cutthroat trolling alternative?

[JT26]

Ive been reading all these reports on the cutthroat trout in lake washington and really want to catch some but i have a problem.
I asked my dad to take me out on the lake with the boat, and he was like, you think im gonna take my boat out there in 10 degree weather, and do all that work to re winterize it for a 8 inch trout!?
So obviously, i wont have a boat to catch these guys, and i know from all the reports, you troll for those cutthroats.
So is there another way to catch them from the shore or piers?
Thanks for any help..

[A9]

Hate to be a downer, but I've never heard of any cutts caught by fishing for them from the shore/piers....

[Derrick-k]

I saw someone catch a cutt off the dock at the mouth of the cedar, off of a crawler and mallo.

[AdsBot [Google]]

I saw someone catch a cutt off the dock at the mouth of the cedar, off of a crawler and mallo.

Most likely a cuttbow, or plain bow. And no, you have to have a boat. And your father needs to add a 1 in front of 8, because they're running around 18 inches.

[Derrick-k]

The one at the dock was only about 12in but it was a cutt.

[JT26]

Alright then. So no cutts with out a boat.
Anyone know about the rainbows on lake washington? i have never caught one there..

[A9]

Rainbows are more hard to come by then cutties...

[iPodrodder]

No boat @ Washington=very few trout. My only suggestion is to plunk for bows/cuttbows, and not throw lures. Less reaction strikes this time of year, and the rainbows being thin you need to have a line in the water all the time for when they do come by.

The breakdown:

Rainbows: Few, boat or not.

Cutts: Tons, but none without a boat.

Cuttbows: I have no idea.

So, any way you slice it, chances are slim. Sorry to be a downer. It's always worth a shot though.

[A9]

I'd suggest spending some time otherwhere. Some other year round trout lakes in the area. The fish will be there in the spring when your pops pulls the boat out....

[Derrick-k]

If you want to catch winter trout you might want to learn how to fish for steelhead, there no boat needed and they can get to Hefty sizes.

[JT26]

If you want to catch winter trout you might want to learn how to fish for steelhead, there no boat needed and they can get to Hefty sizes.

Steelhead fishing is in the rivers, right?

[Fisherman_max]

yea the bulk of steelhead fishing is in the rivers. but you can catch them in lakes as long as either, there is a known steelhead river coming in or out of the lake or, wdfw sometimes stocks a few hundred steelhead in area lakes but they die out in a couple weeks so you have to get out there fast.

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

I've spent many years fishing for trout off Lake WA docks. A few tips:

-winter is the best time for rainbows. still fish power bait or eggs with marshmellows. Nov-Feb are best
-some docks are better than others--Waverly Beach Park in Kirkland is one of the more popular spots, but there are other good ones too on the east side
-chumming is legal in the lake and it does help
-cutts are best from March-May. They prefer worms still fished or dragged slowly on the bottom. Rainbows in Lake WA are less inclined to bite on worms, but they will at times. Cutts will also more readily strike lures than rainbows during the spring. Fishing for them in April during a windy day or after a heavy rain (which washes worms into the lake) can be fantastic. Look also for spring days when there are insect hatches in the calm shallows--you'll see trout finning and eating bugs.
-rainbows in the winter will average 12-14 inches. In the spring, the cutties will be anywhere between 12-20 inches. The biggest cutt I've ever caught was 21 inches, but I've seen a guy catch one that was steelhead size
- if you want more regular action, you can go to some other lake that is planted. In LK WA you will need to put in your time to catch a few fish.

My best year was in 1996-1997 winter season, when I limited out on rainbows on every trip, which was almost every day during my winter break from school. That is a lot of rainbow.

A typical day, nowadays, is a bite or two in a morning of fishing and many skunk days. On a good day, you might catch 2-4 fish.

If you want to catch trout, now is the best time. During the summer, the trout are in open water feeding on daphnia. During the winter, the daphnia die off, and so the trout are in the shallows looking for food.

