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Took a friend up to Roosevelt to see how the trout fishing was. I've been reading reports in the Spokesman-Review that trollers have been picking up trout from the dam upstream as far as Keller Ferry and also heard trout have been taken near Whitestone and Split Rock.
Decided to launch at Seven Bays and since Split Rock is a short jaunt from there, we hit that spot first. Lines in the water and my partner had a fish on within 2 minutes. Nice chunky little rainbow about 12" and I sort of suggested he let it go to grow bigger since he was fishing artificial lure with no scent and a single hook. So, he let it go.
The next 3 hours went fishless despite several strikes that just didn't stick. I was feeling bad about encouraging him to let that first fish go. I decided it was time for a location change so we left Split Rock about 11am and headed downstream to the San Poil. We pulled in and sent gear out. A short time later my partner hooked up and a chunky 12" - 13" RBT went in the cooler. He was using a Rapala plug similar to the Rip'n Minnows I use and it wasn't very long after that he hooked up again.
I was dragging one of my preferred Frisky Jenny perch colored flies tipped with a piece of crawler (which was oddly quiet all day) and a pink Apex, each hook tipped with a single Gulp maggot behind a 0000 UV chrome dodger off the downrigger. I had the ball at 25', clipped the release 5' above the ball, and set the gear 50' behind the release. I wasn't seeing much action, but my partner was.
We doubled up around 1:30, him with another on the Rapala and mine off the downrigger. Both went in the cooler. We would have a spurt of activity then nothing for a half hour to 45 minutes or so. Since the fly wasn't producing, and my buddy's Rapala on leaded line out 4 colors was, I decided to change to a similar Rip'n Minnow to try and increase my success. I had the Rip'n Minnow out, and sat it on the cooler, picked the rod up from the holder when all heck broke loose. The bait clicker was screaming as line peeled away, and for some reason I stood there confused looking at the downrigger rod until I realized it was the rod in my hands! I saw a fish jump once, twice, three, four times before my brain told my hands to get to work. Was the most bizarre experience. The fish was pulling HARD and line kept peeling away. I got things under control and started working the fish. It jumped several more times, and I was now sure it had to be a silver because RBTs just don't jump like that, nor do they fight as hard as this one was. I finally got it within 50' of the boat when it came flying out of the water again and I realized it was a beauty! No spring planted fish this time.
Seemed like it took an eternity to get it to the net, but to the net it came. A quick scoop and the best fish of the day was in the boat - 19 3/4" and 3lbs, 5ozs RBT. It produced some of the most spectular aerial displays I've ever witnessed with a RBT and it was very thrilling to watch. After it was in the boat, my buddy asked if I was still going to change out that fly. No way! ;-)
Things seemed to die off after that and we weren't getting any action, so about 4pm we pulled our gear to head back upstream. As I brought my downrigger rod up, I found a spring planter trout on the other end that wasn't big enough to trip the release, so the 12 incher went in the cooler and we headed out.
We dropped gear near Sterling Point, and again, my buddy hooked up shortly after. It was getting pretty late by now, but I wanted him to limit out so we kept after it. He boated his last one at 5:30, and once again, when I pulled the downrigger rod up, I find a 13" RBT on it that didn't trip the release. I was using Scotty mini clips too, guess the little guys just don't have enough fight to come out of the release.
We called it a day with me one short of a limit. A picture perfect day and fish in the cooler. Couldn't ask for more. :-)
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