Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lake Chelan Report - Anton Jones - Darrel & Dad's Family Guide Service



What continues hot is trolling the lower basin of Lake Chelan for Lakers. Roses Lake is in the rotten ice portion of the year. We can’t wait for the open water to get at those feisty rainbows and tasty perch.

On Chelan, continue to fish the deep water in the lower basin of Lake Chelan for nice numbers of average size fish. Also, you can catch a big fish by trolling on either side of the Narrows near the Yacht Club. Our “go to” lure in the Basin continues to be Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Fly in double glow Splatterback colors baited with a strip of Northern Pikeminnow. Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidders in glow colors similarly baited also worked. Near the Narrows try a Worden Lures Flatfish. The best size and color combination for us up there has been the T4 in Purple Glow.

We did not get out on Rufus during this reporting period.

Roses Lake has rotten ice now. It would be foolhardy to venture out on it. We will wait until ice out now to troll and still fish for those rainbows. Pautzke’s Firebait in American Wildfire will slay them. I think the perch population is exploding, so you might consider gearing up to get yourself a delicious batch of perch fillets.

Your fishing tip of the week is to consider variations in presentations to improve your odds. Everyone always asks about the color of the lure or bait. What about the size of the hook? We find that the addition of a “stinger” hook can improve your odds at certain times of the year. What about hook style. I have become a fan of sickle hooks whenever practical. Their configuration really helps the fish to stay buttoned up. Think about subtle attractors. We use Mack’s Lures smile blades in front of many of our lures. Action disks by wigglefin.com are another option. Worden Lures Spin ‘n Glows will work too.

Your kid’s tip of the week is to use this late winter early spring time of the year to identify birds with your kids. We had 5 kinds of ducks at Mill Bay the other day. You might even be lucky enough to see Bald Eagles hunting coots. It’s better than Animal Planet, and it gets you some fresh air. Take a book to help out.

Your safety tip of the week is to remember that Lake Chelan is in its low water time of the year. As the lake level drops towards 1084.5 you have to be cautious at Mill Bay so you don’t bang the bottom with your prop in certain situations. I expect Manson Parks and Recreation to open the Manson Bay Launch soon.

Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service
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2/25/12 - Pictured: Jeff Gale of Burien with his friends Ron and Carl and their days catch of Lake Chelan Mackinaw.