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Mineral Lake Report
Lewis County, WA

Details

07/04/2016
61° - 65°
Trolling
Rainbow Trout
Cloudy
Morning
61° - 65°
07/05/2016
1
776

I couldn't get the boy to get up early with me so I was on my own. I got to the dock by 6 hoping to be on the water shortly after they open at 7. I started casting various lures with no luck. Two guys showed up a short time later and started fishing bait off the bottom at the other end of the dock. Within 5 minutes they had a fish, then another, then another. The dock started filling up and nobody was catching except for those 2 guys. Not a good sign for things to come.

The shop finally opened an hour late and I was on the water at 8am. That lake is full of fish! They were showing up throughout the water column but were definitely concentrated deeper. In 25ft of water they were mostly around 15 to 20 feet and in 35 feet of water they were right at 20ft with some being lower than that. I tried everything in my tackle box without a single bite. I trolled, I drifted with a bobber, I anchored and fished off the bottom. They did not want what I had, which was various colors of salmon eggs and power eggs. I didn't have worms, which may have been the ticket. Good sized fish based on the finder, with some HUGE ones mixed in.

Anyone have any advice on how to get these fish to bite? I don't have a downrigger, but I was able to get down to that level with weights. I'll be out there again on Saturday to try and get one of those 5+ lb fish I saw on the finder.


Comments

gramps53
7/5/2016 9:26:00 PM
I always seem to do well using a small dodger and a green or orange wedding ring tipped with Berkley Gulp maggots and dipped in anise scent (super dipping sauce is my favorite). I was out about 3 weeks ago and we fished lead core line out 2 to 3 colors (10 to 15 feet down). Fish were all over the lake. We pulled 3 limits in about 3 hours. Trolling speed was about 1.5 mph.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Bottom to Top Charters

Phone: (406) 321-0504