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Folks, It is great to be back on the home lake! Lake Sammamish is a gem this time of year for cutthroat trout, and as winter draws on it only promises to get better.

The boat had been in the shop for a little bit getting a professional motor tune-up and some other yearly maintenance, so i asked my buddy Petdawg to hit the water with me before I had any guiding trips to make sure everything was in perfect working order. after fixing a few aesthetic/ electronics kinks that the shop didn't install back quite properly, we were set to go. the motor was running like a dream with a fresh tune up, and with the electronics back hooked up and running, the boat was better than new!

We arrived at the launch around 7:15, got geared up, put the boat back together (downriggers in place, fish finder on, canopy up, trolling motor on etc) and were fishing by 8:00. To start the day, we used Elgin Fishing God's Tooth Spoons, Reli Lures Diamond Flash Spinners, and a prototype Elgin dodger. The fish on lake sammamish have been spread out, which is a bit surprising for this time of year. In our first spot, we got one tap but the fish didn't stick. so, after pounding the area thoroughly, we began to troll up towards the second spot, and along the way caught a nice 15.5" fish. spot two was electric. in three passes we had gone from one fish to limits for the day including a double up, which was a blast! the winning combo was a Elgin prototype dodger in 50/50 gold/silver and a matching diamond flash spinner. We also caught fish on a Rocky Mountain Tackle 5.5" dodger and a red diamond flash spinner. fish were all 14-16" which are a bit on the small side, but delicious nonetheless.

although the fish on the lake have been spread out, once you find an area with some fish it is never a bad idea to circle around and go thru it again. usually, this time of the winter the fish will be stacked up feeding on midges, so you can find a small area that will produce your daily bag of fish. recently, covering water has been important, but once we found a few fish, we ended up limiting making 4 passes through the same troll.

overall a simply fantastic day on the water.

Lake Sammamish will continue to get hotter as the temperature continues to drop. I will be guiding the lake for the next three weeks, and have a few openings left. Lake sammamish trout fishing makes an absolutely fantastic holiday present! weekends are filling up but i still have a couple available!

Tight lines! - Paul

(Previously Wafisherman20)

Kelson

12/18/2017 7:57:40 AM

Thanks for the report. It is a great place to fish this time of year. Those all wild/natural spawning fish are a treasure for sure. I hope not all who fish it kill their limit.

FastActionGS

12/18/2017 11:03:32 AM

Thanks for the comment kelson. We did keep our limits, and all fish has already been consumed leaving no fish Behind that would
Have been killed for no reason. I had a trip Sunday as well that was strictly catch and release, and I absolutely agree that these natural fisheries must be cherished. Tight lines!

ElginFishing

12/18/2017 8:25:09 AM

Great job out there Paul and thanks for an excellent report and trying some new tackle:)

JoshH

12/18/2017 11:27:38 AM

Nice work Paul!

Kelson

12/19/2017 8:21:17 AM

Thank you for your reply. Appreciated. I have fished the lake for more than 30 years and have seen the average size of the fish go way down and the number of anglers grow significantly. I don't think that the WDFW cares much about these fish as they compete with and at times consume their main concern, sockeye and kokanee. We as anglers need to be the ones to police ourselves if the Cutts are to survive naturally in an environment that isn't getting any friendlier.
Thanks for recommending and practicing CnR with your clients. All Sammamish anglers who enjoy these fish should do the same.
Regards,
K

redroostertail

12/19/2017 11:19:47 PM

I completely agree with Kelson
The fact the one consumes all he kills doesn’t go far towards protecting the resource.
I too have fished this lake since the early 80’s,
Enjoy the resource but preserve the resource

FastActionGS

12/19/2017 11:39:45 PM

Thanks for the comment redroostertail. I agree as well. I grew up on the lake and have been fishing it since i could hold a pole. I do take from the fishery, but i do release and try to do my part to conserve it for years to come. Tight lines my friend, and to both you and Kelson I certainly appreciate how you have created a conversation about conversation that is open, where all opinions are justified and respected. Obviously, this is not my first Sammamish report and this isn't the first time i have kept a limit. I have had quite a few people approach this subject in an overly- aggressive and condescending manner. Although i don't post trips where i do C&R often, it is always a pleasure to go out and enjoy the beauty of the lake, the fish, and the scenery. thanks again

ballardbrad

12/20/2017 7:50:15 AM

Great report. Lake Sammamish is a rare gem that doesn't get a ton of fishing pressure. I fish it quite often from my kayak and release everything unless the fish can't be revived. Glad you are practicing C&R when you can.

I've talked to the creel checkers the last three times out. It seems they are interested to know who is catching and/or retaining cutthroat, along with how far you drove to get there, money spent, etc. I believe their focus is the decline of kokanee in the lake and how they can preserve them.

I've suggested to the checker that they limit the bag limit to two fish per angler. Having a five fish limit is treating it like fishing stocker rainbows. I can only imagine fisheries like this will get depleted especially when our salmon seasons get shorter and shorter. It would be great to see some of these fish grow for others to enjoy. (Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder on a great fishing report) :)

FastActionGS

12/20/2017 11:18:51 PM

thanks for the comment Ballardbrad! yeah, the limit on the lake is constantly challenged by fisherman, but they continue to keep it high for a few reasons i guess: 1) they feel like the fishery can handle it...2) like you said, they are working hard to revive a kokanee population on the lake. The cutthroat are the Kokanee's main predator, so by decreasing cutthroat, they feel like the kokes might make it (this is not a great plan)...and 3) they want to keep the cutts at bay to save salmon fry. I don't know how much each factor plays in to the limit, or if it is mostly just not paid attention to, but dropping it a bit could be a good idea.

its a dilemma out there for the cuts, but as you, Kelson, and redroostertail said, it is up to the fisherman to do his part. we had a killer day out there again today, kept some real nice ones for the customer's table and released some beauties too.

tight lines my friend.

ballardbrad

12/21/2017 1:46:16 PM

Good report. I was out there yesterday (Weds) and picked up 8 fish in three hours. All got released. I still question if WDFW biologists really know if the cutthroat population is healthy. I just hope the fishery sticks around for years to come. We just recorded a segment on 710AM Radio's The Outdoor Line on the fishery that airs on Saturday. Tight lines.

Mike Carey

12/23/2017 7:33:55 AM

It's an interesting issue. We looked at this issue a couple years ago when going out with Paul to do our video. The WDFW biologist I spoke with absolutely the fishery is quite healthy. Meanwhile the research I did indicated that the cutts are the primary predator of the native kokanee which have slowly been making a come back. Balancing the two species will be the challenge. I'm sure most anglers would love to see a thriving kokanee population as well as a cutthroat population. I'm not naive enough to think WDFW is always right, but I do have to ask all those that are concerned about the cutthroat if they are also concerned about the kokanee, and, how they can be so convinced of their positions - what research and proof do they have to make their statements, besides anecdotal?

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