Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709

Quick Links

Sammamish Lake Report
King County, WA

Photos

Details

12/18/2016
41° - 45°
Trolling
Cutthroat Trout
Worms
Red
Sunny
Mack's Wedding Ring
All Day
46° - 50°
12/18/2016
5
3176

well folks, it doesn't get any better than this. fishing has its slow days, its fast days, and its crazy days. but rarely do you get all of that in one, fantastic and incredible day of fishing.

SHORT REPORT:
went out with my little fishin buddy (richard) and his dad (rick), expecting to catch a fish or two, but not expecting much (days like my last report are extremely rare on Sammamish.) caught three trout in 90 mins, took a break and then went back to the same spot as yesterday. 10 fish 75 mins. then 15 mins later, doubled up on 2 trout... now at 14. spent 2.5 hours looking for that last fish, until we gave up.. i was pretty depressed with that last fish, so went back for it. trolling motor died, so i motor mooched for 20 minutes, finally got him. 15 fish in 5.5 hours. amazing day.

LONG REPORT:

MAN OH MAN... what a day. I met up with my little fishing buddy and his dad around 8:30 and starting fishing around 9. we started close to the north end due to the incredible amount of birds i saw. since there were three of us in the boat, i ran 3 rods at different depths:
Rod 1: watermelon dodger and red wedding ring at 24ft
Rod 2: purple uv dodger with green wedding ring at 32ft
Rod 3: ford fender with a pink and purple wedding ring on the top

10 mins into trolling, rod 2 gets slammed. i pop the clip and pass the rod off to richard. he did a great job bringing the fish to the boat, and to our surprise, it was a vampire! i mean this kokanee had the hooked nose, the dark red body, the whole bit. it was beauty and i should have taken a picture. right after the release, rod 1 got hit hard. passed off to rick, another kokanee, but this time no signs of spawning soon. another 20 minutes goes by and i was just about to leave, then rod 3 gets destroyed. this time, richard brought up a nice 16 inch trout. finally, a fish in the box. another 20 minutes, rod 1 with a nice cutt for rick. the action had slowed down, so i started to troll south in 80 FOW along the east side. it took another 15 minutes, but rod 1 got another hit. we seemed to hit a dry spell after that, so we went in for a restroom break and snack.

i decided to go back to the same spot as yesterday hoping the action was the same, and boy was it. i was dropping my rigger down, and 5 seconds (no joke) i reeled in a kokanee with the help of richard's nice net job. got all the rods set, found my troll pattern from yesterday, and the fish went off. (i forgot to mention i switched my rod1 to a green smile blade). we got 9 trout in an hour, plus a few kokanee in there. none of the rods caught more fish than the other, so the fish were all up and down the water column. now, we were sitting at 12 fish, 3 away from the limit. fishing was amazing.

the plan was to finish the troll and call it a day, but right at the end of the troll, BANG! rod 2 gets slammed. richard was there to take care of it. then, rod 1, bang! ITS A DOUBLE!!! i decide to reel in my second fish (i truly love putting my guests on the fish so i don't reel in very many myself) and we were surprised with two nice trout for the box. so now we are sitting at 14 fish with one more to go.

now, the day turned from a great day fishing, into a press to do the near-impossible: get 3 limits on lake Sammamish. we threw the tackle box at them gave it all we got, tried tons of different spots, speeds, patterns, everything. we even tried eating! (fish always bite when you are eating... sadly we caught a kokanee while we were eating. we caught a 7" trout as well as two kokanee, but for 2.5 hours, it was silent. the fish just stopped biting. after the painstaking process of trying to catch this last fish, we finally had to give up and take richard back for soccer practice. i was pretty sad we didn't get the last fish, but still, 14 trout... spectacular. it was a great day fishing with rick and richard. i was almost packed up, when i called my dad and told him the plans and when i expected to be home. when i told him we had 14, he said "what happened to the last one? he fooled you?"... well... that was enough for me to go back out there. (i dropped the fish at the car so i didn't get in any sorts of trouble)

sadly, my electric trolling motor was dead so i had to come up with a new plan. my main motor does not go slow enough to troll for trout, so i motor-mooched them speeding up to 2.1mph and letting my boat slow to .8mph. i decided to use the ford fender for this technique, because the action it makes when it speeds up (goes towards the surface) or slows down (drops in a flutter) seemed to be more effective in my logic. to took 30 minutes but wham! fish and he was an acrobat. he swam right at me faster than i could reel, but thankfully i caught up. i was so excited i didn't even net him. i just flipped him in like a bass. i was so relieved. it incredible. 3 limits in 6 hours. insane. insane.

it was by far the best/ most productive day i have had on the water. i believe my previous record was 8 or 9 lake Sammamish trout (rainbow an cutthroat) so i was excited to demolish that. also, that is 4 limits in 2 days. fantastic. my neighbors are taking all but 3 for their christmas dinner. so awesome to catch your meal.

it was really great to take out my buddy (who is 10) and his dad. i love taking people out and sharing my passion with them (and hopefully create a fisherman out of them). richard got to reel in a ton of fish and help beat the boat record for quantity. what a great time.


thank you to all who left such nice comments/dropped me messages on my last post. i really appreciate you guys taking the time to read my story and (hopefully) enjoy the story.

i will be out on the lake more (hoping tomorrow). i will be taking out some people, but if a fellow NWFR member wants to come fishing/ just inquire on what has been catching the fish (luck mostly), drop me a message.


until next time tight lines and good fishing!


