Took my Pops out on the boat to Horseshoe Lake, only my second time on the lake, and the first time we only fished for an hour or so. We went from the boat launch to the falls area, and then the the far section of the lake. My dad used worms with and without a bobber, and I threw jigs with a drop shop, tipped with bits of worms. I also tried a large spinnerbait with no success. We did however, catch a whole heapload of perch, bluegill, several bass, a big Tench (my first tench ever - threw it back because I didn't know what it was) We fished the rocky area in the farther lake area - and caught numerous sunfish - they looked like dull colored bluegill and seem 'softer' with very big mouths for sunfish - any ideas what they were? They were very aggressive, normally caught one on each cast.

Fun day, nothing huge, but my Pops really liked catching upwards of 75 fish in the same day. Everything was caught and released with the exception of 2 sunfish and 2 perch who didn't look like they would make a good return to the water.

Does anyone have any tips for catching trout in the lake? Also, should I not have released that Tench?

travislikesfishing

7/8/2008 4:49:00 PM

try just a chunk of rainbait its a neverfail thing for me and always kill any tench they eat up all the trout eggs

bigfish84

7/8/2008 7:55:00 PM

Rock Bass. Verry agressive fish, especially with the water warming up. The bigger ones will actually run off with it just like the agressive smallies or largies.

PaulReilly

7/9/2008 8:09:00 AM

bigfish84 - Your absolutely right, I looked at google images for rockbass - those are defintely what we were catching.

Travis - what is rainbait? I googled it and couldn't find anything. Next time I'll keep the Tench, can you eat them?

big fish lite line

7/9/2008 4:40:00 PM

what the hek is a tench

Paul & Sammi

7/10/2008 12:38:00 AM

I think its more likly they were Green Sunfish. They are listed in the WDFW fish survey reports for Horseshoe lake are well as Eloika, Sacheen and Diamond lakes. They probably are in Fan lake too. All these lakes are connected by the little spokane river, moon creek and fan creek. Search some images of this fish. Very similar to the rock bass in appearance and habbits.

Tench are a green/gold colored fish with orange eyes, smooth skin like a catfish and look similar to a carp. We have caught them in horseshoe, eloika and fan lakes. Biggest were 15-16 inches and maybe 2lbs. Good fighters. The meat is decent if you want to fillet out all the bones. LOTS of bones.

PaulReilly

7/10/2008 8:28:00 AM

I stand corrected - They were indeed Green Sunfish. My Pops used to catch Rock Bass in Michigan when he was a kid, and he said they didn't quite look the same. After lookign at the pictures of the Green Sunfish - I think we have a winner! (though they both look very similiar) I've never even heard of a Green Sunfish, so I get to add it to the list of fish caught.

I just read a funny recipe for Tench - carefully fillet the fish and nail to a oak board- smoke the fish while attached the the board, remove the fish, throw away, and eat the board.

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