Hey folks,

Met a buddy of mine after work last Wednesday and we decided to check out Cottage Lake, as we both fish it often and it's near our respective dwellings. It was a fun day just to have a good buddy and be out on the water. I hooked up with a decent 10 or 11 incher within 10 minutes of my arrival trolling a green and yellow patterned flatfish behind my friends canoe. Now, obviously, trolling in a canoe under our own power probably creates very ineffective troll but I was still surprised to have only one other bite for the next 3 or so hours and the evening bite should have come on more. We tried the flatfish, wedding rings w/ crawler, still fishing with bait...just about every staple for annihilating planters to no avail. I have lived around this area for a long time now and am well aware that this lake does get fished out and also the trout population is negatively affected by resident largemouth but still... The WDFW planted 10,000 hatchery fish in the middle of April. If you have seen this small little lake you would know that # is HUGE for Cottage. It got more than it has in years past and the most of any Lake around this area so I am having trouble believing that there isn't still a ton of fish to be had. However, the last 2 or 3 trips have been characterized by one or two fish right off the bat followed by no action at all...odd I suppose

---