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Our Day Two Conconully Adventure took us to the Upper Lake. Once again, JoAnn slept in while I awoke with the birds and ran down to the lake. Yes, all of two miles or so and I had my boat launched and on the water, gear down by 6am. Within seconds of lowering the downrigger to 31 feet deep the rod did the kokanee dance and I was in to my first Upper Conconully lake kokanee.

I ran my standard gear. The hottest rig was a small dodger in rainbow colors, 10” leader, and pearl hoochie with a Colorado blade. Add to that a couple pieces of corn (thank you rseas for the soon to be released to NWFR readers recipe). The action was almost too easy. I mean, running two rods seemed not fair. These fish are plump, feisty 12-15” kokanee, full of piss and vinegar. In 45 minutes I was done and relaxing, but not for long.

I returned to our cabin at Liar’s Cove Resort and got JoAnn and our dogs. Back to the lake we went. Lines in the water by 8am, it was JoAnn’s turn since I had already caught my five fish. Once again, different verse, same as the first. Five fish in under an hour and we were done fishing by 9am.

Word to the wise, drop your gear down below the rainbows, which are thick in the top 20 feet or so. We stayed at 28-33 feet deep and only caught kokanee. For a change I’m not going to give a specific location. I will say, the second the boat was in the water I was marking kokanee. I don’t think it would even matter where you started.

Another thing – the town of Conconully could really use some tourism support. They had a tough year last year with the fires. There are plenty of fish to be had. Gene, owner at Liar’s Cove Resort told me beside the state planting 25-35,00 kokanee and trout each year, the Chamber of Commerce planted lots of trophy and marked fish as well. So if you’re looking for a new adventure to check out, please consider the town of Conconully.

Ryan.b.dykes

6/1/2016 8:13:00 PM

Mike it was good running into you and chatting at the launch of the lower lake. It looks like the fishing turned out well for you.

Mike Carey

6/1/2016 8:44:00 PM

Hi Ryan, likewise. Always fun meeting NWFR members on the water. It was an epic weekend!

downriggeral

6/1/2016 11:32:00 PM

Nice batch of kokanee Mike. Glad to see the dogs have adjusted to the new digs.
Tight lines - Alan
"The Experiment Must Continue"

riverhunter

6/2/2016 4:15:00 AM

Thanks mike for the report! Will have to look into a trip out there soon!!

Hunter757

6/2/2016 6:38:00 AM

Nicely done Mike, glad to see your enjoying the new boat and the dogs seem right at home! Not sure where this lake is but will look it up and see if its something I can make a weekend trip out of. Thanks for sharing.

bob johansen

6/2/2016 7:31:00 AM

Nice catch Mike and JoAnn! I never fished that lake for Kokanee but I was catching a few small largemouth bass there in the fall of 1993.

Toni

6/2/2016 8:00:00 AM

Thank you for the report and article Mike. My mom lived in Omak and I use to meet her to fish by the dam at the Lake St. area. We would cast from the rocks there for trout. This was probably in the early 80's. It brought back memories and I don't remember Liar's cove being there. Just the park on the other lake. It was before computers

Mike Carey

6/2/2016 12:35:00 PM

Before computers! I remember "BC". We are dating ourselves. Conconully is a 4 1/2 hr drive from redmond. With dogs it's 6 1/2, lol.

SnoKing

6/2/2016 8:28:00 PM

Thanks for the report Mike...we love upper Conconully and have for many years. Fished those koke's during the summer months and even had a lot of fun C/R the koke's during their spawn in early October when they get mad and nail about anything you throw at them. A great place to teach kids how to fish. Try it sometime in late September when no one is around; the serenity and solitude are almost overwhelming.
Incidentally, it seems like the oil content in the Koke's is higher than most other places making them great for smoking!

There's quite a story to tell on the old resort at upper Conconully. The guy who leased the resort from the Bureau of Reclamation really railroaded the poor guy and his wife and left him out on the street. I tried to help and even retained an attorney for him but I was too late. Sen. Patty Murray wouldn't return a phone call, letter, or email requesting help for this guy. He ended up bankrupt. I was able to recently help him secure a job in the area.

In any event, the rumor is the Bureau will reopen the resort most likely next year but this time, they've decided to run it themselves. My source is reliable, involved in the State of Idaho politics, and located in Boise where the Bureau's HQ is located. This certainly makes me wonder not only about the federal agency's intentions, but also our illustrious Sen Murray and her complete lack of concern or even response.

Mike Carey

6/3/2016 12:40:00 PM

I was thinking the same thing, returning in the fall. Although, considering it was a holiday weekend, the lake was pretty empty. I was alone for a half hour before anyone else showed up. And at most there were maybe a half dozen boats in the area I was at.

cohocrazy

6/6/2016 6:36:00 AM

Which lake is Liars Cove located on?

Mike Carey

6/6/2016 6:51:00 AM

The lower, reservoir, lake. The two lakes are within a couple miles of each other.

Why2Fish

8/7/2016 1:10:00 PM

The easiest way to reference the two bodies of water is to remember this: The Reservoir is Round (R_R); the Lake is Long (L_L)

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