My earlier attempts to fish this lake were thwarted by the Uno Peak fire. Cool temps and mountain rains have tempered the fire and the USFS has reopened access to the lake. As expected I had the lake entirely to myself. The ramp is very steep with unstable with soils making it only suitable for kayak, canoes, or pontoons.

Numerous fish were rising as the sun spilled over the mountains and crept down the slopes towards the lake. I started trolling spoons and small jerkbaits and immediately found several Brown Trout as well as sizable Red-Ear Sunfish and Black Crappie. However, I was getting numerous bites and not hooking fish so after a couple hours I switched to cast and retrieve techniques.

My landing ratio jumped quickly and I was easily pushing 15 fish to the boat by 10 AM. Small Live Target "Trout Fry" jerkbaits produced well but 1/12th oz Kastmasters reigned supreme. The formula was simple. Cast towards shore. Count to 3. Retrieve a few cranks. Twitch the Kastmaster. Resume retrieve...FISH ON! I quickly boated another 20 fish before heading into Manson for a burger and Mackinaw Red Amber at the brew pub.

A fun little lake to fish with an ultralite or fly rod and worth adding to your list if you want to tangle with a Washington state Brown Trout.

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