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.
This lake is about a 75 minute hike from the parking area. Follow the road to the old farmstead, then turn left and follow the trail past the old brown chicken coop. The trail is well-worn from there, becoming steep when it curves up to the right and over the ridge that bisects the canyon. Find it on Google Earth and you'll have a clear idea of where you're going.
I've fished the lake twice. On my first trip, I found the lake challenging because there are only a few places where you can get to the edge of the lake and these are hedged in on the sides by tall brush. The bottom was strewn with weeds and brush, limiting my choices to spinners. I c&r'd a couple of beautiful 15 inchers but my tackle limited me to fishing just a tiny portion of this small lake.
Subsequently, on the internet I came across something called bobber-with-a-brain. They seemed like they'd be perfect for fishing this lake so I ordered some. On my second trip, a year later, I brought my eight foot spinning rod which made it much easier to lift my tackle up and over the brush when casting. The bobber worked as described, allowing me to cast to the middle of the lake and get my gear down near the bottom. I used pieces of night crawler on a small size 6 hook tied onto the main line with a Palomar knot, drop-shot style, and kept the slack out of my line. This prevented the fish from swallowing the hook and the fish I c&r'd were only lip-hooked.
The fish here are darker than I've encountered at the other lakes in Grant County, with large pink-red splashes on their gill-covers and down their radial line. They are extraordinary fighters and will exhaust themselves, so I kept a pair of needle nose pliers in my pocket. When I pulled a fish out of the water, I'd grab the shank of the hook with the pliers and give it a twist, dropping the fish back into the water without handling it. The fish would often linger a few seconds in the shallow water as they recovered, then make their way off.
If you come here, I implore you not to keep more than one or two. And bring a litter bag, in case some miscreant has not left the place as he found it.
A word about rattlesnakes: on your way in, between the bridge and the old farmstead, the road skirts a large overgrown meadow. The tall grass hasn't been disturbed by a mower or plow in years and provides ideal food and cover for small rodents. On your left, rock slides tumble down to the edge of the road or very close to it. The two, in close proximity to each other, provide as close to perfect snake habitat as you're ever likely to find.
I recommend that you stay to the center of the road and keep your eyes open. If you spot one, don't panic. Just give it some room and move slowly. They're not interested in attacking you and will do so only if they feel threatened.
Beware extreme fire danger, good fishing if you pack in a float tube. Hillbillies leave way to much litter....and by the way there are tons of rattlesnakes in the area, this lake boarders State Park land so they thrive
Good job with the report. You're not kidding about the snakes! My last time in there I had 4 on the road I had to wade through. I saw one that was as big around as a Coke can and 5 ft. long. Spring time, so that section of road was too wet. I had to move over to the side trail through the tall grass. Talk about a freaky 300 ft. walk. My dog was bit by a rattler last year at nearby Banks Lk, and almost died. I have a serious respect for snakes now and how much damage they can inflict. All of that area is State Park to just East of the lake. If you were wondering about the can dump on the left near the beginning of the hike it's the dumping grounds from when Grand Coulee was built. Kinda cool to poke around in there, but that has to snakeville too, so be careful.
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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.
