Trout fishing at Harriet Lake

MicahCarrick · 07-21-2008, 10:12 AM

I went up to Harriet lake this weekend because trout stocking schedule had shown they stocked it with 3000 rainbow trout on Monday. I went up with a friend who hadn't done a lot of fishing, and shore fishing stocked lakes for trout is how my dad introduced me to fishing.

Only 60 miles from Portland, It was a great way for some "easy" fishing, beautiful scenery, and a great trout dinner. So, if you're relatively new to fishing and looking for a good and cheap fishing trip, Harriet Lake seems to be a great place when it has recently been stocked.

We were primarily using pink powerbait nuggets and pink powerbait power eggs which are less messy and last longer (we would catch up to 4 or 5 on a single power egg) on small hooks with an egg sinker stopped by a swivel about 1.5 - 2 feet above the hook. Using this setup, we were catching a trout about every five minutes--if that. We couldn't even sit down without taking our rigs out of the water. Using powerbait makes catch and release difficult as they often completely swallow the hook and are bleeding and have to be kept, and I didn't want to pack it up after just an hour, so I started experimenting with all sorts of stuff since it was clear that we were going to limit out quite easily.

I de-barbed my lures and ended up catching them using gold kastmasters, silver kastmasters, original #1 mepps spinners, #1 silver mepps spinners with a black tail, and a red and black rooster tail. Catching them with the lures, in my opinion, was much more fun but a little more difficult and less comfy (as you're not sitting in a chair with a beer).

I had many get away from me as--until Saturday--I'd never caught trout on anything but bait. Any little bit of slack (like when they jump out of the water) , especially with de-barbed hooks, and they get off. But, when you bring them in, you don't even have to touch them to release them, so that was good since I was trying to avoid limiting out too early.

Lake Harriet is very, very clear water. This made it a great time and place to learn how to user lures as you could watch the action of the lure, see trout following it, and see which movements and speeds triggered a strike. It was really cool. And this was from the shore! I had the most success by letting the lure sink almost to the bottom before starting the retrieve and then letting it sink here and there on the way back in. Most of my strikes were right after the lure starts up again after stopping to let it sink a bit. However, I caught a few right on the surface with a constant retrieve as well--they were biting everything.

The reason we seemed to catch more than many of the people around us on both days, I believe, is attributed the how clear the water is at Harriet Lake. Using a pair of polarized glasses, especially in the periods of the day when the breeze dies down, you can see your lure as far as 30 feet out, and can see the bottom at least 15 feet out. Most of the shore fishing (including us) is done on a small stretch where you can park on the east side of the lake near the boat ramp. Therefore, the trout can possible see us all standing there and there is heavy pressure as people come and go all day and have that shore pretty much filled up. Although we would catch them close in where most people were casting out to (10-20ft out), we caught a lot more a lot faster by casting way out towards the other side of the lake (20+ft cast). Even with the lures, I either used a kastmaster to get way out there or an egg sinker stopped by a swivel 2 feet from my lure for the spinners. They would often strike closer in, but follow it in from further out.

We were also using 4lb test line since the water was so clear. I caught one fish which snapped the line (don't know if it was a big fish or more likely a weakness in my line--it happened fast and broke near the reel... yes, my drag was too tight) and we didn't have any snags that couldn't be freed as the bottom is covered in 6-18" of vegetation that appears to be anacharis/elodea common in fish aquariums and tears out easily. We were using cheap $15 light-weight poles and cheap-ish $35 reels. Not a bad price to pay for a big trout dinner.

All in all, it was a perfect time and place for a beginner and just a lot of fun. We even saw a kid come with one of those tiny little Mickey Mouse poles and catch one within about 20 minutes.

Troutski · 07-21-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicahCarrick

I went up to Harriet lake this weekend because trout stocking schedule had shown they stocked it with 3000 rainbow trout on Monday. I went up with a friend who hadn't done a lot of fishing, and shore fishing stocked lakes for trout is how my dad introduced me to fishing.

