We were scheduled to go to Hayden and guess what ....my alarm did not go off! Oops my fishing partner for the day called at ten to six and we were supposed to meet at 5:30 am. Not good as I still had to make coffee and get the boat out of the barn. Switched gears and decided to go to Long lake (Lake Spokane) and fish for the triploid trout.

Had to launch at the confluence ramp (the good ramp at Nine Mile Resort is closed for the winter grrrrrrrrrrr!! Another subject) Water was running FAST and makes launching a task at best. The channel is strangely marked and you have to watch out for stumps and rocks etc. Fast running water is not a place to learn your boating skills or have your motor quit. The good part is the State Parks will open the Nine Mile Resort launch on the 15th of April. Only $7 to launch after you have purchased a Discovery pass....a real deal for sure.

On to the fishing; use your sonar to locate the main river channel and when you see fish top to bottom start fishing! We trolled the same stuff we use in Roosevelt with the Perch Kekeda working the best trolled at 2.5 mph on three colors leaded line in 40 to 80'of water. Other takers were Rapala's and even a Kokanee rig. We caught our ten fish in about three hours; the fishing was steady but not fast.

The return to the dock is really interesting. You have to have on enough power to cross the fast flowing river, come in above the dock and cut the power and let the current push you into the dock.....too much fun. I cut the power a little soon and caught the corner of the dock with the back corner of the boat; ouch!! Got a new battle scar on the old Starcraft. The good part is I don't have that $40k boat to put a mark on.

All in all a great day of fishing; beats working every time - Alan