Needing some help tired of getting SKUNKED !!!

[littlefishingbuddy]

I do not seem to be doing very well in LK Washington. I put in Stanley park yesterday about 5pm and trolled for a few hours but NOTHING! I could see the fish on the FF but not getting any action? Tried the Downrigger with POP gear and a needle fish. I was just wanting to get something> I know the Bass will be great this weekend but I wanted to catch a trout! Please lead me in the right direction. I have never fished this monster lake and the size is overwhelming.

The weather is going to wonderful so I will be out all day if I can get some advice on where to fish and how to get them + what works would be nice.

Thanks Guys
Littlefishingbuddy

[Anonymous]

I havent been out this year yet .I use a lil silver#1 herring dodger with a 1/0 1/0 double hooked setup as you use for salmon and a small herring strip usually with a small hoochie on it trolled at or near the 50' area.I launch at Stan Sayres and troll the Mercer Island side of the channel to in and around to Coulon Park. Sometimes I troll up and down I90. Keep some distance from the bridge I think 100 yards or youll get stopped by the cops if they are out there.Be carefull using DR near the bridges .There are cables everywhere near the bridges.I've wrapped a few cables on them before.

I use the setup you talked about alot but usually more in the late spring thru summer and at around 20-30 ft deep.This is all my opinion but then I'm not getting fat eating a over abundance of trout either. Hehehe

[G-Man]

I think you may want to try a few different locations and keep in mind that the fish are up in the water column this time of year. My problem when fishing for cutts in the winter and early spring is putting the gear down too deep. I see the fish at 30 to 35 feet but they won't take it there, they like to hit it no more than 15 to 20 feet down. The bridges aren't that hot this time of the year so concentrate your efforts to waters around the points and bays and don't forget to target the dropoffs in front of any streams that dump into the lake. Save the pop gear for later in the year and go with a mini flasher/dodger combo or fish the bait /lure by itself. Don't be afraid to pick up the pace of your troll. I catch more fish at 2+ mph than I do at 1.5mph or less. If you have a reel spooled with leadcore line, do a search for "lake washington leadcore" in the forums, there are some excellent posts detailing how to catch these fish.

Don't get discouraged, I put in a great deal of time before I started to pick up fish on a consistent basis. Use the search function on the website in both the forums and the reports. Many anglers, including myself, have laid down some great tips and methods, find one that suits your style of fishing and run with it.

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

Are you using "fish symbols" or "arches" on your fishfinder? Sometimes bait is thick enough to show up as a "fish symbol" and lead to some confusion. If you have your finder set in the arches mode...then you really are seeing fish.

[swedefish4life1]

Buddy= remember Alaska press Swede but only trousters and cutts:chef: :cyclopsan

Big Racefish is correct if you press the bridges they have added more cables and cops

[kingcatcher]

i was fishing there yesterday i was fishing for bass off the dock at coulon park and saw a 15" cutthrout come under the dock and eat my bass worm. everyone wanted to see the fish and i was happy i caught it. i took it home and cooked it right away but it tasted like mud so i gave it to my cat who didnt even like it. so sad. but was a good day to be at the park for two hours.

[swedefish4life1]

Remember this and this fish= Cutt came out of her and I know this cat he used me hard dock-side in the salt at the marina:cyclopsan and yes a bit Crazy WE CLICKED!!!!

This fish a flat out Piggy that Lake Wa Blessed him!:chef:

He also did far better then average on Coho while most were skunked in the summers .

We did not see him last year I missed his passions