Crescent Lake 02-21-2010

[Thuggin4Life]

Me and BFishin decided to take a crack at cold weather makinaw and brown fishing. Headed up to Crescent lake early sunday morning. Got to the ramp aroung 5:40 and got on the water just in time for first legal. Ait temp was 7* and water temp was 35*. Spent the first few hours trolling for browns with no succes other than a state record rock fish that took my new sick bait when it broke my 15lb test. Trolled for macs for a while after we gave up on browns. Due to my limited downrigger situation we trolled the 85-95' range looking for these big lakers. Marked sevral big fish but more of the big ones were out as bit deeper. Gave up on troliing and did a bit of mackinaw jigging. BFishin some how managed to hook into a kokanee and instantly have the koke get eaten by a big keeper mac! While jigging all of a sudden his rod just double over. Fought it for a bit and got it up to the suface just to have it spit out the koke he didn't know was there and swim off. Koke was a good 10" or so with huge bite marks and gouges in its sides. Then the koke spit the hook. Ended up finishing the day with a little more jigging and trolling for mackinaw. Almost got our first fish out of my 4 and Bfishins 3 trips up(overlapping trips).
It was a very nice day out even with the cold weather. Water was glass for the most part and even with the lack of snow Kiska got a chance to run around and play in the snow. Couldn't have asked for a better day to be out on the water or a better place to be.

 

[diggindan]

Great post! I'll have to go up an give it a shot. Maybe I'll wait for a bit warmer temps. Brrr!
Cheers, dan

 

[Mad dog]

Thuggin' your a man after my own heart! I used to spend many a cold pre-dawn morning waiting for legal to persue those monster browns! Now I find Turkey hunting in a nice warm low elevation meadow a lot more pleasant!

There is a point in the spring when those big Macs will come into the shallows with the browns(And near the surface over the deep water) looking for food. Try late march or early april.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Yeah crescents not for the fair weathered fisherman until later in the year. Yeah, you got to love those cold weather pre dawn mornings in anticipaition of a trophy fish. Thanks for the info.

 

[TTFishon]

Sounds like you need to use a swim bait that looks like a koke

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Yup thats basically the idea. Didn't quite have the right one's but close. Still need more time/money to invest in the trophy trout gear I need. Anyone know were to by live kokes?

 

[Hawk]

Those are Beautiful pics Bro.

Kiska is lookin Awesome. Make a good lead sled dog

:lol::lol::lol:

:clap::clap::clap:

 

[Hawk]

Yup thats basically the idea. Didn't quite have the right one's but close. Still need more time/money to invest in the trophy trout gear I need. Anyone know were to by live kokes?

from the koke machine.

heehee

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Thanks she likes to pull on the leash I'm sure she could pull a sled. She loves to run and loves the snow. Now if I could only get her to stop digging in the backyard.

 

[Hawk]

Thanks she likes to pull on the leash I'm sure she could pull a sled. She loves to run and loves the snow. Now if I could only get her to stop digging in the backyard.

Yep, pups shure do love to dig,

i've had so many holes it looked like a herd of gophers.

hahaha

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[troutdude]

from the koke machine.

heehee

:lol::lol::lol:

ROTFL!

I'm gonna tell my dad that one...he's a major Koke-head. Haven't gotten him to go after trout for years now!

 

[Thuggin4Life]

ROTFL!

??????????????

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

??????????????

ROTFL = Rolling on the floor laughing

LOL

btw nice pictures and a beautiful dog

 

[troutdude]

Yep.

ROTFL is "text - eze" for Rolling on the floor laughing.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Sorry I am behind the times.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

Nice pictures! There a definitely some crazy, hard core brown trout fisherman out there. They get up so early or don't even sleep to fish all day for maybe a couple of hits and if they are really lucky they stick a 10lb brown that fights like a half dead frozen fish! Don't get me wrong I love fishing for browns but to do it year round is crazy especially when you can be fishing for steelhead or salmon. The browns start to fight a little bit better in the summer time though. I bet a lot of those hard core brown trout guys would be great steelhead fisherman if they gave it a shot. I have to admit its cool to see the rods start to bounce and know your about to hook up. Makes me start to dream about August and trolling the bays!

 

[Mad dog]

Nice pictures! There a definitely some crazy, hard core brown trout fisherman out there. They get up so early or don't even sleep to fish all day for maybe a couple of hits and if they are really lucky they stick a 10lb brown that fights like a half dead frozen fish! Don't get me wrong I love fishing for browns but to do it year round is crazy especially when you can be fishing for steelhead or salmon. The browns start to fight a little bit better in the summer time though. I bet a lot of those hard core brown trout guys would be great steelhead fisherman if they gave it a shot. I have to admit its cool to see the rods start to bounce and know your about to hook up. Makes me start to dream about August and trolling the bays!

Some of the best fighting trout I have ever caught were browns from east in June and July! The ones from Cresent and Paulina early in the season were pretty sluggish! But.....that is when those big boys get captured!

Hey Thuggin', next time go lighter on your line, Cresent is extremely clear, go with 8 lb or flourocarbon. We have manhandled some toads on 6lb. and 8lb. out of there.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Ok i run 12lb on my main trout rod and 15 on my big trout rod. ended up using just the one rod with 12 on it. I'll have to switch down to a lighter leader. Yeah can't wait for the bays this season now that I spent last season doing all the learning. For browns best time is first legal so you have to get hard core. At wickiup last summer we set up camp and ate and whent to bed with 4 hours of sleep to be out on time.. fished the morning partied the noontime back on the water for the evening bite. Fished till last legal and got a few hours af sleep to be back out in the morning for first legal. Its rough on the body trying to fish like that.

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I would love to get up there and fish East. Looks like a great lake. I got a nice 8lb brown out of Wickiup early in the season two years ago that was pretty sluggish, it was still a blast though trolling your lure through a school of kokes and have your rod get slammed! Same with fishing the Deschutes for them, its a fun way to fish and they fight pretty good. I love fishing for browns more for the hunt than the actual fight I think.

 

[Caveman]

I love fishing for browns more for the hunt than the actual fight I think.

I hear ya Stalker. I know some guys swear by catchin browns, but I have never had any live up to my expectations as far as fighting goes. Not to say they ain't fun. I have had some GREAT days catching browns at Lomola but I have always felt that pound for pound they are a bit weak...