Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 04:18:17 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Recent Topics

[March 27, 2024, 12:49:04 PM]

[March 27, 2024, 07:37:59 AM]

[March 26, 2024, 09:10:45 PM]

[March 25, 2024, 05:15:36 PM]

by Spot
[March 25, 2024, 02:39:54 PM]

by PNW
[March 24, 2024, 07:14:07 PM]

[March 23, 2024, 10:59:04 PM]

[March 21, 2024, 06:23:10 AM]

[March 17, 2024, 06:42:23 PM]

[March 17, 2024, 08:44:53 AM]

[March 15, 2024, 06:45:09 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 05:55:18 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 11:20:08 AM]

[February 29, 2024, 07:05:43 AM]

[February 26, 2024, 01:31:23 PM]

Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye
 

Topic: When the leaves change color, so do the fish  (Read 1739 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

uplandsandpiper

  • Guest
For much of the summer the Okanogan lay brown, burnt to a crisp by 100 plus days without rain and weeks upon weeks of 90 degree plus weather. Fall came quickly and painted the hillsides in the fiery red of sumac, bright gold aspen, and amber alder. Another color change is taking place on the Brook Trout that lurk in McGinnis Lake. Shedding their pale summer colors their mouths darken into a toothy inky abyss, their belly's burn orange, and red speckles burn with a blue halo like some distant star going supernova.

I'd been waiting all summer with great anticipation at the opportunity to target these fish. Quality Brook Trout fisheries are hard to come by in Washington state. Victims of the state's native fish only focus limits of Brookies have been lifted and stocking of these fish has fallen by the wayside even in lakes where they pose minimal ecological risk. Yet nestled in foothills of Okanogan highlands you'll find a little lake not far off the beaten path, McGinnis Lake. Here the Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife maintains one of the state's best Brook Trout fisheries that routinely produces fish in the 2-4 lb range, trophy Brook Trout by Pacific Northwest standards.

The forecast called for sunshine but we greeted by dark moisture laden clouds clawing their way through the Columbia River valley and scraping their way over the hills shedding intermittent showers of light rain and sleet on us. Air temps predicted to hit 50 F never climbed much above 40 F while water temps still hovered just below 60 F.

Locating trout was not difficult as fish could be seen periodically breaking the surface in pursuit of subsurface aquatic insect. Focusing on areas of submerged weed beds in 8-15' of water we quickly began connecting with fish. Small copper or rainbow trout patterned spinners and spoons presented slowly were key. Several times fish were taken on the fall of the initial cast or during long pauses on the retrieve.

In the end we each caught 12-15 fish with several fish pushing 2 lbs. Undoubtedly I will return in hopes of connecting with some larger fish that I have only seen haunting other anglers cell phones. If you have not connected with a Brookie in the state this is an ideal location conveniently located near many of the states other premier trout, kokanee, and walleye fisheries.



AKFishOn

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Kodiak, Alaska
  • Date Registered: Dec 2015
  • Posts: 271
Excellent write-up and video.  Miss catching brookies.  Biggest I've ever landed was on a tiny "potable" water supply pond on the Air Force Academy nearly 20 years ago on a #16 royal coach-wulf (I like tying calf tail wings better than feather wings.)  Here in Alaska we get chances at huge dolly varden and arctic char, which when in their spawning colors are magnificent as well.
"If your hands ain't bleeding, you ain't fishing hard enough!"


 

anything