As far as flyfishing larger lakes around here I can tell you that
Lake Cresent has some very large trout. Fishing the mouth of Barnes
creek (where they spawn) can be very productive. I had my son pinpoint
the location of some fish one day there while he was snorkeling and I
was fishing. He came up wide-eyed and gasping saying "Dad! There're
tons of them, and they're huge!" I hooked and released 3 powerful fish
before their antics when hooked scared all of them away. I was using a
#8 Puget Bug on a 6wt sink-tip.
Another place I've had fun is between Devil's Punchbowl and the
point across from it. Slow rowing of a trolled, long shanked black
Wooly Worm or Wooly Bugger on a 10-12' 6lb test tippet has produced
several smashing strikes for me. I almost lost a rod one time that was
pulled overboard when a fish hit. I have since clamped my rod in a
holder when doing this. (I never did see that fish). I have found that
dawn is the best time to fish Lake Crescent. It is almost always calm
then, and fish cruise the surface. Later in the day they seem to
disappear. As you probably know, it is over 600' deep there in places.
The outlet is the Lyre River, and big, fat rainbows can be found
there, too. Again, a black Wooly Bugger works. I have found some
really big dragonfly nymphs there (a little over 2") but haven't tried
any imitations as yet. If you use a canoe or float tube there be
careful because some friends of mine really had to paddle like hell to
get out of the strong glide that forms the river when they went down too
far. Also in that area along the shoreline a small Puget Bug has hooked
fish. (#14)
To me it seems necessary to use quite a long line, long leader, and
lots of backing. Most all of my hook-ups have come on slowly trolled
flies. I use my motor to go from place to place but always row to
fish. I know the east end of the lake has fish because I've seen them
rising there as I start my drive down, but I haven't hooked any there
yet.
Fish over 10lbs are caught there every year using deep trolling
methods but I prefer to use flies. (masochist I guess) Anyway, gotta
go

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