Monday, March 19, 2012

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




What’s hot is a resurgence of the deepwater trolling pattern above the Yacht Club on Lake Chelan for nice numbers of fish with a shot at a big one. Roses Lake has been clear of ice for most of the last reporting period and should produce nice numbers of stocker rainbows and perch.

On Chelan, fish above the Yacht Club from the 240 foot contour out to 340 foot contour for best success. Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidders in glow colors baited with a triangle of Northern Pikeminnow produced best. Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Flies similarly rigged were also productive. As always, troll close to the bottom. Speeds of 1.2 to 1.4 worked best with turns and variations in the speed working to trigger hesitant fish.

Roses Lake is finally ice free. Trolling flies with action disks in front or still fishing Firebait should work for these planter rainbows.

Your fishing tip of the week is to consider varying your attractors to trigger reluctant fish. Our standard presentation in front of squid style rigs is Mack’s Lures Smile Blades. The wide variation in size and color gives you a plethora of options. Additionally, our old standby, the action disk by wiggle fin will work too. Also, Crazy 8’s are another subtle attractor variation. That way you can avoid the line twist, drag and weight of Flashers and Dodgers.

The kid’s tip of the week is to take frequent activity breaks from concentrating on fishing when you are out with kids. While there are some exceptions, most kids’ attentions spans are limited. The younger they are generally the shorter the attention span. If you are out on a small boat getting them into shore to run around for a few minutes is a good idea. Snack breaks will also help. Additionally, engaging them in a silly game of their choosing will pay dividends in keeping the fun meter pegged.

Your safety tip of the week is to bring your waders to retrieve your boats at Mill and Manson Bays. With the lake level at about 1084, the run out area is fairly shallow and flat in both areas. With most boats it’s a good idea to ease it onto the trailer now and extend your cable out to wind it on the trailer. Powering them on now could cost you a prop. Manson Bay is the better choice now. You can still launch and retrieve at Mill Bay for smaller boats but keep your motor trimmed up and be cautious of those logs just beyond the end of the dock.

Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service
http://www.darrellanddads.com/ or 866-360-1523
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3/16/12: Guide Jeff Witkowski and Brian Whitney of Manson with their mornings catch of Lake Chelan Mackinaw.
3/16/12: Jeff again with an 11 pound Mack.