Spring has arrived,Good bye winter.

I started writing this a couple of weekends. About a very private lake that I get to fish from time to time, the gentleman that owns it likes his privacy. I have had the opportunity to take in a couple friends. Mostly I’m on the water by myself.

The lake is stocked with Browns, Tigers, Rainbows, and last year 150 10-12 Brookies. They are triploids some of the browns are now in the 8 to 10 pound range, the biggest that I have landed was well over 28 inches, weight heavy.

I catch lots of bows most are over 6lbs and a few have been over 9lbs, one laid across my striping apron was hanging over at both ends. The Tiger are the most beautiful fish and yes some of them are tanks. The lines and markings are all different, no two are alike. Very Cool.  

So a couple of weeks ago I got a text from him all it said was ICE IS OFF. Then a few minutes later another text.    I think you need to come exercise them.  I sent one back to him be there tomorrow am.

First thing I did was check the water temp. 38 the lite wind was blowing out of the south the sun peeking out from a broken up cloudy sky. I didn’t take me long to have everything ready and in the water. With four rods strung up, Sage One 9654 with floating line and a water boatman, Sage RPL 9052 bobber lobbin rig for chromi fishin, my Redington's  RS4s both 9052 one with type 6 the other clear intermediate.

I started out with the Inter. Line, worked the shoreline pitching into the weeds, most of the way around the lake I could see some action here and there and every once in a while hear and see the surface break. I wasn’t in the water more than maybe 10 minutes before the first hookup.

 My first Fish was plucked out less than a foot from shore. A big Bow beautiful, strong, and full of fight for the cold, water.  I made the tour almost all the way around and picked up a couple more Bows. Then switched out to sinking line and back tracked out into deeper water tying a leach. On the fifth or sixth cast and on the 20 count I started my retrieve, third strip in BAM hard hit and nothing, only to find out that I was broken off.  Tyed on another one and was soon broke off again. Upped my tippit to 3X and cast this produced a nice Big Brown caught deep in the tongue. He bulldogged me around the lake foe a good 7 or 8 minutes before I brought him to the net. I thought it was going to be a lot bigger but it was only maybe 22-23 inches. “Very Strong.”

Picking up two more Browns and then a big Tiger, but he broke me off at the net.  This time I tyed on one of my Disco Dolly Parton booby fly and gave it a fling.

The wind was kicking up and I was getting tired of trolling around so I made a bee line over to the northeast corner of the lake pulling my DDP. I nailed a big Tiger and another Brown on the way. When I got to the northeast where I wanted dropped anchor and another 10 ft. of line about 70 feet from shore in 16 foot of water.  Grabbed my RPL and set the Indicator at six feet above an # 16 black and red chironomid, wind blowing at my back gave the set up a long fling at about 50-60 feet and just let the small wakes do the movement. I was touching bottom, retrieved and moved  bobber down another fling and waited maybe a minute and bobber down. Long fight and Big bow! This went on for more than a hour with a fish about every 5 minutes. I pumped one’s stomach full of Chromimids about my same size some lighter in color, But I stayed with what I had on.

I had a great day on the water and packed it in after about 4 hours. Stopped at the house to tell him what a great time I had and gave him a bottle of 20year double malt Scotch. I’ll be back soon.

Sunday I was back the winds heavy and looked like it was going to rain. I check the water temp again 38. By the time I was ready to fish the wind increased blowing cold out of the north and the lake was whitecaps. It didn’t take me long to pack it all back into the truck. Just as I got the truck started and was backing out the slush started falling sideways.

3/19 now on the water at 9:30 light wind overcast and water temp hasn’t changed much now 40. Worked my way all around the lake in about a hour then went back to my favorite spot and dropped anchor. Mini leach under a indicator in 15 foot of water.   Long cast and slow retrieve letting the wind help work the bobber. Almost every cast bobber down a mixed bag of all types Bows, Browns, Tigers, and yes I finally picked up that one fish that has eluded me the Brookie. Wasn’t real big but it sure was pretty.

  3/20 first full day of spring.  So now I’m headed back and will update later today 11 am. NOOOOOOO wind water looked like glass except for the few rain drops only took out two rods this time. RPL & the One Size 16 soft hackle peacock on a 14ft leader. Micro Mini Leach on the RPL it was cast after cast fish after fish by 2:30 with cold feet I was whooped. The wind never came up the sky never dropped much rain nothing but fun.

Speys Away

Yesterday I spent the time putting all things Spey stuff away until maybe summer Chinook.  Winston came back out  of tube and sock.Checked and cleaned and guides, cork and reel seats. Same thing     with the good old Redington. I still dig it this rod.
   Sold the Echo DH didn't use it more that a time or two,don't remember catching any fish with it, always felt to heavy to use all day. The kid  Casey, I'm sure he will love it, Carey's first Spey rod.

