Hog Canyon open in 2010?

[TroutCowboy]

They closed this lake for a rehab last year, anyone know if this lake will be open this year?

[Jay K]

Interesting, I wasn't aware it was closed last year.

I'm guessing it's open this year, as it doesn't say anything about closure in the regs, and they stocked rainbows 4/2010.

[Black Plague]

first of december is what I heard

[Anglinarcher]

What size did they stalk? They will grow fast this year, but 10 fish to the pound in April is still only going to be 1.5 fish per pound this winter.

[Anglinarcher]

December 1 to March 31. I was just told that the Spokane Paper said that fish were being caught up to 17".

I did not see this myself, but either someone is fishing early, the paper made a bold but unfounded assumption, or my information source mis-read the paper.

[Black Plague]

people were fishing it illegally and the game wardens caught them and confiscated their fish and handed them a ticket ....I think you can only have like 2 over 14 inches or something like that ...they had more than that....and were illegally fishing anyways.

[bazzdude]

ok, so the lake opens tomorrow and has special rules and regs. I did not know it was closed lake year either. I have only fished it once about 3 years ago and did fair and the inlet in a boat. I have visited it a few times since and it was almost dried up>? anyone have more info on the lake? Thanks and be safe out there. :bball:

[raffensg64]

It's one of the regions "winter only" lakes, open from Dec 1-March 31. Access is limited to a single road through BLM land. If this weather pattern continues, we'll be walking in. The road is not maintained during the winter. During those monster winters of 2007 and 2008, the road was shut by heavy snow and 5-8' drifts. A few hardy souls hiked in but, for the most part, it went untouched those years. Be careful if using that road in winter conditions. People fly in and out of there and on the weekends there can be bullets and shot flying all over the place!

Glad to hear the GWs busted some nasty poachers......this state is full of em. FYI, don't try to get cute while fishing Hog Canyon. The GWs come in on a back road, through private land, and show up front out of nowhere. They don't always come in on the BLM road. They get guys. I've seen it happen a few times.

I've fished it for several years now. The bite comes and goes at various times throughout the day. It can be slow due to the cold water temps and takes can be subtle. Don't panic if you don't get any takes right away.....it's gonna happen eventually. That water will be 35-36 degrees and the fish aren't real active. If you don't have a light jigging rod, go get one. If possible, find and attach a spring "strike indicator" at the tip. Small foam floats work well, too. Think LIGHT. Trash the 10-12 lb. test and go to 4 lb. Use a small reel with a light drag setting. Swedish pimples, kokanee killers and teardrop jigs tipped with chunks of worm, maggots, salmon eggs, will get takes. Remember.....KEEP IT SMALL! I see many a guy come out there with the same rod, reel, line, set-up and bait that they used in the summer. They always struggle.

When the fish are feeding, most will move into the shallow water near the weed beds. In my experience, 5-6' of water is optimum, although you can find willing fish in deeper water during slower parts of the day. Don't fish in the weeds, instead fish 12-18" off the bottom. In past years many a guy would complain of getting bullheads and bullheads only...they were fishing on the bottom! Use a lead depth finder, attached to your lure, to find the bottom. Then crank it up a foot or two and your set. Reset depth after every fish if you fight them on the reel vs. hand lining.

In past years, 4 out of every 5 fish (all rainbows) I caught measured 8-12". I'd get an occasional 16-17" fish but not bigger. I gotta believe that with the recent rehab this lake will begin turning out bigger fish in the next couple years. These e. Washington lakes are rich in food.

If you want bigger fish, head out to Fourth of July, which was also rehabbed last year. It has always produced larger bows than Hog.....lots of fish in the 17-20" range and some bigger. Must have better food sources, I suppose. You'll have to walk to get them, all the way to the "Narrows" before you find water more than 1-2' feet deep.

[bazzdude]

wow, thanks for all the info. i am sure everyone is taking some tips from that one. So a spring tip huh? i have seen them but thought if the fish does not bite hard enought to feel it on my ultra light set up then it must nt be worth bringing up, that is not true you are saying>? so when you say you put a leader with a sinker on the bottom of you jig how does someone attach that leader? tie it to the bottome swoop of the hook on the jig? i like that idea of feeling the bottom and getting bait down quicker too. O ya, does jigging the bait help any at all, i see it done both ways> Ok, stay safe out there. :bball: go gonzaga

[Kfedka]

December 1 to March 31. I was just told that the Spokane Paper said that fish were being caught up to 17".

