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Yale Lake Report
Clark County, WA

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Details

08/10/2015
76° - 80°
Trolling
Kokanee
Corn
Pink
Mostly Sunny
Dodger
Afternoon
08/10/2015
4
1585

The last time JoAnn and I fished Yale was three years ago, and we didn’t fish it very long as the fish were running 8-9 inches in size. Lot’s of fish, no size. Because Merwin was fishing tough for us we decided to fish Yale on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. We decided to fish Sunday as we found that this year the fish are indeed a bit bigger, now running 10-11 inchers. I decided to catch a dozen or so to help fill up my smoker for a load this week.

We fished mostly down by the dam in the large bay there, and a bit north of the bay. The action was steady and good from the word go, with most fish running 45-60 feet deep, 50-60 feet being the most consistent. They were pretty much biting anything you dropped down to them. It hardly felt challenging, but it was redemption of a sorts after Merwin gave us a good dose of humble pie.

11 inchers are not what I would normally keep, but it is hopeful to see the fish a bit bigger. If this keeps up maybe in a year or two Yale will be a first destination and not a back-up plan.

A word of warning – there are some underwater trees, including one that has my downrigger ball and gang troll. 65 feet trolling over 150 feet of water and sure enough I caught me a tree! After this happened I paid closer attention and opened up my zoom range. Sure enough, there are a few trees that never got cleared out. So do keep an eye out for them!

We could easily have caught our limits of 32 fish each day, but I had no desire or need for that many 11 inch kokanee. I kept what was needed and called it a day(s) each day after about eight fish. We probably lost more than we caught. One other thing of interest - for 11 inck kokanee they really hit hard! Just about every one of them popped the release.

Very aggressive fish in Yale!


Comments

downriggeral
8/10/2015 10:46:00 PM
Well I see the dog hasn't moved much! Glad you and JoAnn had fun. Yale looks like a beautiful place; it's great to be in God's country!
Alan
Mike Carey
8/10/2015 11:22:00 PM
ya, he owns the captain's chair.
the doc
8/11/2015 5:38:00 AM
I havent been to yale or merwin in several years. I am sure they will also come out of the "doldrums of summer", as i call it, before its over for the year. i do the most "damage" -lol, late in the season, as the kokes, especially the males, even while losing their hunger, pick up their tempers, starting about now, and increassing thru mid oct. A person would have to see just how many fry they dump into yale. usually, they fish are small, due to lack of enough chow to go around. this is also why yale fish are so eager to bite. THEY ARE HUN'RY! I have been mostly sticking to my new rig, for the less hungrey fish. five inch leader, of only a double hook setup. with a single small bead on top. no lure. no wedding ring. nada. just the corn, on the top hook. and, this creates a pendulum motion on the corn. back and forth. whip. whip. whip. BANG! kokanee allways follow.! they cant seem to bring themselves to commit, however. yesterday, i switched back to a green wedding ring type spinner, as it workd well starting in august last year. out of 155 kokes last year, a dozen or so, were hens. no joke. this is mostly due to the green spinner. they were not feeding. they were protecting the hens, from the mean green! sharp turns, fast , slow, speedup. stop. this all will wake them up. or make them very upset. i am having coffee. its currently 530. im on my way out the door for kokes again this morning. hope i can finagle them into biting again this morning. ever make tuna sandwiches, and poured the oil out of the can, onto fresh corn? they seem to like this scent. i did not use it yesterday. but, i have had luck on it. if you see me, say hello. i dont know whos who on here. kokanee kid (chuck), is a good freind. i introduced him to downrigger fishing, several years ago. we fish togeather time to time. -rob.
Mike Carey
8/11/2015 6:20:00 PM
I agree about the increased aggressive of the males later in the season, late August we had an amazing day with the same gear that didn't work this trip. I'd go later but gotta get after the pinks.
Fish Dawg
8/12/2015 10:52:00 PM
Nice shot of your fish dog, Mike. I like the one of the mountain top too!

Thanks for the report.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Northwest Fishing Expeditions

Phone: (208) 880-2994