Only 60 miles from Portland, It was a great way for some "easy" fishing, beautiful scenery, and a great trout dinner. So, if you're relatively new to fishing and looking for a good and cheap fishing trip, Harriet Lake seems to be a great place when it has recently been stocked.

We were primarily using pink powerbait nuggets and pink powerbait power eggs which are less messy and last longer (we would catch up to 4 or 5 on a single power egg) on small hooks with an egg sinker stopped by a swivel about 1.5 - 2 feet above the hook. Using this setup, we were catching a trout about every five minutes--if that. We couldn't even sit down without taking our rigs out of the water. Using powerbait makes catch and release difficult as they often completely swallow the hook and are bleeding and have to be kept, and I didn't want to pack it up after just an hour, so I started experimenting with all sorts of stuff since it was clear that we were going to limit out quite easily.

I de-barbed my lures and ended up catching them using gold kastmasters, silver kastmasters, original #1 mepps spinners, #1 silver mepps spinners with a black tail, and a red and black rooster tail. Catching them with the lures, in my opinion, was much more fun but a little more difficult and less comfy (as you're not sitting in a chair with a beer).

I had many get away from me as--until Saturday--I'd never caught trout on anything but bait. Any little bit of slack (like when they jump out of the water) , especially with de-barbed hooks, and they get off. But, when you bring them in, you don't even have to touch them to release them, so that was good since I was trying to avoid limiting out too early.

Lake Harriet is very, very clear water. This made it a great time and place to learn how to user lures as you could watch the action of the lure, see trout following it, and see which movements and speeds triggered a strike. It was really cool. And this was from the shore! I had the most success by letting the lure sink almost to the bottom before starting the retrieve and then letting it sink here and there on the way back in. Most of my strikes were right after the lure starts up again after stopping to let it sink a bit. However, I caught a few right on the surface with a constant retrieve as well--they were biting everything.

The reason we seemed to catch more than many of the people around us on both days, I believe, is attributed the how clear the water is at Harriet Lake. Using a pair of polarized glasses, especially in the periods of the day when the breeze dies down, you can see your lure as far as 30 feet out, and can see the bottom at least 15 feet out. Most of the shore fishing (including us) is done on a small stretch where you can park on the east side of the lake near the boat ramp. Therefore, the trout can possible see us all standing there and there is heavy pressure as people come and go all day and have that shore pretty much filled up. Although we would catch them close in where most people were casting out to (10-20ft out), we caught a lot more a lot faster by casting way out towards the other side of the lake (20+ft cast). Even with the lures, I either used a kastmaster to get way out there or an egg sinker stopped by a swivel 2 feet from my lure for the spinners. They would often strike closer in, but follow it in from further out.

We were also using 4lb test line since the water was so clear. I caught one fish which snapped the line (don't know if it was a big fish or more likely a weakness in my line--it happened fast and broke near the reel... yes, my drag was too tight) and we didn't have any snags that couldn't be freed as the bottom is covered in 6-18" of vegetation that appears to be anacharis/elodea common in fish aquariums and tears out easily. We were using cheap $15 light-weight poles and cheap-ish $35 reels. Not a bad price to pay for a big trout dinner.

All in all, it was a perfect time and place for a beginner and just a lot of fun. We even saw a kid come with one of those tiny little Mickey Mouse poles and catch one within about 20 minutes.

Nice job...and a great story. Nothing taste better than freshly caught fish...

"Mickey Mouse" - I guess it is true; the fish doesn't know what your using or how much it cost..

Chuck

ArcticAmoeba · 07-21-2008, 11:30 AM

Great Report man!!! Really get the blood flowin to read great fishin stories! I started on a Teeneage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pole, that ended up getting spooled with 10lb test, to go after Kokanee and lunker trout. It was my luckiest pole...Memories.

