Lost Lake hints

[troutmasta]

Thanks for sharing guys. I have added Lost Lake on my list of places to someday visit with my kayak. Looks like a really nice place. Does it fish well through the summer?

All Summer Long!

 

[GDBrown]

Still a good day

Still a good day

I went on Tuesday (Monday was too hot) about 3PM again and didn't do as well. I only caught and released 20 fish in three hours this time. It was overcast and there were Bald Eagles circling the lake or sitting in the trees above the lake for the entire time I was there. I took the "Little Blue Drifter" for the last time and missed a lot more strikes because I had my hands on the sticks to control the wind drift. I did have one steelhead follow one of my hookups all the way to the boat but it appeared he was only currious about all the splashing the little trout was doing.:shock:

Not much company on the lake and only a few bank anglers who were all using power bait and taking home fish. I must say that when conditions are right (like now) there is no better way to fish than with a fly rod and a float tube. All the fly anglers were getting tired from all the fish. One angler in a float tube said he had landed about 100 fish for the day and he had been there most of the day.

I won't have another chance to go until after my trip to Utah so all you fly anglers go and have fun. It will likely be crowded this weekend with nicer weather coming and the ramp area is not big so getting on and OFF the lake does mean waiting in line at times.

CD

 

[GDBrown]

....... Anyone out there know if Lost Lake holds any bass?.......

There are no bass in this lake and no reason to put any in as there are closer and better waters for bass both at the coast and in the valley. Please don't get the idea that putting bass in the lake would make it better or worse. It's not big enough to be a good fishery for both trout and bass. However Vernonia Pond does have bass as do most of the north coast lakes, all of which are much larger than Lost Lake.

GD

 

[Sinkline]

.

 

[Hendo30]

..Please don't get the idea that putting bass in the lake would make it better or worse. It's not big enough to be a good fishery for both trout and bass.....GD

To Clarify, I am a C&R for all Bass I catch so the water they come out of they go right back in. So if LL holds no Bass population then none will be going in by any doing of mine. Not sure if my question about the Bass projected a tone of wanting to create a new Bass fishery. I merely was asking a questions to the fellow anglers as I have never been to Lost Lake....Originally I read the above was bent out of shape because I would never do anything of the sort..Once I read again I see that it was just a statement being put out there and not projected directly towards myself (or at least that’s how I am choosing to read it). My post was just a simple question and curiosity of your fellow angler.

 

[GungasUncle]

Not to mention that lost is way too cold, even in the summer, to support much of a bass fishery. It's fine just the way it is as a beautiful little trout lake.

 

[GungasUncle]

Hey Hendo - if you're up for a bit of drive to find some bassing a bit different than Hagg offers, Coffenberry lake over near Warrenton is good this time of year. As summer sets in the weeds and algae go into full bloom and it's hard to cast without getting salad - but early in the season, the water is more open and the fishing is good.

Lost is a really cool trout lake though - and worth the trip. Take an ultra light or light action rod and you're in for a super fun day. Average fish are 10-12 inches - but ODFW plants enough trophies and rerun steelhead in there to keep things interesting. Last summer when Tyler and I were up there, we watched one of those steelies jump out of the water. Sounded like someone threw a bowling ball in the lake when he crashed through the surface.

Has anyone noticed parasites on/in the fish this year? They were all over the fish there last year - little white wiggly wormy things that were covering the fishes sides and in their mouths - some fish were almost choking on the parasites.

 

[rmadachik]

curious whaqt type of fly fishing tips y'all have for that lake. My brother and i are headed out there in around 10 days and would like to try our hand at fly fishing there but it will be our first time. I've done tons of reading and practicing but have no clue what type of flies to try there or where to try ... any help would be appreciated

 

[GungasUncle]

curious whaqt type of fly fishing tips y'all have for that lake. My brother and i are headed out there in around 10 days and would like to try our hand at fly fishing there but it will be our first time. I've done tons of reading and practicing but have no clue what type of flies to try there or where to try ... any help would be appreciated

If you don't see fish actively eating bugs on the surface (look at the surface to see if adult bugs are abundant, that's your first clue) - try starting out with something tastey looking like a woolly bugger in say, size 10. Black, olive, or brown would be the first colors I try. If you're using a floating line - use the longest leader you're comfortable casting. If you're cool with it - buy yourself an intermediate sinking line, shorten the leader up, and have at it. Keep a spare spool with a floater handy though - in case you see fish eating emergers or adults on or near the surface.

