Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Salmon Eye Charters
I was on the fence between this lake and Armstrong for my evening outing and even though I read yesterday's report on Beaver Lake I actually opted for Armstrong... fortunately the launch was clogged at Armstrong so I spun around and just ran for Beaver instead.
Two guys bank fishing and no one on the lake when I arrived. I launched and it started sprinkling so I dawned the rain gear and of course it stopped. I was hoping for rain as it tends to bring the fish up and seems to get them active. I started with a swimming frog due to the algae remnants, then a Senko in the pads as fish were moving around as I passed through. Neither of these got bit so I eased in deeper in the pads pitching here and there. This got the first little nibble but I missed. I cleared the pads and headed into the first cove to the east. The grass clumps are thick in here which keeps you back from the reed line a ways. On the north side of this cove I was able to pitch the floating mat edge for a bit and this produced fish number one, a pounder.
Clearing that cove I pitched the pads out a ways and this got fish number two, a 3.3. I fished all the way north and back down the west side back to the road with only two small fish short strikes to show for it.
As I headed back towards the launch along the road it started to rain so I picked the frog back up and fan cast it from the bank out to deeper water, then I would move about twenty feet and repeat the process. I made a cast in towards shore about half way back to the launch and ten feet from my frog I see a wake, it closes on my bait and explodes! I bowed up on her and had to winch her through the pads to the boat, she went 5.4! I continued with the frog the rest of the night and ended up with one more 4.4 and about seven misses from smaller fish short striking. One miss was a toad but I was looking away and didn't time anything right on that one.
Water temps were high 50's and the water is stained a little more green than it's usual coffee brown.