Hagg trout trolling Monday 10/28

[bernduffy]

Launched out of Ramp C at 8am. Air temp 38 water 58. Overcast and calm becoming off and on windy and sunny. No more than a half a dozen other boats all day. Maybe a dozen bank anglers.
As often happens, nothing that worked over the last month seemed to be effective this day. So it was hours of changing it up. When a rig would manage to get something in the net, that wouldn't work again. I caught 8 throughout the day (lost 4) on 8 different set-ups. I think that the fish are still there but conditions and locations have changed this last week.
There was no evening bite. I figure the insect activity has literally died down.

I continue to work out the use of the downrigger. The big upside is that it really keeps the two rod management tangle-free. The downside is the complexity of changing rigs. It's tempting to be lazy and just leave the downrigger as-is for too long.
But the real reason to use it is to target exact depths. That does seem to be working as I caught half the fish on it.

Fish of the Day wasn't on the hook but was sighted about 50 feet away: Huge 2 foot rainbow leaping 2 feet straight up out of the water. The splashdown was tsunami-like.

 

[rogerdodger]

excellent, I love when changing things up, whether it is bait or hardware, is what keeps the fish coming...and a big rainbow breaching on top of that...just imagine a 3 foot Chinook, on the hook, going like 4 feet straight up just off the boat, oh wait, that is my avatar.. cheers,

 

[bass]

Congrats on sticking to it bernduffy. While they can feel brutal while you are in the heat of battle I seem to remember the tough days the fondest in the long run. Those are the days when it feels more like skill and less like luck!

 

[Gettin' Jiggy Wid It]

Great report, Bern! I was wondering how long before the trout bite started changing up. Looks like it could be tough for a few days.

 

[champmclean570]

Do you guys think a little pontoon is fine to fish hagg lake?

 

[bernduffy]

Do you guys think a little pontoon is fine to fish hagg lake?

Sure, depending on what you mean by little. It's the wind and pleasure craft wakes that could be a challenge. Hang out in the no-wake zone off of ramp C. I've seen float tubes out there on calm days. If you want a good test area, launch out of ramp C, take a right (south) into the Sain Creek arm. It's in the no-wake zone and if the wind kicks up you can row to the windward side to lessen the effects. Some darned good fishing in there, too...especially across the wide mouth due to a highly structured bottom. Lots of drop offs, holes and channels which everything from perch to big trout seem to like.
Good luck. Lake closes Sun Nov 24.

 

[champmclean570]

I have a nine foot fishcat. Thanks for the info. Guess is should go buy an anchor and or drift sock. I like trolling but i have no way to tell what depth i'm at. I'll probably just drift and try different depths. i'd love to hook up with a smally but it's probably a little cold.