[JT26]

I've spent many years fishing for trout off Lake WA docks. A few tips:

-winter is the best time for rainbows. still fish power bait or eggs with marshmellows. Nov-Feb are best
-some docks are better than others--Waverly Beach Park in Kirkland is one of the more popular spots, but there are other good ones too on the east side
-chumming is legal in the lake and it does help
-cutts are best from March-May. They prefer worms still fished or dragged slowly on the bottom. Rainbows in Lake WA are less inclined to bite on worms, but they will at times. Cutts will also more readily strike lures than rainbows during the spring. Fishing for them in April during a windy day or after a heavy rain (which washes worms into the lake) can be fantastic. Look also for spring days when there are insect hatches in the calm shallows--you'll see trout finning and eating bugs.
-rainbows in the winter will average 12-14 inches. In the spring, the cutties will be anywhere between 12-20 inches. The biggest cutt I've ever caught was 21 inches, but I've seen a guy catch one that was steelhead size
- if you want more regular action, you can go to some other lake that is planted. In LK WA you will need to put in your time to catch a few fish.

My best year was in 1996-1997 winter season, when I limited out on rainbows on every trip, which was almost every day during my winter break from school. That is a lot of rainbow.

A typical day, nowadays, is a bite or two in a morning of fishing and many skunk days. On a good day, you might catch 2-4 fish.

If you want to catch trout, now is the best time. During the summer, the trout are in open water feeding on daphnia. During the winter, the daphnia die off, and so the trout are in the shallows looking for food.

The trouts havnt been stocked into that lake for a long time right? Why do they eat powerbait...?

Thanks for the info also.

[Fisherman_max]

just because they arent stockers does not mean they wont eat powerbait. you can go to a middle of nowhere lake that has never been planted with hatchery trout and catch them. powerbait is all about the smell, i dont know why it catches fish but it does.

[JT26]

oh. i thought they were like feed food that tasted like power bait before being planted. lol.

[VooDuuChild]

That's some really good info Shad, real informative! I normally don't fish for trout, but this time of year, it's the only thing hitting with regularity (except steelies) so that's what I'm doin. I got a pic of my catch from a couple days ago in the secret lakes report, one nice cutt or cuttbow and a nice brown too. When I'd fish off the docks during the winter, I used to use corkies to float the worm or bait off the bottom a bit, but you can inflate them too with a syringe which works even better I'd imagine. That and good 'ol powerbait, they just love that stuff.

[michaelunbewust]

that is some good info shad. i have the boat, no truck to pull it over here in seattle (live in richland, work over here).although, i get out on the lake, or get an invite from someone else with a boat. now i think i might have to try the docks. i live 18 blocks from coulon park, but, always have fished with my boat. something to do until spring!!!!

[Anonymous]

Show your dad some of the recent reports/pics of those "8" inch fish. Maybe he'll change his mind. Also, it's not saltwater which makes things easier. Why have the boat in mothballs when there are nice fish to be had? Hit him up as a father-son bonding time. Boy, if my sons asked me to take them fishing I'd be in shock. As to the temps, layer up and you'll be fine - more comfortable than steelheading.

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

A couple more tips:

- when chumming, I using cooked/soft rice mixed with old (or fresh) salmon eggs. I get the salmon eggs from bait leftover from fall steelhead/salmon fishing, but some times you can find "feeder eggs" in jars at the stores. You get more mileage when you mix the rice with the eggs, and it ends up looking like a nasty jambalaya. Ladle/throw a few scoops into the water near the dock, using an old spoon tied to a stick. I've caught trout whose stomachs were stuffed with my rice/eggs mixture. I've also caught trout in Lake WA whose stomachs were stuffed with cottage cheese, which is another good ingredient to mix with your chum. Do NOT use corn, since the trout cannot digest it.

- it's best to fish at docks that have a fair amount of regular fishermen. All that bait, chum, etc. being in the water regularly seems to attract more rainbows, as opposed to isolated docks where no one ever fishes.

- fish the areas around the dock where there are no weed beds. In all of my years shore fishing from Lake WA, I have never caught a trout over/in a weed bed. They seem to favor sand/gravel bottom where they can dig around for food.

- some of the best fishing can be during extremely cold weather, sub-freezing or snow. Once when I fished, there was 3 inches of snow on the dock. When I bled my fish on the snow, it looked like a murder scene. and kept the fish nice and cool too.