
2/9/2013 5:49:00 PMGreat report. Tesla and I were out there as well from 11-3. Managed to get two fish; one was 18" and a 20.75". The 18" was taken on a rattle trap Rapala and the 20.75" on a Firetiger spoon. Marked a lot of bait. I cleaned the larger fish tonight. She coughed up two threadfin smelt that were 3-4" long, completely spawned out but a remaining couple of eggs. I also found a 4 inch black rubber worm in her stomach. Anyone on this board want to claim it? Tight lines~
homewaters
2/9/2013 5:50:00 PMThanks for the report G-Man. I fished for about five hours today, with only two hook ups, which both popped off the hook before the boat. Basically I took the good old boat ride today. Maybe next time will be my turn. I've read your Season Effects On Cutthroat Trout Strategies for Lake Washington. What a brilliant body of work, thank you. I have a couple follow up questions, if you are willing? What are you using for mainline, mono or braid? I ask because with the 100+ drop back with a UL rod, plus whatever depth your are fishing, there's a lot stretch. When those soft subtle bites happen, like the ones I had today, they can go undetected for a bit, like today, and when I noticed the bite happening and finally grabbed the rod and popped the clip, the fish felt fairly big before I lost it. Seems like fishing braid in the LW fishery might telegraph all the incoming information to your rod tip better than mono? Thoughts? Finally, both bites came today at the I-90 area using a #2 Needlefish, Brass/Red Head, with no flasher or dodger. My questions is, when you fish with a dodger or flasher, what leader length are you finding works best targeting Cutts in LW?
natenez
2/9/2013 8:32:00 PMBraid makes a big difference, I think, in both communicating the strikes and getting a good hook set. I favor 10# powerpro to which I add about 10' of fluorocarbon as a pre-leader.
Leader length behind a dodger depends mainly on if the lure has action of its own (like a needlefish) or not (like a hoochie). Standard rule of thumb is 4x the length of the dodger for lures with action. And 2x for without action. However sometimes you need to experiment to find what the fish like that day, especially when relying on the dodger to impart action. Stiffness of the leader (stronger line tends to be stiffer) also is a factor in this too.
Rule of thumb aside I've had good luck on sammamish and Washington putting spoons/flatfish/rapalas/etc 3-4' behind a 4/0 dodger.
Another great resource is go down to sportco and ask for Tom Pollock. He's probably spent thousands of hours on that lake, and has lots of great advise.
Leader length behind a dodger depends mainly on if the lure has action of its own (like a needlefish) or not (like a hoochie). Standard rule of thumb is 4x the length of the dodger for lures with action. And 2x for without action. However sometimes you need to experiment to find what the fish like that day, especially when relying on the dodger to impart action. Stiffness of the leader (stronger line tends to be stiffer) also is a factor in this too.
Rule of thumb aside I've had good luck on sammamish and Washington putting spoons/flatfish/rapalas/etc 3-4' behind a 4/0 dodger.
Another great resource is go down to sportco and ask for Tom Pollock. He's probably spent thousands of hours on that lake, and has lots of great advise.
Tesla
2/10/2013 3:42:00 AMWell said natenez! That is solid information without the fluff. I'll also put in my pitch for Tom at Sportco. While Ballardbrad and I were trying to figuring out this fishery we were fortunate enough to get about an hour of Tom's time, and the information that came from that single conversation has paid huge dividends.
However, I am in no way implying that I have this fishery figured out, or that I ever will. You can read every scientific study out there on cutts and fisheries ecology in Lake Washington (and there are many), try and understand it from the most logical and informative view point, incorporate the information from those with many years of experience (G-man and others), and there are still things about it that can't be predicted. For me, this is what makes the Lake WA cutty fishery so addictive. See you all out there. Tight Lines All.
However, I am in no way implying that I have this fishery figured out, or that I ever will. You can read every scientific study out there on cutts and fisheries ecology in Lake Washington (and there are many), try and understand it from the most logical and informative view point, incorporate the information from those with many years of experience (G-man and others), and there are still things about it that can't be predicted. For me, this is what makes the Lake WA cutty fishery so addictive. See you all out there. Tight Lines All.
homewaters
2/11/2013 9:43:00 AMnatenez and Tesla, excellent information, thank you. Time to re spool with Braid!
G-Man
2/11/2013 5:23:00 PMI have spooled up with 10 or 15lb braid for the past 7 years for trout and kokanee downrigger trolling. I use a 30' of 8lb or 10lb Maxima Ultragreen leader which acts like an extra shock absorber. I also tie up my own release clips and make them 4' to 5' long. This makes it easy to detect the lightest of strikes and has eliminagted break-offs due to hit and run strikes by large fish. If you plan to continue fishing the lake this year, you'll eventually need it as I have a feeling that this summer will be much like 2008, with plenty of resident chinook and coho ripping gear off of unsuspecting anglers. Nothing like having a 5lb to 8lb chinook take you for a ride on your ultralight gear, if it survives the takedown! As for leader length, I go extra long like 4' to 5' on apex, spoons, cutplugs and the like and 3 to 4 times the flasher/dodger length for hoochies, flies and other non-action lures.
homewaters
2/12/2013 8:31:00 AMThanks G-Man. Well sounds like a UL version of my Puget Sound salmon tactics, braid, top shot of mono, long release clips, etc. 5 - 8# Chinook on UL gear sounds pretty epic. Can't wait!