So cleaning up the rods this year was easy.
         The reels are a different story Nautilus, Loop, and two Sage an old Hardy.
Cut any leaders, check the connecting loops, pull off the tip lines, clean inspect,the shooting heads cleaned inspected, repair or discard, roll up in large loops and mark, same thing with the other heads.     Now the running line, I cut off the loop attachments and maybe a foot or two of line retying new loops, and really clean this line good. Then after cleaning I take it out and stretch it, and wind it up loose in big loops " I want No memory". label it and spray it down with Armeral.
Pull the reels apart clean out any dirt, lube up the center shaft, put it all back together, spin it a few times, then loosed up the drag, wrap it up and put it in case.

     Today it's Clean out the luggage, Bac pac, sling and hip pack, Put away the fly boxes after restocking, the heaver tippit and leaders put with lines. make notes about stuff to reorder / stock, clean out the  trash/garbage picked up along the ways. refill Flask, wash gloves and fleece Buffs, the extra socks & Hand towel.  All of this goes into a toat with a heavy towel in the bottom, Oil pocket knife & sharpen, Clean out sling. and restock it of Omak Lake Fishing, Both fishing licence,
                                                            Clean out Hip Pac.
  Then the Boots and Waders: and another toat. My Patagonia Bar boots have been cleaned and dried, laces and bars ckecked placed in the bottom, with wading stick and belt. wader repair kit.
     I have a pair of Simms G3s that I only wear in the rivers. These I clean with mild soap and water both inside and out then let dry throatily then I spray alcoholic each side. fold them up and put on top. then the waders.go on top of a towel folded neat.

                               Doing all this help me think bac on Season!!

       It's been a good season not the best or the worst, I hooked, and landed some nice Metalheads this year, still more  than I can remember back on the wetside. This was a good time thinking about being on the water with good friends, Gary, Doc, Dave L, Rich, Wayne and Jamie just to name a few.  Some crazy flies (My first MH of the season on a believe it or not but a DD Patton booby fly.) Or Gary going with me just after I tweeted my knee just to make sure I didn't fall down.  Getting to spend a day on the Skykomish with Jamie good time just standing in the Ice Cold water fling flies on a line, time after time only to have slack line, Dues I guess. and the rush of tug the hook up !!.  The time on the Methow, Okanogan, Similkameen, Skagit, Stillagumish Rivers  nothing but good times.won and lost some battles. Times to remember.

                       Thank to another SH season and now warmer weather.

Time for me to start thinking about.

North Central WA. Stillwater’s

We all hear about the mica Lakes like Chopaka, Big Blue in the Sinlahekin Valley, Omak, Rocky Ford, Lenice and Nunnally, Here in Eastern Washington.

  Well I’m going to tell you a little bit about a few lakes that you don’t hear  much about if you haven’t heard of them at all. Yet easy enough to get to for some great fishing some with huge fish but not many and some well worth the day trippin to get to for the time of your life, just to be catching fish  all day long.

   I’ll keep them close to Omak say within a 2 hour drive. And best fished from a Belly boat, Pontoon boat or Pram.

Beaver Lake is 30 ac and holds some fine Bows, Cutthroat and some Brookies. There is FS camp sites and the water is gin clear.
Beth Lake is not far away and is 13 ac. and holds some hard fighting dig down and try and take me out with that bent over 3 weight rod Bows if you get the chance to fish it early and find the carryovers to 24inches and 4 plus pounders.
Davis Lake in the Methow Valley 39ac this lake gets some wind but has a hatch of BWO and Calibaetis that’s out of some Fly-Fishin Fiction Novel.. You have to be there to believe it and the wind is not blowing this time.
 Black Pine up the hill from Twisp 3900 ft. this 18 ac lake is quite and sleepy but the plants of Brook trout and the carry overs are nice the water stays cold late into the summer and not a lot of pressure.
Buzzard Lake off the Loop Loop Pass  gets planted every year with some jumbo Rainbow to hang out with the carryovers and there for the past few years the stories of some monster bows giving your line a tug on gray scuds.
Green Lakes, Big is 44 ac and is close to town The local fly clubs are known to buy some nice fish to help this C&R lake from March 1 till Oct 31.         Was rehab fall of 2015

Then again there is the Colville Reservation Lakes that need mentioning: McGinnis, Rebecca, Buffalo, Gold and Summit. You must have a tribal license to fish on the reservation but it is well worth the investment all the for mentioned lakes are stocked heavy with catchable oversized trout. Brook, Rainbow, Cutthroat and Triploids  and fished early some big carryovers.

I will get to all of these lakes some I will go camp at and stay a day or two. even tho there not that far from home.
                        Hope to see you on the water, with a bent rod and tight line.