Long time reader, first report! Well we headed out to loon last night to see if we couldn't get lucky night fishing one more time this year for kokanee, used the typical presentation of maggots and shoepeg corn on a glow hook.

We launched about 6:30 and headed out to granite point area in 40-35 fow. Nothing worth talking about showed up on the fish finder but we anchored anyway to get situated with lights and just joke around until it got dark.

We had 2 different kinds of lights and I'm still making my mind on which I like better, one is the typical floating headlight increased in styrafoam that they sell at all seasons, the other 2 were a submerged green LED. Now the headlight is nice since it noticably penetrates a straight beam down into the water that you can see zooplankton swarm too, but the green LEDs sink and will go as deep as you let out wire. I think these ones came with about 20 ft of wire and I'd estimate we had them sank to around 15fow. Because of the shape of the LEDs they do not penetrate directly below very much at all, but being high powered LEDs they lit up the entire lake! Each individual light would make probably a 20ft diameter glowing ring that could be easily seen from the boat. Also attracted a large cloud of insects and plankton. Obviously neither were too successful so the jury is still up for me. Now back to fishing!

About 10pm and all we had gotten into the boat was 6 bluegill and a 7 inch catfish, my sister sitting on the bow of the boat exclaimed she was getting hits, I look over right as she sets the hook and her ugly stick instantly bends over to a tight C shape! I knew from the hits it must've been a trout and when I got the net and looked over I was able to watch the fight happen in the light cast by my green LED. Easily could see it was the biggest trout of the year for us! Got it in the boat and into the ice chest quick! Ended up being a fat 20" now! Nice fish.

That gave us the motivation to stay out later but unfortunately the rest of the night was cursed with more bluegill. Still nothing quite like crusing on the lake at midnight navigating by memory of the horizon and house lights. Probably the last trip we'll make to loon until spring time, I'd give it a higher rating but since we couldn't even hook into the fish we were chasing it ranks lower. Still a success in my book tho!

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