Fish Lake (Cheney)

[raffensg64]

Have any of you guys tossed any flies at Fish Lake and had success? I'm thinking about a fish fry and want to bring home some fish. I've only fished it once so far this year...managed only 1 tiger. Last year I enjoyed a couple good outings with black buggers and black leeches and got some 12-16" fish.

[bustin]

I do not fly, but I have seen many people fly fishing in Fish Lake with float tubes and a couple from canoes. I was actually there today, but it was so windy. We all caught and released about 30 bluegill, but nothing else. My daugther caught about ten of those so it was awesome.

[jmay]

I've tried it several times. I've caught 1 tiger and 2 brookies in 5 or 6 trys. Each time I hooked one up its right at sun done. That little lake has my number

[Lotech Joe]

I've never had great luck at Fish Lake. But, if I were to fish it again, I'd try bouncing a black, brown or seal beadhead wooly bugger across the bottom as slow as I could make it move. It works at Medical Lake so I figure it should work at Fish Lake. If that didn't work, I'd try the same thing at Williams Lake somewhere southwest of tree #11. If that didn't work, I'd try to find a way to attach a hand grenade to a fly line. I've been told that catching fish at Safeway is always more productive than fishing at any lake. Lakes are more fun though.

[Marc Martyn]

Joe is on the right track. Eastern Brook trout are, in my belief, a more aggressive fish than say rainbows. I think that they are more of a hunter than rainbows. They are also a more elusive fish. Many times while fishing streams in the mountain, the brooks will sense you approaching the water and dart for cover. Brooks will lay in covered areas and wait for food to come swimming by. I have experienced that at Fish Lake. When they are not hitting out in open water, I will cruise the lily pads and drop a fly right next to a leaf. Often they will come out from their cover and hit the fly with great fury.
Rainbows are far easier to catch than brooks, browns and cutthroats.
The best time to fish Fish Lake is in the morning or evening. If you are going after the Browns, fish the lake after sunset til dark.
One other thing. Fish Lake is filled with water boatman. They swim very erractically and because they are air breathing beetles, they tend to stay in the top 10-12 feet of the lake. All trout love water boatman. Boatman are also in the water year around. I have seen them crawl out of an opening in the ice early in the year. Keep in mind that if there isn't any insect activity going on, boatman are alway there. Good Luck!

[Wilkstr]

I do not fly, but I have seen many people fly fishing in Fish Lake with float tubes and a couple from canoes. I was actually there today, but it was so windy. We all caught and released about 30 bluegill, but nothing else. My daugther caught about ten of those so it was awesome.

Never been there.....
What were you using?
Were you in a boat?
I would like to take my 2.5 yr old daughter out there.

[Rooscooter]

Fish Lake is one of my favorite lakes around here. It can be very hot and cold though. I am a C&R fly fisher and fish this lake with a float tube. I seem to have the most success with sink tip line (24' Type VI) and buggers in green, black and brown. Damsels work well in the summer months. Dry fies (mayfly and midges) seem to work well along the lilly pads in the middle as well. There is a mid morning mayfly hatch that can be very heavy in early July.

I have caught several varieties of fish from this lake. Triploid, Tiger, Brook and Brown trout are present in varying numbers. Each year (for the past few anyway) they have been planting brood stock brookies. I have caught a few of these in the 20" range in the last couple of years. This is not the norm here though, most of the fish I catch seem to be tiger and Brook trout in the 8 to 16" range with a lot more nearer the 8" end of that range.

As noted above Brook and Tiger trout are a little harder to fool than the rainbows found at the other lakes around here. I find that adding more, quick, movement to the fly works well for the Brookies and Tigers. They tend to chase the fly as it comes from below. I let my bugger sink to the bottom and quickly bring it up a couple of feet and then strip retrieve from there. I tend to get strikes very soon after the initial movement off the bottom.

The areas of the lake that fish well for me are the west side of the lilly pads in the middle of the lake and the far SW corner. There are a couple of holes (up to 35' or so my fish finder tells me) that the fish will hold in during the summer heat.

Tight lines!

[bustin]

We fished from the dock using just worms. We catch a lot of bluegill which is fun for her we were there tonite too.

Never been there.....
What were you using?
Were you in a boat?
I would like to take my 2.5 yr old daughter out there. [/quote]