Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Salmon Eye Charters
We made our way from Antilon to the last lake of our great fishing week - Cle Elum Lake. We were hoping to camp there, but found that Wish-Poosh is closed due to storm damage, leaving only one campground near the lake. Of course it was full, so we returned to the boat launch at WP. The wind was howling, driving big white caps all over the lake. We considered our options. Launching a kayak would be unwise, if not impossible. We decided to pay the $4 day-use fee ($8 if you don't have a National Lands Senior Pass), park next to a picnic table and take a nap. Lol (Mosquitos at Antilon kept us up half the night.) That lasted about an hour.
The wind hadn't died down much, but it slacked off periodically. We prepared the kayak and got everything down to the shore. Launching was difficult. Even in the lee of an island the gusty winds kept driving our kayak back to the waves breaking onto the shore. We finally gained the upper hand and paddled to the calmer water close to the island. Trolling was not an option here, so we just cast our lures. Back in a little bay around the corner we had a few bites, but nothing big. After a couple hookups came unbuttoned, the launch/campground host came down to pick up litter. She said the other day she caught a nice mackinaw while fishing from shore. That gave me an idea.
We paddled the short distance to the island and beached the kayak. Taking all of our gear, we walked to the windy side. The hubby landed a nice 13" rainbow. I had to outdo him. Using my biggest, brightest orange spoon, I cast as far out to the deep as the wind would allow. After a couple of bites, I had a serious hookup. The drag was screaming and the wind was howling. What excitement! It took a while, but I finally landed a beautiful 19" rainbow. We fished all up and down the face of the island and never got another bite.
It was time to head home. As we were packing all of our gear in the truck, the wind died down. Of course! I would have rated the lake a 4 if not for the wind, but we had a great time anyway. We will be back. Tight lines.
