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Melissa and I just returned from 3 great days on Lake Chelan. Although we didn't "limit out" I rated the trip a 4/5 as we caught enough to keep us excited and the weather cooperated nicely. The haul over Snoqualmie and Blewett passes was smooth sailing both ways. We stayed in "the red roof condos" and launched from Mill Bay. A friendly reminder sign was posted regarding the Mill Bay launch closure for roughly 6 weeks starting in April....bummer. Temps were as cold as 19 degrees at 7am but with the top up and heater on we stayed comfortable. Winds were light to non-existent! Surface water temp was around 42.

We started our trip hooking and landing a triple after 30 min with gear in the water! Exciting stuff but then a big lull followed by 1 here and there. We fished up by Mitchell Creek where we've done well in the winter on previous trips but actually fared better down by Wapato Point. You just never can tell where those Kokanee will be on Chelan, a challenge for such a big body of water but that makes it fun and rewarding for us.

We ran 2 downriggers at 90 - 120 ft and another line with a 5 oz inline weight 30 ft back of the dodger set back 157 ft. That pole did well! Typical tackle with shoepeg corn soaked in bloody tuna.

All in all it was a great way for us to celebrate Valentine's day they way we like to play. Saw bald eagles, a herd of bighorn sheep and met some great people in town. Looking forward to the derby in April but the Mill Bay closure may pose some challenges.

Good luck out there!

Sideburns

2/15/2018 7:10:30 PM

Glad your trip went well, ours worked out pretty decently about a month + ago too. Looks like we have very similar boats (and tow rigs actually...) but our lund angler has a stupid little fairing thing for the driver, in place of your nice big windshield and top. Totally jealous. Thanks for the report.

Rocketvet

2/15/2018 8:08:52 PM

Well props to you for braving that weather without a top!

tmanh2o

2/15/2018 7:41:22 PM

Ahhh looks like you drank some of them Kokanee''s too....Kokanee the Canadian Corona.

Rocketvet

2/15/2018 8:09:58 PM

It actually wasn't half bad for a fishing beer. :-)

FishingTenor

2/15/2018 10:56:15 PM

Fantastic report Rocketvet! I just have to ask this question. How do you pull in your fish that is 30 feet back of your in-line weight? I must be missing something here. Please advise. Thanks.

Rocketvet

2/16/2018 12:03:30 AM

I put a small swivel at the 30 ft mark. As we are reeling in I unhook the weight that is also on a swivel then reel the rest of the way. I know others that put a small inline bead and hook up a small downrigger clip for the weight, then unhook. The trick is to be quick and not let a lot of slack in the line. It worked for us!

coyoteking

2/16/2018 12:16:27 PM

I guess my ? is why is the sinker so far ahead of the dodger???

Rocketvet

2/16/2018 1:13:20 PM

So it doesn't affect the action of the dodger. It's like a mini downrigger weight. And when I'm removing it the fish is still far enough back that it's not getting spooked by the boat where all the Kokanee thrashing is going on and may come off. Wish I could say I came up with the technique but I didn't. For lighter weights it probably doesn't matter much but 5 or 6 oz ball weight real close to the dodger is not ideal. We are trying to get deep and only have 2 downriggers so this was our 3rd line.

Bogey

2/16/2018 8:09:52 PM

Nice report - sounds like a great trip

FishingTenor

2/20/2018 12:21:09 AM

Huh. Thanks Rocketvet for your reply and improved clarification. I must assume that your swivel is small enough to reel onto your spool, but large enough to allow a quick release of 5 OZ lead. Sounds like it would take a little practice and your fish needs to be tolerant of the delay.

yowz

3/5/2018 12:00:30 AM

could you send me a pic of the swivel and how it is attached to the weight?

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