Rollin with Rolland
11/17/2008 4:54:00 PMDamn Slab....another nice union haul. Looks like great late night action!!
mgrenley
11/18/2008 5:53:00 PMHey Slabking...I'm new to this website but you look like the expert I need to talk to...I just started renting a houseboat on Lake Union, East Shore along Fairview Ave, and was looking for some advice for fishing off my back deck...seems smallies and crappie are the word of the day for Lake Union?
Any advice on gear and technique is more than welcome...thanks
mgrenley
Any advice on gear and technique is more than welcome...thanks
mgrenley
BassFanatic
11/18/2008 6:34:00 PMSlabking you are the man when it comes to nailing those crappie. good job
Slabking
11/19/2008 8:28:00 AMmgrenley,
All of the housboats along that side of the lake hold bass (largemouth,smallmouth, and rock), crappies, perch, and even cutthroat. It all depends on how deep the water is under your houseboat. If the water is 15' or deeper it can and will hold crappies, perch, and rock bass year round and will hold lagemouths and smallmouths from March to mid Dec. The shollower docks will hold fish from Spring to late Fall. For all of the bass try a Gary Yamamoto 4 inch grub in a color called #176. Use a 1/8th jighead and cast in along the houseboats. You can swim it at whatever depths the fish are holding at or drag it along the bottom. For all of the other fish (trout too) fish at night (year round) with a 1/16th oz crappie jig. The best colors are glow, all white, all black, yellow/white, and red/yellow. Tip the jig with some bait (worms, maggots, mealworms, etc) and work it from the bottom of the lake all the way back to the surface until you find out how deep the fish are holding. But the key is to fish at night (best time for the perch is right before sundown and enter the early night). They'll bite during the day time in the early spring...but any other time of year you'll want to fish at night. It can be tricky to figure out what depth they are at and what time of day/year is best for certain areas but it's worth it when you put it all together. There are a ton of fish in that lake.
All of the housboats along that side of the lake hold bass (largemouth,smallmouth, and rock), crappies, perch, and even cutthroat. It all depends on how deep the water is under your houseboat. If the water is 15' or deeper it can and will hold crappies, perch, and rock bass year round and will hold lagemouths and smallmouths from March to mid Dec. The shollower docks will hold fish from Spring to late Fall. For all of the bass try a Gary Yamamoto 4 inch grub in a color called #176. Use a 1/8th jighead and cast in along the houseboats. You can swim it at whatever depths the fish are holding at or drag it along the bottom. For all of the other fish (trout too) fish at night (year round) with a 1/16th oz crappie jig. The best colors are glow, all white, all black, yellow/white, and red/yellow. Tip the jig with some bait (worms, maggots, mealworms, etc) and work it from the bottom of the lake all the way back to the surface until you find out how deep the fish are holding. But the key is to fish at night (best time for the perch is right before sundown and enter the early night). They'll bite during the day time in the early spring...but any other time of year you'll want to fish at night. It can be tricky to figure out what depth they are at and what time of day/year is best for certain areas but it's worth it when you put it all together. There are a ton of fish in that lake.
mgrenley
11/19/2008 5:31:00 PMThanks a ton Slabking...I can't wait to try out all your advice...I'll keep you updated on my success, hope my dock is one of the deeper ones so I won't have to put up the rod so soon after I've moved in!
Also, curious what you know/think about channel cats and sturgeon in Lake Union, I've heard others claim they are there. I'd believe the cats but have trouble with the Sturgeon claim, they are a migratory fish and I can't believe there is an active breeding stock in there...thoughts?
Also, curious what you know/think about channel cats and sturgeon in Lake Union, I've heard others claim they are there. I'd believe the cats but have trouble with the Sturgeon claim, they are a migratory fish and I can't believe there is an active breeding stock in there...thoughts?
crappiehunter
11/20/2008 9:16:00 PMHi slabking, very nice catch. I'm new to crappie fishing and look like you are the man that can help me getting started. Can you tell me which side of the lake that held crappie and how deep they at? and when do they starting to bite at night? my nephew and I really appreciate of your help.