Sounds, and looks like you guys really had a great time together. Harriet, and Timothy especially change completely if you can float 'em. I find that sticking to the shade in the heat of the day on Harriet can be really effective, and I try to pound the whole lake if the wind is in my favor. Even a cheap-o garage sale raft is awesome out there. It is what i used for fishing until i purchased a pontoon craft, and by george i love personal water craft fishing! Thanks again for the sweet thread on the hot fishing! I have been fishing plenty lately, but vicariously catching my fish on the boards lately...

I mean except for toady anyway! Had good luck...

liquidplumber · 07-21-2008, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticAmoeba

Great Report man!!! Really get the blood flowin to read great fishin stories! I started on a Teeneage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pole, that ended up getting spooled with 10lb test, to go after Kokanee and lunker trout. It was my luckiest pole...Memories.

Sounds, and looks like you guys really had a great time together. Harriet, and Timothy especially change completely if you can float 'em. I find that sticking to the shade in the heat of the day on Harriet can be really effective, and I try to pound the whole lake if the wind is in my favor. Even a cheap-o garage sale raft is awesome out there. It is what i used for fishing until i purchased a pontoon craft, and by george i love personal water craft fishing! Thanks again for the sweet thread on the hot fishing! I have been fishing plenty lately, but vicariously catching my fish on the boards lately...

I mean except for toady anyway! Had good luck...

Good job Micah you might try twisting your hooks slightly with needle nose pliers , When the fish break water and shake, the kastmaster is heavy and will spit the hook , by twisting them it seems to work a lot better.An old friend showed me that years ago and I do it to all my lures.Stay with the lures and you will soon be catching bigger fish as you can cover a lot more area.Plus you can release them easier as you found out.Good luck

McMudpuddle · 07-21-2008, 03:51 PM

Thanks for the report. I was trying to decide where to go on Thursday. Is the fishing area fairly level. My fishing friend is a bit older and needs fairly easy access.

MicahCarrick · 07-21-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Thanks for the report. I was trying to decide where to go on Thursday. Is the fishing area fairly level. My fishing friend is a bit older and needs fairly easy access.

Actually, no. The main area most people fish is anywhere from 6-20ft below the road and there aren't many ways down and you don't have much--if any--flat ground (I had a chair down there but it was on an incline and not very stable). I saw several people slip down the slope (including myself). However, I saw some people fishing a little closer to the campgrounds where the river flows in right off the road. However, it's much, much more shallow there and might not work out too well when the sun is out in full force. I don't know if they were catching anything.

ArcticAmoeba · 07-21-2008, 07:31 PM

Plumber, that is such a great piece of information! I recently acquired a gold Kastmaster, and on the Willy i have hooked 5 fish with it, and landed 1...The only one that didn't come out of the water immediately, so i had time to get a good set aparantly...It is kind of a lucky lure, as i always hook into something, just never land 'em. Excellent, here I come tackle box!

McMud, the fishing is not accessible to anyone having the slightest instability issue...It is not worth the risk to me. Althouh the North Fork Reservoir i hear has been really puttin up nice trout. It is about a half hour closer than Harriet too, outside of Estacada. Right from the upper lot, you can plop in a chair and bob power bait, or throw spinners. One of my favorite spots, and another member JTLunker, I believe, has had some good luck there too. It is always my first stop in the morning when we head up the windy way to Timothy, out 224 to the Forest Service roads.

Chami2008hh · 07-22-2008, 03:22 AM

The fishing job is very interesting and a awesome job to do.Its easy to learn.

...................
Chamika
Addiction Recovery Oregon

liquidplumber · 07-22-2008, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticAmoeba

Plumber, that is such a great piece of information! I recently acquired a gold Kastmaster, and on the Willy i have hooked 5 fish with it, and landed 1...The only one that didn't come out of the water immediately, so i had time to get a good set aparantly...It is kind of a lucky lure, as i always hook into something, just never land 'em. Excellent, here I come tackle box!

