I made my first treck up to Lake Stevens this morning, a long 1.5 hour drive from Auburn/ Enumclaw area. Set the alarm for 4, was on the road at 4:30. I arrived at the wrong park (without a boat launch) then to the right one 5 minutes down the road (Lake Stevens City boat launch). Tossed the boat in the water, and was trolling with two downriggers at about 6:30.

I barely made it out of the cove before I landed my first fish with a homemade orange wedding ring made with a large silver plated spinner blade. 10 feet down on the downrigger. The second rod initially had a rapalla behind a dodger, it got tapped a few times, but never stuck. Another pass in the same spot brought the second Koke just a few minutes later.

Fish were schooled up all over, from 10 - 30 feet down, and jumpers scattered the surface. Then at about 7am, the sun started to come out a little brighter, and the bite was off. Nothing bit for about two hours! I couldnt find a willing school any where. I could spot the occasional jumper, and small clusters of fish maybe 60 feet down in 80-90 fow.

Having never been to this lake, I looked up the hot spots on my phone, and crisscrossed the lake chasing jumpers for hours. I had gear down 0 - 35 feet, and constantly changed up lures, hoochies, spoons, dodgers, trolling speed and eventually picked up another with another orange wedding ring behind a shasta sling blade dodger.

I eventually boated 6 total, one freed himself by flopping from the floor of the boat right out over the side. Poor guy left his eyeball on the trailing hook though, I guess he deserves his freedom. I lost one right at the back of the boat right before calling it quits at 11:00.

All fish were caught on the wire between 8-12 feet down, and most in about 85 feet of water. with Various dodgers, and pink or orange homemade wedding rings. All 7 fish hooked came from the same downrigger with braided line, gold spray painted ball and ball troll flashers, the second downrigger is an electric with steel wire and a plain black ball, caught zero, one bite. Weird.

The last few were caught without seeing any fish on the sonar. Fish just seemed to scatter all over the lake when the sun came out. No bites on my long line attempts either. I had 5 different flavors of corn, and all were caught with "anise Krill" or "Kokanee special" soaked corn. A couple little perch seemed to really like the tuna corn.

I talked to a guide that came close to getting limits for his 3 guests, but everyone else I talked to said it was an unusually slow morning. At least my family had Kokanee for dinner, albeit overcooked.

The fish here seem to fight much harder than the lake meridian kokes that I'm used to, and are a little more particular about what colors they bite.

I'm sure Ill be back soon, was a heck of a drive for 5 fish kept, but well worth it especially if the Meridian kokanee don't start biting soon.

-Sideburns

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