I did not see this myself, but either someone is fishing early, the paper made a bold but unfounded assumption, or my information source mis-read the paper.

Here it is in the paper dated November 30.: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors ... s-whimper/

FISHING — The Spokane area’s two winter fishing trout lakes open on Wednesday. The fish are there, but the conditions are iffy.

The waters are Fourth of July Lake just south of Sprague and Hog Canyon Lake off I-90’s Fishtrap exit.

Fourth of July’s east end has about two iches of ice with a lot of snowy insulation coming down on top of it today. The west end of the lake still had open water as of Monday.

Chris Donley, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist said some anglers will probably try out the ice, but he wouldn’t.

I have no firm report on Hog Canyon, but it will take a few heroes in chained up four-wheel drives to break trail in to find out.

[raffensg64]

Finding the bottom is one of the most important aspects of ice fishing. You have to know the starting point/depth. Some companies make brightly colored (so you can find them on the ice!) depth finders. They are nothing more than a lead weight attached to a roach clip. You can make these yourself with clips, bullet sinkers and a good adhesive. Other possibilities are a simple set of forceps (hemostats) that can be attached to your lure. With all of these you can feel the bottom, especially the weeds, and can set your depth accordingly.

[raffensg64]

Almost forget. Yeah, jigging helps brings them in but, IMO, is not as important as lure/bait size, line and rod weight/size and depth. When they are actively feeding, a small jig with PAUTZKE (sp?) BALLS of FIRE salmon eggs suspended motionless at the right depth is all you need. Don't have a jig? Put two eggs on a size 12 hook. Keep it simple.

Seriously. NOT having salmon eggs is a HANDICAP!

[TroutCowboy]

thanks for all the updates, i had forgotten to check back and was happy to see some chatter!

they rehabbed this lake last year. i could be wrong but i think it was because it was overrun with bullheads. i am a little partial to this lake because it was the first lake i'd ice-fished since childhood. i also love the setting -- set down inside those cliff walls. it can still be cold, but you're not as exposed as you are on 4th, silver or eloika. newcomers take heed of the advice about the road it. the last couple hundred feet closest to the lake being the worst of it.

i have had luck slow-jigging swedish pimples and also by suspending eggs off the floor via a couple of pinch-weights and a marshmallow for floatation.

i'm not hard-core enough to drag my little alum boat out to this lake, going to wait for the ice. i thought taht long cold-spell we had would do the trick but this warming trend is going to trash what we have so far.

[raffensg64]

Good point on the road, Trout Cowboy! The last couple hundred feet of road is straight and steep, and often becomes packed snow and ice during winter. A couple years ago I encountered a guy who had to leave his car out there because it couldn't get up the hill! It was over a week before a good thaw arrived that helped him out.

[TroutCowboy]

Anybody been on it yet? I haven't seen any fishing reports yet. Just curious...

[Jay K]

We've had a lot of snow. Can't imagine the going would be too easy to get to the parking area. Wonder why there haven't been any Sprague reports lately.

[raffensg64]

It's fishing great right now, gents. Get out there and get them while you can! Ice is a firm 7" and the rainbows, while not large yet, are bigger than the last few years. Shame I won't be here next year.....the holdovers will be in the 20" range!

[TroutCowboy]

Anybody been on the ice lately? I haven't seen a report since mine. I saw that Silver is still fishable, with some caveats, so am guessing Hog is about the same. But sometimes Hog can pull away from the edges and you simply can't get on it.

I had to skip fishing last weekend for a road trip and I"m anxious to get back on this lake. I was having a lot of success with Trout here and don't care to downgrade to perch somewhere else.

[Jay K]

don't care to downgrade to perch

[TroutCowboy]

don't care to downgrade to perch

lol, sorry, didn't mean to offend. ;-) i just prefer not to have to fillet a dozen+ fish when two trout can feed my family of four.

fish on, perch man!