We love to fish.........
We love to fish.........
Slabking
11/21/2008 9:44:00 AMThere are sturgeon in the lake for sure. There used to be an older native guy that fished for them out there. After seeing him at the boat launches several times with huge rods on board his boat I asked him if he was fishing for Kings. Well, he told me he was fishing for sturgeon! He would not tell me anything about the wheres or hows but I believed him after seeing reports of dead fish washing up on shore over the years. i have not seen him in about 4 or 5 years. For all I know he could have been one of the few guys who knew how to catch them. I think they come up through the locks myself because there is no doubt that there are some in Elliot Bay and they used to spawn in the lakes creeks/rivers before the locks were built. I have caught Walleye several times as well and know of a few places they hang out but I don't think there is a very good population of them in there. As far as the cats go.....I have no idea. I've heard of people catching them but I have yet to see a picture of one or see one. I've only caught bullhead cats from both lakes myself. There doesn't seem to be many of them in Lake Union. The best places for them are in Husky Bay and Portage Bay.
Crappiehunter,
From shore you can try the eastside and the far south end of the lake. Any place where there are pilings or a rocky bottom in at least 10'-15' of water will hold crappies on this lake. From a boat, try the north end docks, out in front of Gas Works, the mouth of Mountlake Cut, Portage Bay, and the SW corner of Union. There are some nice humps the lake as well (you'll have to find them lol). The perch and crappies really stack up on some of those humps at night. The bite gets going about an hour after sunset and will go good until around 2am most nights. You can catch them year round for sure. The depth varies. Sometimes you'll see baitfish working the surface at night. That's when the crappies might only be 3 feet down from the surface (even in late Dec), sometimes they can be right smack on the bottom of the lake and feeding on larvae. Most of the fish in the report were 7'-9' down from the surface in water that was 12' to maybe 23' deep. We did catch a few that werer only 7 feet from the shore and in water that was only 5' deep. They are spead out, eating whatever they can find right now. The cold water and weather does not bother them one bit.
Crappiehunter,
From shore you can try the eastside and the far south end of the lake. Any place where there are pilings or a rocky bottom in at least 10'-15' of water will hold crappies on this lake. From a boat, try the north end docks, out in front of Gas Works, the mouth of Mountlake Cut, Portage Bay, and the SW corner of Union. There are some nice humps the lake as well (you'll have to find them lol). The perch and crappies really stack up on some of those humps at night. The bite gets going about an hour after sunset and will go good until around 2am most nights. You can catch them year round for sure. The depth varies. Sometimes you'll see baitfish working the surface at night. That's when the crappies might only be 3 feet down from the surface (even in late Dec), sometimes they can be right smack on the bottom of the lake and feeding on larvae. Most of the fish in the report were 7'-9' down from the surface in water that was 12' to maybe 23' deep. We did catch a few that werer only 7 feet from the shore and in water that was only 5' deep. They are spead out, eating whatever they can find right now. The cold water and weather does not bother them one bit.
clearvision
11/21/2008 4:55:00 PMSlabking,
Can you take a couple of pictures of your rigs/setup? Where would be a good place to buy all the jigs and lures that you carry? I don't know Lake Union that well. I only know the area in front of Jillian, the pool hall/bar. Can you tell me a couple of spots to go to relative to Jillian?
Can you take a couple of pictures of your rigs/setup? Where would be a good place to buy all the jigs and lures that you carry? I don't know Lake Union that well. I only know the area in front of Jillian, the pool hall/bar. Can you tell me a couple of spots to go to relative to Jillian?
crappiehunter
11/22/2008 4:21:00 PMSlabking.....thank you very much. Hope I'll catch some crappie soon and will report to you.