I only had a couple of hours this morning. I had randomly read in the Seattle times that you could catch crappie around the arboretum in Lake WA, so I decided to go on an adventure. Found the parking lot just across the water from the stadium, got launched not long after 7 am, first cast just out from the launch and I get the bobber right next to the boat, watching the action of the jig, and it disappears. That's weird I thought. Apparently I was still asleep, as of course it was a fish, by the time I tried to set the hook, too late. So I cast around a little bit and catch ... sigh ... a perch. I headed out toward the channel.

As usual, the wind was blowing like a tornado. Which in a rubber raft, means maybe 10 mph. I headed toward Foster Island, and eventually turned back, as if I lost battery, I couldn't row back to the launch. The wind would blow me into the submerged branches. That's not an acceptable risk in a rubber raft.

So I almost called it quits then, but I looked over, and saw the cut was protected from the wind.

Well let me tell you, the wind wasn't an issue, but boat traffic surely was. The wake bounces you around, the reflected wake bounces you around, the reflected reflected wake bounces you around ... It was a real mess trying to stay in one spot. And I'd left my anchor in my car, as from the launch it didn't seem windy. Sigh.

What I can say is that the cut is the epicenter of bass breeding for Lake WA. There were SO MANY little smallmouth I caught, and almost every drop down from the boat in certain areas had nibbling immediately. Also a few rock bass. Only one hookup above 5 inches, which is in the pic. But what else I found, is that I dont know if they threw loose rebar, or stumps, or who knows what sort of garbage in the bottom of the cut, but it is snag central. I lost a sinker every 15 minutes in there. I would not run a drop shot in there again, as I had no hits from large fish and the chop from the passing boats was too annoying. AND the rowers are paying no attention. I almost got run into several times.

Long story short, I never did get to test the crappie fishing. Anyone with experience have any better coordinates for crappie in the arboretum than just "around Foster Island" ? It looked like there was potential to not even need a boat. It looked like Foster Island *might* be fishable from just walking out there.

Oh, and what are those whoppers jumping in the cut? Carp or something? Perhaps 3 foot, coi lookin things jumping all over out there.

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