Things are looking up

Some time has passed again, waiting for something great to happen. There has been a little activity off McKinley, but no one is setting the world on fire.

The perch season opened since I last wrote. That always brings quite the influx of young and old to the lake front. It always surprises me that we have a lake full of Chinook and Coho salmon, and Steelhead and Brown Trout that are of world class proportions, but these little panfish bring the fishermen out of the woodwork when the season opens. I guess I shouldn’t say little panfish. We have had some 13 and 14” and I have seen some bigger ones.

We have caught ours by accident on jigging spoons while collecting alewives for bait. The hard core perch hunters have been using small fatheads, little goldens, or Milwaukee (Emerald) shiners on a jig head or under a slip float. The real gurus who are getting their limits are getting down there early (like 3-4 am) and walking off about the time I show up!

These guys take this seriously. They are like perch ninjas. They show up early, crawl out on the rocks, get their five and get out before anyone can see what they are doing or where they are fishing. They aren’t doing anything illegal. They are just secretive about their spots.
I have seen some real monsters. We had some up to 14” and I have seen some that have to be 16” or more. DNR fisheries biologist and long-time perch expert, Matt Coffaro, speculates that these giants are probably remnants of a great 1998 year class. Those are 12 year old perch!!!

Trout and salmon have been slow but improving. A few Kings have been caught very early each morning off McKinley and then a later wave of Steelhead show up between 6 and 8 am. The water is a good temp so the Browns should start moving back in. The good part is when they come back, they usually stay around if there is enough to eat. They can tolerate water up to about 64-65 degrees before they are forced off-shore.

Live alewives have been the best bet, although this weekend I took a nice Bow on the summer favorite, the 3” pearl tube jig. It has always been great bait for working deep. One quarter to one-half ounce heads, and 3” or 4” Pearl tubes. Cast them out, let them sink to the bottom, and work them back with 2-3 foot lifts of the rod. They glide and dart like a fleeing or injured alewife. The hollow bodies allow you to add some cod liver oil or Pro-Cure scent.

The July 4th weekend looms ahead. This is usually the unofficial start to summertime patterns. Pray for west winds and ample bait and this should start to get fun!

I'll talk a little Skamania next time.

Tight lines and smooth drags…..
Marc