I've driven by this lake numerous times this summer but wanted to wait for water temps to drop into the 50's before venturing out after it's Brook Trout. Few lakes in the state support healthy populations of sizable Brook Trout but McGinnis does. Of all the trout/char Brook Trout is one of my favorite simply for their beauty. You don't see many fish with blue, orange, red, and black and their colors shine brightest in the fall just like tree leaves.

Winter in the Okanogan comes quick and air temps were in the upper 30's when we launched and despite the forecast for sun we were rewarded with a mixture of rain, snow, and sleet throughout the morning. Thankfully the bite was enough to keep us warm but we, especially my wife, were ready for some warm food by noon. Surface activity was fair and we found most fish associated with submerged weed beds in 8-15' of water. Slow presentations of spinners and spoons was key and we each caught around 12-15 fish in the 12-18" range. I've seen several trophy Brookies over 4 lbs pulled from this lake but didn't find anything that big but still caught several fish over 2 lbs.

---