Other productive patterns to try would be the Prince Nymph (standard or bead head), Zug Bug (a precursor to the prince, but still deadly), Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear nymph, Pheasnt Tail, or if they're keying smaller bugs, something like an RS2 or Zebra Midge would work. The trout up at lost have never been that picky, in my experience though. If you can't catch 'em on a woolly bugger or one of the nymphs I mentioned above, they just might not be eating.

If you see lots of rings, or lots of adult insects in the air and on the water - switch up to a dry fly about the same size or just a hair bigger than what the bugs you see are. Pattern is less important than presentation most of the time. I go with standard attractor patterns most of the time - yellow humpies, royal humpies, royal wulffs, adams, irresistables, elk hair caddis, or stimulators. If you're comfortable casting a two fly set up try a dry & dropper - use a big, high floating dry fly at the end of your tippet, then tie an 18 inch length of tippet a size smaller either off the bend of the dry hook, or better yet, to the eye of the hook and fish a nymph or wet fly below that. Use a slow retrieve (just the occasional twitch) or just let the wind blow you around. If you spot a cruising fish, determine his course, cast ahead of him and let the flies sit there and let him come to them, if the fish are rising spottily, try casting right into the rings where a fish just rose.

If fishing from a boat or float tube - slowly troll your nymphs/wets/buggers and you'll get good results and cover more water.

I like fishing near timber up there - the trout will sometimes act just like bass, they like hiding in the shadows and darting out to eat what happens by.

Good luck.

 

[wozniasm]

I

I won't have another chance to go until after my trip to Utah so all you fly anglers go and have fun. It will likely be crowded this weekend with nicer weather coming and the ramp area is not big so getting on and OFF the lake does mean waiting in line at times.

CD

Thanks for the report GDB! Hope you have a pleasant trip to Utah!
See you when you get back!

 

[GDBrown]

To Clarify.......

To Clarify.......

To Clarify, ....... I merely was asking a questions to the fellow anglers as I have never been to Lost Lake.........

Hendo30, I understood what you were saying and noted that you did C&R. But there are too many peeps who read the forum with other intentions.:shock: As others have mentioned there is good bass fishing at Hagg, Vernonia, Trojan Ponds and many other places. At Lost Lake ODFW stocks trout during the spring and fall while occationally putting a few surplus steelhead in the lake. However, the steelhead are very reluctant to bite and those that do are a real treat for the lucky angler. I'd say most are lost due to shock on the part of the angler who is not expecting a big fish and breaks it OFF before realizing what was on the other end of the line.

Randy, I don't know of any holdover trout in the lake as most of the stockers are fished out by late fall. They do put some trophy (16"+) fish in the lake as shown in the stocking schedule and they have been known to dump in a few unannounced.

GD

 

[GDBrown]

curious whaqt type of fly fishing tips y'all have for that lake. My brother and i are headed out there in around 10 days and would like to try our hand at fly fishing there but it will be our first time. I've done tons of reading and practicing but have no clue what type of flies to try there or where to try ... any help would be appreciated

If you don't have some way of getting out onto the water then fly fishing will be a real challenge. There are very few places where you can get near the water and have any room for a back cast. So if you are practicing your casting work on a good roll cast and a slingshot cast. Right now the fish are taking just about any fly that hits the water. I personally like trolling as slow as possible (think light wind drift) with a nymph, leach, wooley bugger, small streamer, etc. They will hit it hard enough that you won't have any questions about whether you got a bite or not. If the strikes are light and don't take it is likely because the fish is too small. I prefer to use barbless hooks as I release all my fish up there. I have been twice in the last week and C&R over 50 fish and at least that many strikes that I did get hookups on. The water is very cold so don't try getting anyplace where you might fall in as rescue would be difficult. Please have fun but play it safe.

GD

 

[rmadachik]

i was thinking of bringing my aluminum rowboat up there but I heard reports that the launch area was blocked by logs . . . is that still the case?

 

[wozniasm]

i was thinking of bringing my aluminum rowboat up there but I heard reports that the launch area was blocked by logs . . . is that still the case?

The logs I saw are floating so even if they have swung over due to wind, they can be easily moved.

 

[GDBrown]

i was thinking of bringing my aluminum rowboat up there but I heard reports that the launch area was blocked by logs . . . is that still the case?

Small boats work well but electric motors only for power and the ramp is a very shallow slope right now due to the level of the lake. Have fun and take some photos.

GD

 

[rmadachik]

Small boats work well but electric motors only for power and the ramp is a very shallow slope right now due to the level of the lake. Have fun and take some photos.

GD

i'm od school . . . . only oars for me