Fish Lake / ice / fish

[PBH]

No. Fish Lake is not 100% frozen yet.
Yes. There is safe ice to be fished.

We still need some cold and calm nights to get the whole lake capped. I would guess in the next week it will happen. For now, fish either the north or south ends.


fishing was good over the New Year's weekend. We were able to fish out to about 45 feet of water. Splake and rainbows were readily caught. Even a brown trout was caught. And a lake trout too. Standard techniques -- nothing new here.

I was very happy with the fish. The splake seemed to be in good shape.

A recent conversation concerning whether or not to keep lake trout, along with the current management plan, kokanee, etc. really has me interested in what is happening. It's too early to make any real conclusions -- but my very 'un-scientific' observations say: it's working!!!

why? like mentioned in previous conversations, at Fish Lake we don't see very many of those "medium" sized lake trout (between 24 - 36 inches). But I caught a 32" lake trout! That's on the high side of that medium category, and the fish was obviously on it's way out of that category and on it's way to "big". It's hitting the smoker now!

Caught that fish in 30' of water on an orange buzzbomb.

I think Fish Lake is on it's way to becoming even better. I'm excited.

A couple pics:










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[Cowboy_43]

Great fish! Thanks for the update.
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[TopH2O]

PowerBaitHeppy,

Let me be the first to congratulate you on the nice laker. I'll also be the first to inquire why the fish is headed to the smoker and not returned to the water to get even bigger?
I'm not being critical, just curious.
I hope to get down there this winter and I hope we can get together for some fishing.

Mike
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[PBH]

[quote TopH2O]P I'll also be the first to inquire why the fish is headed to the smoker and not returned to the water to get even bigger?
Mike[/quote]

gads. My stomach is growling just thinking about that fish on the smoker! I can't wait to eat it!

The fillets looked great too! Not orange like a splake, but a faint hint of orange to them. They weren't pasty white like many lake trout that size.
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[TopH2O]

Cool! I smoked a 16 pound mac from the Gorge and it was great. Enjoy!

Mike
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[redfrog]

Thanks for the awesome report. Just looking at that fish I can tell there is a change. Most in that size range were coming out skinny and hungry looking. That fish has same girth, it's a good thing to see.

Here is one from last year that was 36 and skinny.
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[Jedidiah]

Nice fish, gonna be tasty. There are a lot of underfed, stunted splake and lake trout in that lake and harvesting them is going to increase your chances of catching a bigger fish in the coming years, not decrease it. It's not like all of the stunted fish in there are going to start feasting on kokanee and start growing again after being stunted for a couple years, they're done growing from what I understand. If anything we should start keeping more of the old stunted fish to make way for younger fish to grow into 50"+ lunkers.
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[Fishrmn]

[quote Jedidiah]It's not like all of the stunted fish in there are going to start feasting on kokanee and start growing again after being stunted for a couple years, they're done growing from what I understand. If anything we should start keeping more of the old stunted fish to make way for younger fish to grow into 50"+ lunkers.[/quote]

Yep.



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[beerbatter]

Very nice PBH! Any tricks to catching the lakers through the ice? Did you tip your lure with anything? Headed down in a few weeks and would like to try to catch one.
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[PBH]

[quote beerbatter] Any tricks to catching the lakers through the ice?[/quote]

Yes. I had a 4-leaf clover in my left pocket and a rabbit's foot in my right. In the past, I've always had the clover in my right and the foot in my left. I switched it up this year, and I'm positive that's what did it!



[quote beerbatter] Did you tip your lure with anything? Headed down in a few weeks and would like to try to catch one.[/quote]

yes. We always tip with sucker or perch. This fish was caught with a strip of sucker.


Honestly, I think luck has a lot to do with it.

good luck to you!
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[doggonefishin]

[quote PBH]
Yes. I had a 4-leaf clover in my left pocket and a rabbit's foot in my right. In the past, I've always had the clover in my right and the foot in my left. I switched it up this year, and I'm positive that's what did it!
[/quote]


Nuts, that's what I did wrong. I kept the rabbits foot in the left pocket and wore the 4 leaf clover around my neck. [] I'll do it your way on Saturday.


Nice fish.
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[wagdog]

Good lookin' fish PBH. What was the average size of the bows and splake? How did your smoked trout turn out?
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[Koko21]

Nice catch. I'm headed down in about a week and a half, hope to have some luck with the lakers. Were there already a lot of people out fishing the hard deck?

Also, how were rod conditions getting there?

Thanks
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