rappuhd
2/18/2013 7:33:00 PMThat is strange that it is so shallow...have never fished it but always thought it would be deeper. Thanks for the report.
gfakkema
2/18/2013 10:30:00 PMYeah, the lake is pretty shallow all around. The shallows provide a lot of sunlight, and the whole lake has weeds that line the bottom, hence the dirty green color and relatively warm temp of the water. The deepest, and best place for trout that I have seen is the south/south east side of the island. You can see a 15-20 foot cliff on the island that drops almost straight into the water. My biggest trout have come from this area. I think they like the ledge under the water, plus the increased depth, almost 20-25 feet in spots. I would almost try bait casting right off the island when it's colder like this. I have also heard reports of a few monsters coming from the far south west side of the lake, by the lillies, think almost as close to pass lake as you can get. If you want to change things up, there are a ton of large mouths that live under the tree's that line the highway, but not sure how active they are right now. Good luck out there. Campbell doesn't have good numbers, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. Hope this helps, tight lines!
The Quadfather
2/18/2013 10:37:00 PMYes, gfakkema, you are spot on with that call. I was going to add that when you say the bottom is lined with weeds.... I had to hand it to my sonar, when I looked at the bottom readings, it was not what I would call a smooth mud or gravel bottom. It was showing like a 1' high cover of dormant weeds, waiting for Spring sunshine to launch them. I too have thought about coming back for the reported large mouth in here, but there doesn't seem to be ANY cover on the bottom. (wood/rocks/trees, etc.) I suppose it is all about the lilly pad fields that later develop.
gfakkema
2/19/2013 12:01:00 PMYeah, I grew up in oak harbor on whidbey, and campbell was my go to lake growing up. Campbell is basically an oversized bog in my mind. There isn't really much flow in or out of the lake to speak of, so the water is shallow, warm and stagnant, which basically makes it a "petri dish" type breeding grounds for the weeds. I used to swim here a lot in the summer and it is not uncommon for your feet to constantly touch weeds when treading water, making the water depth to weeds around 5-7 feet. You are right about the lack of definition though. The only places that do provide any "structure" would be the island and the surrounding tree cover. Like I said, the best place for trout that I have seen is the drop offs around the island, and the bass really like the tree cover right next to the highway, next to the hotel. I have caught plenty of perch in the middle areas of the lake that do lack structure though. Nothing big mind you, but they are definitely there. The biggest problem is that when the sun comes out, so do the jet ski's, wake boarders, tubers, and other boat traffic, which makes fishing during the summer a little difficult, especially near the island. When there is a lot of traffic, I found that skirting the outside of the lake was the best call, and thus would usually start to target the bass (which is how I came to find that the trees next to the highway are bass central). I now only go to campbell to target the big boys (look at previous reports, there are some monsters that come out of there). If I'm looking for numbers, I usually head to Erie or Heart around the corner (when open). I have had some of the best luck at Heart in the beginning of the season because they stock some jumbo trips in there, most averaging around 18"-20" and 2-3 lbs, with the occasional 5 lb monster.
racfish
2/21/2013 7:26:00 AMCampbell Lake is a nice lake to fish. We used to go to Lunz Beach to fish for cats and perch. That was a good spot to go during my WWSC days. We always caught a good mix bag of fish species. Its a nice launch. Ive fished by boat there only twice. I usually fish from shore in the hotter months. It does get its share of swimmers and speedboats. Campbell has great memories for me and alot of Boones farm,Spanjada and Thunderbird hangovers.
gfakkema
2/21/2013 5:49:00 PMCrazy racfish! I spent a lot of summers there at Lunz. Do you know the colliers? They have the trailer right next to the launch, left if looking at the water. My dad and fat phil are good friends and we use to go out there all the time. Still visit lunz from time to time in the summer. Saw a couple people fishing for cats here and there, but only ever saw a few come out. If you were there 10-15 years ago, then I was probably one of those annoying, screaming kids running in and out of the water, jumping off the dock etc. Haha, small world.