Comments

Anonymous
12/19/2016 12:16:00 PM
Wild Fish. I remember when everyone killed Wild Steehead too. How did that work out?
wafisherman20
12/19/2016 1:16:00 PM
i appreciate the comment. it is important to be careful about what you keep, however it is ok to harvest sometimes. I practice catch and release often on this lake in hopes that the fishery will last for years to come.

the trout fishery on lake Sammamish has a lot less pressure than steelhead fishing. the lake is also closed to fishing september and october to help the trout. it also receives no pressure during the summer and fall due to the amount of recreational boaters.

it is indeed sad what happened to the Steelhead. in the lake you cannot keep rainbows over 20" because they are considered steelhead.

as long as all anglers are mindful and don't harvest more than they eat (i won't be harvesting these fish until what i have kept...which is 5 total because i share with my friends.. is gone) and we respect the wdfw's rules, we should ok.
flyfisherguy
12/19/2016 2:30:00 PM
Well said wafisherman! Nothing wrong with keeping fish that you plan to eat, that's why God gave them to us! Merry Christmas my friend.
Anonymous
12/19/2016 3:01:00 PM
If the lake closes during the fall its to protect Salmon. not Trout. Last Summer the Cutthroat fishing was fantastic on the Lake, and it does receive lots of pressure during the Summer. Keeping a few to eat once in a while is good. A 5 fish limit is too generous. I also remember when everyone kept Kokanee on Sammamish. Didn't work out that well either. It's a nice fishery to have around a urban area, I hope it stays that way.
wafisherman20
12/19/2016 4:13:00 PM
i hope it stays this way too. see you on the water.
Anonymous
12/19/2016 5:28:00 PM
really, 15 wild (and little) fish going into a smoker instead of the stream... once they are gone, they are gone.
Mike Carey
12/19/2016 5:32:00 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the steelhead got decimated long before anglers had a chance at them at the Ballard Locks, thanks to Hershel and his sea lion friends. I remember the carnage on the steelhead and the inept measures that were taken to try to control said sea lions. Anyway, it's not my intention to hijack this comment thread. I will try to contact the regional fisheries manager and see what that person has to say about the lake's cutthroat health. I never had the opportunity to fish the kokanee but what I was able to find as contributing factors to the kokanee decline included "Causes of this decline are currently understood to include altered stormwater flows, past hatchery practices, predation, fishing, passage barriers, and lake temperature and dissolved oxygen levels." There's King County web page devoted
Mike Carey
12/19/2016 5:33:00 PM
to the kokanee topic here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/salmon-and-trout/kokanee.aspx
riverhunter
12/19/2016 5:45:00 PM
As long as he is not breaking any regulations there should be no one policing him. If you think 5 wild trout is to much to keep in lake sammamish maybe you should ask wdfw to change the limit but you shouldn't be persecuting this guy for taking what is permitted. I agree that we need to protect our fish if we want a fishery in the futur but talking smack to an angler who didn't break any regulations is not the way to save these fish. Sealark those are not little as trout in concerned. They are average size and have reached maturity by the way those skeins look
Mike Carey
12/19/2016 6:35:00 PM
agreed, riverhunter. In my profession we have a saying - "nurses eat their own young". It seems like sportsmen are that way too sometimes to their fellow angler. BTW, here is another good read on lake Sammamish kokanee: https://www.bellevuewa.gov/pdf/Development%20Services/Lake_Sam_Kokanee_Report_1_21_09_Final.pdf
Anonymous
12/19/2016 7:59:00 PM
Not beating on anyone. I have been fishing this lake and our rivers since the early 60s. I have been lucky enough to have caught Steelhead from the Sammamish slough. I have caught and killed plenty of Kokanee from the lake. Lots of native Steelhead from the Skykomish and Snoqualmie river aswell. I didn't know any better at the time. We see how the state manages things. We need to make good choices as anglers. If it's going to sit in the freezer or more than can be consumed in a reasonable amount of time let it swim.
Dave M
12/19/2016 9:00:00 PM
Predator I suggest you read wafishermans previous report where I believe he talks of using as much of each fish as possible towards food, including the tails and heads, he gives to a friend to make a soup out of and the eggs as well. It does not sound like he is wasting anything he keeps. I am all for protecting our resources, but there is no need to criticize someone that is following the regulations.
Hunter757
12/20/2016 5:03:00 AM
Great report, thank you for sharing your experience on the water with us all. I am sure that little buddy of yours and his father are very thankful for a great time on the water and some great memory's that will surely last a life time and got that young man our future hooked on fishing!! You and your family have wonderful holiday season!!! Hope to see you on the water.
Mike Carey
12/20/2016 6:35:00 AM
I think out of respect for wafisherman20's report we should not make this thread a platform for other agendas. It would be considerate to take this discussion over to the forum. Thanks
Leave a Comment:

Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709