Previous Next

Well didn’t know it at the when we got up but we were due for an interesting day on the water and at the fish cleaning table. First we had planned to fish Lake Whatcom but due to a late night we didn’t exactly get up early and Whatcom is a bit further up the road we decided to fish Lake Samish. Boat in the water and gear down around 8:00 Sunday morning we started the hunt. Through some brief networking it became apparent that we had missed the early am bite but still confident that we could scratch out a fish or two.

We started out running the same gear I ran on Saturday, a Wonder Bread Skagit Tackle dodger and a similar size dodger in silver prism/purple followed by a green mini squid 8” behind one of the dodgers and a custom tied silver/purples spinner 14” behind the other dodger. The pointy end of things was tipped with maggots and anise scented corn. Although we were able to get one fish in fairly short order it was apparent that we had to make some changes. First we tried varying our speed, then the distance above or below the meter marks, the gear we were pulling and finally our location. We never did settle in on a specific gear combination but the location shift seemed to do the trick we started getting regular hits. With two more kokanee in the boat we caught a very nice 16” cutthroat, some perch and the surprise fish of the day (more on that later). We had to make a comfort stop so we headed for the luxury of a flush toilet at the park. When done and back in fishing mode we trolled Rapalas around the small lake before heading back under the bridge to the big lake to look for kokanee again.

Back on the big lake, while running alongside and talking with Mike and his wife (as in WL Mike) one of Mike’s rods goes off and they boat a very nice kokanee. Mike’s Seaswirl is a nice looking boat and appears to be a comfortable kokanee catching machine. After talking with Mike we ran a little further and set the gear out across the lake from the WDFW ramp. Although we had some nice meter marks we couldn’t get anything to come out and play so we called it a day and headed back to the ramp.

Oh that’s right the mystery fish, We were pulling a Skagit tackle dodger followed by one of my custom tied spinners at 38’ in 70’ of water when something hits the rig. As I go to pop it form the clip it releases and something is headed for parts unknown. It was heavy but not fighting like a kokanee. Awhile later we slide the net under a sizable bullhead. After posing for a few pictures I was going to release it but one of the kids is fascinated with “catfish” so in the ice chest it went. After we arrived at home and had the boat safely tucked into the garage I loaded all the fish on the cleaning board for a few pictures when I realize that the bullhead is still alive (after sitting on ice for 5 or 6 hours). So instead of turning it into catfish nuggets we put it in the dog trough to see if it would fully recover. It did and now it has a name, Whiskers. Although my vote was for Hunter, as in Catfish Hunter but I was out voted. Now I have to set up some sort of suitable home for Whiskers our pet bullhead.

The day on the lake was a blast, as was nice visiting with Mike and his wife. The day got even better because for dinner I made kokanee fish tacos for the Grandma and the gang, a great ending to an already spectacular day.

timber bliss

6/4/2012 8:22:00 AM

rseas, as usual nice report, reminds me of many MANY YEARS AGO on the oregon coast where i lived i brought home very similar size catfish, named it katy, anyway i put her [ not sure about the gender] in the bath tub half full of water, kinda forgot about it until the wife came home, im not going to elaborate on the conversation[one sided i might add] from my wife, it turned out to be my first catch and release involving 5 gal bucket of water and trip back to the lake, where katy was released no worse for wear. as you prob. know i live in lk stevens fish it alot this year has been aa little tougher for limits, am going to try samish armed with your weapons. nice cut also

'OL GREY DOG

6/4/2012 9:17:00 AM

here i go aaagain be'n MR negativity but ... lololol i dont think you can do that even with a dumb old bullhead ... bet you check it out ... will be watch'n for what you come up with ... you guys sure are working hard for your fish .. here's hope'n some nicer weather (if it ever shows up) will turn things on .. i've come up with a few prototype hook assemblies and baits cant wait till i feel good enough to hit my lil lake and try 'em out ... i'm curious about the size too but havent seen or heard a report ... in years past they seem to run larger than the 1s reported in the more popular Kok lakes and you guys have been catch'n some nice 1s ... glad to see ya'll are get'n so much use out of the new boat ... GL .. DOG

Toni

6/4/2012 9:53:00 AM

Wonderful report as usual. Skagit tackle has some nice looking stuff.

rseas

6/4/2012 10:10:00 AM

OGD, you are correct and I had considered mentioning the dilemma in my report but decided not to. Page 12 of the regulations indicates that “You May Not: Transport live fish with out a permit”. In our defense when the fish was transported it had been on ice for almost 6 hours and in our eyes was going to be the guest of honor in a meal of hush puppies and fish nuggets. Now that it is alive and not frozen I do realize that we can’t transport it. Whiskers will have to live out its life as one of our pets.

cogitator

6/4/2012 10:27:00 AM

Great report as usual.
My vote would have been for Hunter, but of course there is only one vote that counts -- THE WIFE'S
I'll probably see you out there again, but with no boat I have to rely on the generosity of others.
If anyone needs some weight to balance their boat out I'm make great ballast.

'OL GREY DOG

6/4/2012 10:30:00 AM

wellll here goes again MR negative ... lololol i dont think you can have it in your possession either :-O

rseas

6/4/2012 12:05:00 PM

I guess that we'll just have to eat Whiskers then. I'm not going to be very popular around here...

'OL GREY DOG

6/4/2012 12:17:00 PM

lolololol ... if i was you i'd make a post say'n that you did and then not ... and nevvver mention it again ... save the peace at home ... lololol .. sry .... DOG


P.S. i raised blue cats in rubbermaid water troughs years ago .. and my vote for a name is ... DOG

The Quadfather

6/4/2012 5:07:00 PM

Ya, it's funny how some fish are so much hardier than others. Just think about how if you look cross-eyed at a planter rainbow. Those fish die if the wind direction changes. Then you take a salt water bullhead, ( I forget the true name) The things that we did as kids, to those fish, Oh man..... and they never seemed to die.

natetreat

6/4/2012 6:03:00 PM

When I was a kid I had one of those in a tank. We put a filter on a 30 gallon tank and had it on the back porch. Also had a few pumpkin seeds and a perch named Pedro. Fed them nightcrawlers and crickets. It was a lot of fun.

Idstud

6/4/2012 7:43:00 PM

Now thats a surprise for sure. Goes against everything you learn about cats. I still have a perch in my fridge my oldest (4) caught all by her self. She dosnt know it but It goes in the freezer at night while she sleeps. Sounds like a great day thanks for sharing.

MotoBoat

6/6/2012 10:04:00 AM

Something tells me, OGD is more than likely on to something. Changing up the story to include. We have a newly acquired family member named Whiskers, the "Cat". The story could go: Strangest thing, " Dumb "Cat" loves water, go figure!".

Who knows, in time, with a growth spurt. A family could be practicing the art of "noodling" in there very own yard......LOL!

Leave a Comment:

Login

Flag

×

Why is this comment inappropriate?

Close Submit

Delete this comment? Provide reason.

No Yes

Edit

×

Cancel Save