McMud, the fishing is not accessible to anyone having the slightest instability issue...It is not worth the risk to me. Althouh the North Fork Reservoir i hear has been really puttin up nice trout. It is about a half hour closer than Harriet too, outside of Estacada. Right from the upper lot, you can plop in a chair and bob power bait, or throw spinners. One of my favorite spots, and another member JTLunker, I believe, has had some good luck there too. It is always my first stop in the morning when we head up the windy way to Timothy, out 224 to the Forest Service roads.

Hey arctic the kastmaster is one of my favorite lures, I usally throw the gold or the silver w/blue stripe in various sizes .They catch a lot of fish including bass and walleye and steelhead .The biggest browns i have ever caught have been fishing from shore next to large rocks very close to shore where they hang out waiting to ambush passing fish.They also work very well when trolled.I like to troll different lures on each line when searching for fish.They work really well when trolled fast .I have someone use it to gauge my speed when trolling rapalas.Not just the steady thump but fast enough to make it erratic.They also work well jigging.Good luck.

ArcticAmoeba · 07-22-2008, 10:52 PM

Ever so enlightening Plumber! More great tips on the Kastmaster...I did do the hook bend alteration, and i looks like it came from the factory with an offset shank, so i guess that'll work. I will definately pick up a couple more in silver/blue stripe, as i am getting really good at paddle trolling my pontoon, really effective if you ask me, especially if paddling up river, i wanna really make those Kasts wiggle! Thanks again for the extra tips!

07-21-2008, 11:30 AM	#3
ArcticAmoeba Moderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: O.C. Posts: 717	Great Report man!!! Really get the blood flowin to read great fishin stories! I started on a Teeneage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pole, that ended up getting spooled with 10lb test, to go after Kokanee and lunker trout. It was my luckiest pole...Memories. Sounds, and looks like you guys really had a great time together. Harriet, and Timothy especially change completely if you can float 'em. I find that sticking to the shade in the heat of the day on Harriet can be really effective, and I try to pound the whole lake if the wind is in my favor. Even a cheap-o garage sale raft is awesome out there. It is what i used for fishing until i purchased a pontoon craft, and by george i love personal water craft fishing! Thanks again for the sweet thread on the hot fishing! I have been fishing plenty lately, but vicariously catching my fish on the boards lately... I mean except for toady anyway! Had good luck... __________________ Get Bent...Yo Rod That Is. Last edited by ArcticAmoeba : 07-21-2008 at 12:43 PM. Reason: Because I can't spell to save a whales life!!!

07-21-2008, 07:31 PM	#7
ArcticAmoeba Moderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: O.C. Posts: 717	Plumber, that is such a great piece of information! I recently acquired a gold Kastmaster, and on the Willy i have hooked 5 fish with it, and landed 1...The only one that didn't come out of the water immediately, so i had time to get a good set aparantly...It is kind of a lucky lure, as i always hook into something, just never land 'em. Excellent, here I come tackle box! McMud, the fishing is not accessible to anyone having the slightest instability issue...It is not worth the risk to me. Althouh the North Fork Reservoir i hear has been really puttin up nice trout. It is about a half hour closer than Harriet too, outside of Estacada. Right from the upper lot, you can plop in a chair and bob power bait, or throw spinners. One of my favorite spots, and another member JTLunker, I believe, has had some good luck there too. It is always my first stop in the morning when we head up the windy way to Timothy, out 224 to the Forest Service roads. __________________ Get Bent...Yo Rod That Is.

07-22-2008, 03:22 AM	#8
Chami2008hh Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1	The fishing job is very interesting and a awesome job to do.Its easy to learn. ................... Chamika Addiction Recovery Oregon Last edited by Chami2008hh : 07-22-2008 at 03:29 AM.

07-22-2008, 10:52 PM	#10
ArcticAmoeba Moderator Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: O.C. Posts: 717	Ever so enlightening Plumber! More great tips on the Kastmaster...I did do the hook bend alteration, and i looks like it came from the factory with an offset shank, so i guess that'll work. I will definately pick up a couple more in silver/blue stripe, as i am getting really good at paddle trolling my pontoon, really effective if you ask me, especially if paddling up river, i wanna really make those Kasts wiggle! Thanks again for the extra tips! __________________ Get Bent...Yo Rod That Is.

