Loaded up all the electronic goodies and headed for Lake Washington early this morning. Water was a bit rough with a strong wind as I headed out of Gene Coulon launch. Once I got enough depth I put out a hoochie 18" behind a blade 75' behind the boat and dropped it down 35' with the downrigger. I had picked up a LARGE three blade attractor at the boat show and put it out about 60' and 35' down on the other side of the boat just to see what would happen.
I ran up the East side of the lake to the Seahawks training facility and as the wind was getting stronger I fired up the gas trolling motor to assist and save on batteries. I went West from there over to Mercer Island and worked South around the tip. Just after rounding the tip when I was heading North the pole jumped, the Chamberlain release let the line loose and it was 'fish on!'
After a good fight I pulled in a nice 16" cutthroat and put it in the live well. I set everything back up and went a bit further then turned around and followed my same track back just in case there was another hanging around. Boom! At almost the identical spot the pole shook and I was fighting another fish! It fought different so I suspected it was not a Cutthroat and when I got it up to the boat the nice little 13" Kokanee proved I was correct. Two fish in the boat!
I turned around and made the same run again to about half way down Mercer then went West and made a run South up the shore line. It was rougher than a cob and the wind was really kicking up when I noticed a LARGE blob at about 65' down. The last time I saw a 'blob' that big I hooked into a large King and really was not interested in hooking another but the 'blob' started rising... This time when the line popped off the downrigger it started stripping line and bent the pole tip to the water. By the time I got the pole out and started slowing it down almost all the line was off the reel! Got it nearly to the boat and it snapped off the hook but it was a good fight!
That was it for the day!