Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Washington Outdoor Report - week of Nov. 28

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I received a unique invitation last week to go trout fishing at a lake that doesn’t get a whole lot of press. The body of water in question is Long Lake, also known as Spokane Lake, an 18-mile reservoir northwest of Spokane bordered by Long Lake Dam and Nine Mile Falls Dam.
The crew at Mack’s Lure extended this invite to me and going on the trip was the President and CEO himself, Bob Schmidt. Our guide was going to be Steve Morris, the owner of SJM Guide Service. Also coming along was Mack’s Pro-Staffer Eric Magnuson, who hails from Spokane and Justin Wolff, a fellow outdoors media professional who is the host and producer of Angler West TV.
We all met at the boat ramp at the south end of the reservoir at 8 AM on a morning that greeted us with a mix of snow and rain. Morris explained we’d be traveling ten miles up lake in his open boat to get to where the majority of the trout are located at this time of year and I was very glad I was wearing a thick jacket and sweater underneath my rain gear.
The lower part of the reservoir was lined with a mix of full-time residential homes and summer cabins but opened up to a more pastoral and wooded setting as we reached the fishing grounds. Morris explained the trout we were after were fast growing, sterile triploid rainbow trout that had been planted in the lake. Morris further explained we would be fishing close to the surface and he expected the fishing to be fast and furious, even with just three rods out.
Morris had two rods on downriggers on each side of the boat and the third was in the back of the boat going a little deeper with lead core line. Morris maintained a trolling speed of 1.8 to 2.2 MPH.
Our guide’s prediction of hot fishing on this cold morning was spot on. The lures were being bit within minutes of being put into the water and several strikes occurred before we could even get the rods into the rod holders. Within 90 minutes we had 18 healthy rainbow trout in the boat and had probably ten more fish on that came off before we could net them. The fish were all bright and measured 13 to 17 inches.
We were exclusively using lures and tackle from Mack’s Lure. The hot color? According to Morris, any color at all works this time of year here as long as its orange. Everything we used caught trout but what worked best was an orange Pee Wee Wiggle Hoochie with a plastic bill that gave it great action similar to a crankbait. This lure was fished behind a 4.4-inch dodger on a short two-foot leader. hooks were modified on the lure for a shorter strike distance and tipped with orange died shoe peg corn. A Mack’s Lure Flashlight Troll, consisting of two large mylar blades and beads, was used as a lightweight attractor. This set up on the lead core line not only caught lots of trout but also the biggest trout of the day.
I was definitely impressed by the quality of this little-known trout fishery. Morris told me he’ll be guiding on Long Lake into mid-December, at which point dropping water levels will prevent anyone from using the boat launches on the reservoir. After that SJM Guide Service will be offering winter trips for trout and kokanee on nearby Lake Roosevelt, that huge impoundment of the Columbia River known for the large size and quantity of both species caught during the winter months.
If you would like to book a trip with SJM Guide service you can do so by contacting Steve Morris through his Facebook page or through his website at www.sjmguideservice.com . If you want to find out more about the lures that worked so well go to www.mackslure.com. A television show about this trip will also air in the near future on Angler West TV on the CW Channel in Western Washington and Northwest Oregon as well as on the Angler West TV YouTube channel.
John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com

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