07-21-2008, 10:12 AM	#1
MicahCarrick Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 14	Trout fishing at Harriet Lake I went up to Harriet lake this weekend because trout stocking schedule had shown they stocked it with 3000 rainbow trout on Monday. I went up with a friend who hadn't done a lot of fishing, and shore fishing stocked lakes for trout is how my dad introduced me to fishing. Only 60 miles from Portland, It was a great way for some "easy" fishing, beautiful scenery, and a great trout dinner. So, if you're relatively new to fishing and looking for a good and cheap fishing trip, Harriet Lake seems to be a great place when it has recently been stocked. We were primarily using pink powerbait nuggets and pink powerbait power eggs which are less messy and last longer (we would catch up to 4 or 5 on a single power egg) on small hooks with an egg sinker stopped by a swivel about 1.5 - 2 feet above the hook. Using this setup, we were catching a trout about every five minutes--if that. We couldn't even sit down without taking our rigs out of the water. Using powerbait makes catch and release difficult as they often completely swallow the hook and are bleeding and have to be kept, and I didn't want to pack it up after just an hour, so I started experimenting with all sorts of stuff since it was clear that we were going to limit out quite easily. I de-barbed my lures and ended up catching them using gold kastmasters, silver kastmasters, original #1 mepps spinners, #1 silver mepps spinners with a black tail, and a red and black rooster tail. Catching them with the lures, in my opinion, was much more fun but a little more difficult and less comfy (as you're not sitting in a chair with a beer). I had many get away from me as--until Saturday--I'd never caught trout on anything but bait. Any little bit of slack (like when they jump out of the water) , especially with de-barbed hooks, and they get off. But, when you bring them in, you don't even have to touch them to release them, so that was good since I was trying to avoid limiting out too early. Lake Harriet is very, very clear water. This made it a great time and place to learn how to user lures as you could watch the action of the lure, see trout following it, and see which movements and speeds triggered a strike. It was really cool. And this was from the shore! I had the most success by letting the lure sink almost to the bottom before starting the retrieve and then letting it sink here and there on the way back in. Most of my strikes were right after the lure starts up again after stopping to let it sink a bit. However, I caught a few right on the surface with a constant retrieve as well--they were biting everything. The reason we seemed to catch more than many of the people around us on both days, I believe, is attributed the how clear the water is at Harriet Lake. Using a pair of polarized glasses, especially in the periods of the day when the breeze dies down, you can see your lure as far as 30 feet out, and can see the bottom at least 15 feet out. Most of the shore fishing (including us) is done on a small stretch where you can park on the east side of the lake near the boat ramp. Therefore, the trout can possible see us all standing there and there is heavy pressure as people come and go all day and have that shore pretty much filled up. Although we would catch them close in where most people were casting out to (10-20ft out), we caught a lot more a lot faster by casting way out towards the other side of the lake (20+ft cast). Even with the lures, I either used a kastmaster to get way out there or an egg sinker stopped by a swivel 2 feet from my lure for the spinners. They would often strike closer in, but follow it in from further out. We were also using 4lb test line since the water was so clear. I caught one fish which snapped the line (don't know if it was a big fish or more likely a weakness in my line--it happened fast and broke near the reel... yes, my drag was too tight) and we didn't have any snags that couldn't be freed as the bottom is covered in 6-18" of vegetation that appears to be anacharis/elodea common in fish aquariums and tears out easily. We were using cheap $15 light-weight poles and cheap-ish $35 reels. Not a bad price to pay for a big trout dinner. All in all, it was a perfect time and place for a beginner and just a lot of fun. We even saw a kid come with one of those tiny little Mickey Mouse poles and catch one within about 20 minutes.

07-21-2008, 03:51 PM	#5
McMudpuddle Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: McMinnville Posts: 78	Thanks for the report. I was trying to decide where to go on Thursday. Is the fishing area fairly level. My fishing friend is a bit older and needs fairly easy access.

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