Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service - We fish on Lake Chelan and other North Central Washington waters in year round comfort.
You catch them in COMFORT! Bring your family and/or friends out on our 24 foot Bayliner Ciera Express. For your comfort, it features: enclosed cabin; cabin heat; private/inside marine toilet; games and VCR for children; hot and cold running water available seasonally; stove; and a full line of safety gear. Families and couples are welcomed and encouraged to book our service. The boat accommodates a maximum of six.
Large parties are accommodated. We also offer lodging at our home through VacationinChelan.com for visitors to the Manson area.
Finally made it out, looking to put a hurt on some smallies this afternoon. Well, hopes were higher then results. Started off at a public beach park on the eastside of the lake (check hotspots when available) and was tossing a 5inch black/silver tube on a football head jig in around 10-15 feet of water. Real rocky bottom...8th cast, darn it a snag, let line back right away to prevent burying the hook in the rocks, UH-OH it's not a snag, it's a fish pulling back. Had that smallie on for about 10-15 seconds including a little surface action. I'd guess a decent 3.5 lber or so. Not a bad fish, killed to lose the first smallie of the year. Working more water and about 15 minutes later I hook into something else. No messing around this time, BIG hookset and this one stuck. This one felt bigger, but after 20 seconds, dead weight. A huge Squawfish. I'm talking huge. Definitely 22 inches, perhaps 24"...What a bummer...That thing inhaled that tube, and it's not the first time I've caught a decent squaw bumping plastics on the bottom at that spot....
Time to move. I was fishing off the shore and needed to relocate. As I was crossing 520 I noticed a 23-25 Whaler Conquest perhaps? Fishing for the cutts just north of 520....Was that anyone from the site?
Finally got to the second spot, started using a Jointed Shad rap, blue shad color and had another rod strung up with a 1/4oz football head jig with double tail 5" Yamamoto Grub. Can't remember the color it was called. Dark brown with purple sparkles...Anyways, started covering shoreline, alternating setups and retrieval speeds. Had 2 hits and nothing stuck. Finally something smacked my Rapala in about 6 feet of water, and it was a dink. Sent it back on the way and continued working. Nothing. Maybe one more hit. Slow fishing. Unusual for that spot, usually it can be real productive in the late evening. Not tonight...Cold and windy...Where's the warmer weather?
Will be looking to get out a lot over the next few weeks, would love company. PM me if anyone wants in on it. We'll be stuck on shore, but with gas at $4.50, we are going to be thankful we aren't fueling a boat....
On a side note, at my first location there was a mommy duck and about 6-7 little guys following her. They weren't mallards, some sort of different duck. Soon enough 2 eagles started swooping down on them and trying to pick off one of the little ones....Luckily for them they would dive down as soon as the eagles got close. This was within about 100 feet of me. What a cool sight! Unreal, I got a bit of video of it too. Not much, but you can get a general feel of what was happening...
I look forward to doing some bass fishing myself - currently, I'm focused on fishing the cutts & bows. I believe that may have been me you saw, trolling.
Regarding the ducks & eagles - I was also out there the day befeore your report (on the 12th) & saw a similar site. An eagle was dive bombing some ducklings, but at the same time, 2 crows were harrassing the eagles! I was pretty to close the sceen, & didn't see the eagle catch any. As he dove, and about to strike, the ducks would go under water. Plus, the wind was blowing hard, & the crows were really giving the eagle hell. Sufice to saw, I think mother & ducklings made it safety, under the bridge,...........this time.
Good report Sam. That eagle/ducklings must have been a cool sight. I'd rather see a bass eat a duck, but man I've never witnessed either. Too cool.
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Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service - We fish on Lake Chelan and other North Central Washington waters in year round comfort.
You catch them in COMFORT! Bring your family and/or friends out on our 24 foot Bayliner Ciera Express. For your comfort, it features: enclosed cabin; cabin heat; private/inside marine toilet; games and VCR for children; hot and cold running water available seasonally; stove; and a full line of safety gear. Families and couples are welcomed and encouraged to book our service. The boat accommodates a maximum of six.
Large parties are accommodated. We also offer lodging at our home through VacationinChelan.com for visitors to the Manson area.