Lake Walcott

[weightedline]

Tried my luck at Walcott today. My son caught a 3lber but that was it. Have any of you guys been having much luck there this year? Every thing I have caught has been abot 15 to 20 ft. Down.
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[Bigtrout5]

I have heard that they were catching some nice trout trolling but have not fished it myself. That conversation was about 3 weeks ago, work, family, an weather have tied my hands. Thanks for the report!
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[blacktop]

Have fished Walcott for twenty five years as much as anyone and the catching is right up there with the best ever. Oct 9th 2012 fall planting fish around 9 inches are now between 3-5#s. Personally caught taged fish in Nov 13 months after planting at nine inches that weighed 3lbs 14 oz. In ten trips this year since April 4th have landed approx 75 fish from 3-7lbs. Average fish from that planting of 40,000 weighs around 4 pounds. Two of us landedd over 30 the last time out with half the fish being last years planting.. First time this year more than 15% of catch were the juveniles that were planted 25 miles upstream at massacre rocks. Best trout fishery in the state hidden treasure for the last 22 years and the fish and game have hit a home run with the late fall planting that they initiated in 2012. No other lake has this type of growth rate of over 3 pounds per year.
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[blacktop]

I have been following this blog for a couple months and it is great.. Had to check in on this topic although a little reluctant as this lake has been a local lake and pretty much unknown. First planting of these Kamloops which are about 95% of the catch was in about 86 or 1987 and for most of the years were just fingerlings mostly planted at Gifford Springs. Over the years have had over thirty trips where the limits averaged over 5lbs starting in April 1992. For 15 of those years it was not uncommon for the average trip to produce most of the fish at that size. Do not let me mislead you 90% of those trips did not produce a limit. Last year fishing was terrific on the six month 6-plus fish they put in previous Oct. with very few carryover and only two 5 pound fish caught all last year by myself This year the fishing has been terrific with 85% fish being the oct 2012 juveniles that next month with the alfred hitchcock turd fly hatch will be over 4lbs. Go back the last ten years and this is first time we have had the fall plantings with no Cumorans and Pelicans effecting the fish till they reach 12 inches by spring I am concerned about the new gates at the southside canal in the recent construction that produced unprecidented late summer losses where hundreds of dead fish were found 15 miles downcanal at Declo. On high water snake years excess river is flushed over Shoshone Falls a high percentage of fish go through the gates but at least they are mostly caught in the snake immediately below the dam and not wasted.
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[cpierce]

Blacktop, Welcome to BFT. Nice first posts.

It's amazing to me that F&G are able to get any fish stocked in there past the birds that nest on the islands in the Minidoka WMA. Kudos to them for both Walcott and Blackfoot.
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[blacktop]

Thanks buddy, Gone should be the days when any planting goes on where the gulls pelicans cumorans et all can come and devoir the planters. The pelicans do not bother the fish in the main resevoir much from my observations. Different story up by Gifford Springs. I have been in pretty constant communications with our regional fish manager giving him my
input and kudo's for the effecient management of this resource. The fish here this winter mostly had 20 to 30 minnows in them. Doug says where the fish can sustain in winter the vast majority of plantings should be in late fall. Right now far to many fish are being planted in put and take lakes. Oakley with only 10000 6+catchables planted in the last two years is being neglected wheras Salmon Falls is getting far to many fish. Oakley is now a growth resevoir with a new shrimp causing even healthier fish than Minidoka.. Whatever the new food source these fish were incredible with the fly rod last summer. Best fly fishing I have ever had within 100 miles of my house in a lake. Many fish taken me well into the backing.
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