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Wapato Lake Report
Chelan County, WA

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06/18/2010
Perch
Jig
All Day
06/18/2010
3
2318

Cindy and I had the day off, so put the boat in at Wapato Lake around 1030 or so. Slight breeze, partly cloudy and upper 60s. Used 16 oz jig heads with the Berkly Power nymphs to catch a mess of Yellow Perch. Other baits were used, but these with a white crappie nibble nugget seemed to work best. We worked the west shoreline and caught the most fish along the upper (northern) half of the shoreline. I would try to keep the boat in about 30 feet of water and cast the jig toward shore, then work the bait back to the boat. A slow retrieve with slight twitches of the rod tip seemed to be the ticket. Between the two of us, we probably caught and released upwards of 50 crappie. Only kept 3 which were 10, 10 1/2, and 12 inches. All the others were in the 7-9 inch range. While we were taking the fish pics, Cindy's rod caught the 12 incher so it didn't get in the pic. We kept 18 Yellow perch ranging from 8 inches to 12 inches. The females were all post spawn. It was another good day on the water, and we ended up with a half gallon of boneless fillets of nice white meat. MMM MMM Good.


Comments

returnofthefish
6/18/2010 10:25:00 PM
Did you have a bobber above your jig? I tried crappie fishing and failed today. I went with bobber and 2 feet leader to 1/16 jig. Casted it out and twitched it back to the boat. Didnt get any crappie bites.
blufin loui
6/19/2010 8:33:00 AM
Hello returnofthefish, We did use the jig under the bober when we were fishing in the shallows (6-8 feet water depth), and this was to hold the jig in place just above the weeds. It seemed the fish in the shallower water were more reluctant to bite a moving bait, so the bobber worked pretty good, but when we moved to the deeper water (to 20-30 feet) it seemed better without the bobber. I'm sure it was just the way we were working the jig. It seemed the crappie in Wapato on Friday were holding 10-20 feet (just a guess), and needed a slow movement with the twitch to get a hit. One thing we have notived on Wapato and Roses, is adding a nugget of white "Crappie nibble" from Berkley seems to make a big difference for us. Maybe its the scent or just the added white color on the jig, Not sure which but it has been the difference between a bite, and just casting. Thanks for the question and wishing you good luck on your future outings
MotoBoat
6/19/2010 8:45:00 AM
I do not see the White Crappie nibbles in western WA anymore. Where are you finding them nibbles Lewis?
knotabassturd
6/19/2010 9:37:00 AM
Nice mess of perch bluefin loui! I like to make beer batter fish 'n chips out of the fillets and then make up a simple tartar sauce with mostly dill pickle juice base and mayonaise.
blufin loui
6/19/2010 11:23:00 AM
Hey ya Motoboat, we've gotten them at the Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee, and aslo when in the Cabelas store. Year before last, Cindy was so impressed on the effectiveness of them she bought "Several;" jars. LOL. I remember at that time they were not stocked at all locations. Good luck
blufin loui
6/19/2010 11:25:00 AM
knotabassturd, that sounds delicious. Cindy uses a simple tempura batter using some kind of pancake mix, the into the deep frier. Yum Yum.
MotoBoat
6/19/2010 12:58:00 PM
Thanks Lewis. I have been in Hooked on toys, at least I think that was the name of the store. This one had hardware stuff, fishing stuff, hunting stuff, work wear stuff, automotive stuff, clothing for the family, a strange combination of stuff. Seams like there was a true value sign on the front of the building somewhere but also another sign name on the outside. At the time, I was looking for shotgun shells, did not pay any attention to the fishing stuff. By the way, how would you compare the eatability of Chelan Lakers to Chelan Kokanee?
blufin loui
6/19/2010 8:23:00 PM
Must have been another store, as H.O.T. doesn't carry automotive and has only been Hooked on toys from inception. From your description it Sounds like Grant Road Hardware that you were in. As for the comparison of the lakers and the kokanee from lake chelan, I like the Kokes way better. For some reason, I'm not a big fan of the lakers for eating, although the last ones I caught Cindy rubbed in olive oil and sprinkled with lemon pepper, then cooked them on the George Foreman. They tasted pretty good. I've grilled them and baked them also. But the one's with the lemonpepper was the best for my taste. I talk with folks who think the lakers are as good as any fish out there for taste, and who am I to dissagree. I'd still eat the lakers once in a while, but if I had a choice, it would be a nice mess of Kokanee any time.
MotoBoat
6/19/2010 11:23:00 PM
Thanks Lewis. That helps clear up what a laker might taste like. I stooped into the Wenatchee store I described on my way to Malaga. The prices were excellent, to bad I don't recall what my friend called the store. Anyway, keep deflating the Lake trout before picture taking. That way they don't look artificially plumped,
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709