Hey all,
Fished the public access today at Lawrence. I got a thorough skunking, but I did make some observations that ya'll could possibly make better use of.
The guy next to us hooked and landed four fish before he left. He was the only one to do so, with fishing approaching "combat" numbers. Three of those fish were extremely healthy Rainbows taken on pink powerbait with an 18" leader and not too far from the drop off (see Lawrence Lake topo). The other was a fat 2 and a half pound Dutchie (Brown trout) taken within less than 10' from shore with a worm and slip-bobber set at six feet. I had the privilege of witnessing the whole event. One observation I made was that the fish seemed to "mouth as it moved" the worm much like a spawning bass does when removing an intruder from it's nest.
I had none of this gear with me, nor did anybody else along the crowded shoreline, which explains the skunking.
Much of the activity seemed to be coming from within 10 feet off the shore and presumably from the Dutchies. Occasional surfacing took place, but no immediate sign of bait fish, though the presence of Commorants, Eagles, and Fisher Kings told me they were around and about somewhere. I'm assuming the fish were cruising for emerging chironomids and the sparse hatch of mayflies that made themselves present upon our arrival. I found small (1/4") pale colored leeches and snails along the shoreline as well as an aquatic insect that I couldn't identify.( a humbling experience for a semi- seasoned fly angler :rolleyes: )
Methinks a variety of nymph and streamer fly patterns behind a bubble float woulda produced quite reasonably or maybe a small rapala retrieved adjacently to the shoreline.
Get there early to avoid the crowds or launch yourself a boat or float tube. There are other drop offs\shelves worth exploring in this lake. The trout are above average in both size and weight right now.
Any way, hope ya'll can make good use outta this report.
Larry

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