by The Troutist, May 27, 2013
Opening day is usually not one of those days that you will find me anywhere’s close to a lake but this was one of those times that I made an exception. The opener just happened to fall on a day that my brother made the trek up here from Oregon. After a lengthy discussion we decided that a later start would probably be our best bet on opening day and we would once again give Black Lake a try. As we rolled into the parking area we discovered that there were only five boat trailers which immediately put a smile on both of our faces and we went into the high five drill. We quickly got the boat ready for launch with all of our gear stored away and headed to the launch.
As we looked out at the lake we could see that it was looking a little angry, yes once again the wind might just become a problem. Now it didn’t look quite as bad as it was the time before but it definitely looked like it might be a bit challenging. We were finally on the water and headed for our favorite troll when out of know were once again the gale force winds started whipping up. In no time the wind had blown us clear down to the other end and as I made the turn to head back I had to give it more throttle just to make the turn. After a few minutes of battling the wind and having zero control of my trolling speed little or my trolling pattern. There were times that the wind blew so hard it stopped our forward progress after a short time of this and noticing the white caps were getting a little larger and more frequent we called it a day. Yes it seemed Brett was going to spend another Saturday sitting in my living room watching TV.
Sunday morning arrived and Brett and I had worked out another destination and we were determined to make it work. Clear Lake near Yelm was going to be our target for several reasons. One is that it has a five MPH speed limit; two is that it is completely lined with trees which will help give us a little cover if the wind should pick up. Three is that we have always done well here and four this is one of his favorite lakes. That seemed to be some pretty good points and with any luck we were hoping we would be able to enjoy some catching time.
Brett started out with an olive bugger and a gold blade. I started out with an olive/black bugger and a black bladed. We had our first hook-up in a matter of minutes and after working the lake for a few hours we zeroed in on the best color combination which was the olive/black bugger with the black smile blade. Over the course of the day we encountered a few showers, one down pour, an occasional wind gust, and yes the sun even showed itself. This was a great change compared with what we dealt with the day before. One thing that really surprised me was there weren’t that many boats on the water maybe a dozen at its peak. In a six hour period we had hooked and released 44 trout ranging in size from 10-13 inches all fresh planters. Although we didn’t find the trophy we were looking for it was still a very enjoyable day. Law enforcement was on the water checking licenses and taking care of business, nice to see them out there.
Five days later on a very sunny and warm day the opportunity presented itself to introduce Kelly to a new lake and let him get his photos and once again experience some blue collar fly fishing. He has told me he is sold on this style of fishing and is even introducing it to his friends. Our destination was Pattison Lake one of my favorites and yes it also has a 5MPH speed limit and on a nice day that is always a plus. After taking a short cut that only added 20 minutes to the trip we were finally on the water.
Kelly started out with a black bugger and a purple smile blade and I went with an olive/black bugger and a black blade. It didn’t take long to figure out that the purple and black combination was the ticket. We worked the whole lake and hooked up with trout after trout most of them ranging right around 12-inches. It didn’t seem to matter what portion of the lake we were on we were getting steady action and even managed a couple of doubles. In 3 ½ hours we had hooked and released 25 trout losing one trophy and releasing another, both of them had a very beautiful and distinctive red band running down their sides. It was a great day, another terrific business meeting, and I got to share one of my favorite lakes. Life doesn’t get any better than that.
The following Saturday my brother Brett made the trek back up here for some more trout action and hopefully it would be a memorable adventure. It was going to be yet another warm sunny day so for us it only seemed logical to pick a 5MPH speed limit lake. After a short discussion Offutt Lake was our choice. We were launched and on the water by 9:30 am and to our surprise the parking lot was full so we ended up parking on the side of the road. We talked to a few folks out trolling but it didn’t seem like anyone was really setting the lake on fire. Ten minutes into our troll we picked up our first scrappy 12-inch bow. Brett started out with a black bugger and a black blade and I started out with an olive/black bugger with a black blade. We were picking up a few here and there but not enough to really satisfy us. After switching our selection up a bit we settled on the olive bugger and black blade combo this seemed to do the trick.
We kept a close eye on what the other anglers were doing and it seemed everyone was working hard to get a trout or two and several anglers were drawing a blank. I kept a close watch on the surface water temperature and was alarmed to see it rise from 68 degrees to 71 over the course of the day. That is pretty warm for only the middle of the day. We kept working the lake and found a nice pocket of water that was running a steady 68 degrees throughout the whole day. Needless to say after that we were cleaning up hooking and releasing trout on a regular basis. We called it a day at 3:30 pm with a total tally of 30 hooked and released and one 15-incher kept. The one that was kept was for Brett’s secretary so she could enjoy a fresh trout dinner. This lake is still full of feisty 11-12 inch trout and if you stick with and are not afraid to try different colors, trolling speeds, and patterns there are bigger ones to be had.
Sunday mornings weather was a little more to our liking, one it was cooler, overcast & partly sunny, perfect. Phillips Lake in Shelton was on our radar and we were looking forward to it. As we rolled into the parking area we couldn’t help but high-five each other, yes we were the only rig there. It was 9:30 am and we just couldn’t believe that no one else was here working this crystal clear lake. The water temperature stayed at 65-degrees throughout stay which lasted until 2 pm, what made this even better was we only encountered one other boat on the water the whole day and the first half of the day we were the only ones out there.
The black bugger with a purple blade was the top of choice of the day producing trout after trout. For our standards they all seemed to be on the smallish size ranging between 10-11 inches. It didn’t seem to matter what part of the lake we worked we were getting steady action and on several occasions even doubles. I have a little history with this lake, this was the first lake I ever worked in Mason County and every year I hit it at least once. I have got to tell you every year it always surrenders at least one in the 18-inch range. Now I don’t know about you but that’s enough to get my attention and keep me coming back.
This day was to be no different than any other adventure I have had here, yes I found that trophy bragging size 22-inch bow and what a great tussle it gave me. After several runs I brought this beautiful trout to the net with its bright red band running down its side, it was a great feeling. Shortly after that Brett brought a nice fat 15-incher to the net, another gift for his secretary. Like he said now she can have a guest for dinner. By the end of the day we had hooked and released 41 and kept two. Our total for the weekend from the two lakes was 71 hooked and released and three kept, not bad for a few hours on the water. If you would like to see pictures of the lakes we visit go to my Uncle Wes face book page.
So until next time may your next trout be your trophy mount.
The Troutist-“Uncle Wes” Malmberg.
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