Sorry for the delayed report, have just been too busy to post. Decided to hit Lake Washington last Tuesday 10/31. Launched from Gene Coulon at 8:30am and heading to the S end of Mercer Island area. Water temp was almost a constant 55 degrees from the surface all the way down to 80ft according to the FishHawk. At least it was a sunny day and the temperature got up to 64 by days end. It was 36 degrees outside when I launched. Fished until 5pm.

About 30 minutes into my troll got a very solid drive-by strike that did not take. That was at 35ft down, 110ft behind the boat on a 9" green sling blade and a kokabow spinner lure. After that nothing for hours. Changed up my gear several times and wandered all over the entire S end of the lake, nada!

There were a couple of small bait balls here and there but overall the sonar looked like a barren desert on the screen. Decided to move so I slow trolled up the west channel and decided to go hit the area around the N end of Seward park.

By this time it was early afternoon. I had a 5" sling blade in silver and gold with a wedding ring (tipped with a worm) on it, down 80 ft and 75 ft behind the boat. Right as I hit the NE corner of Seward Park wham, a very solid takedown. This fish was very good sized. The way it fought from all the head shakes it felt like a salmon but not a sockeye. Could have been a nice fat cutt also but I have never had a cutt do that much head shaking, ever. I will never know because after about 5 mins of back and forth it came off. Got my gear back to the boat, rebaited and set my gear back down to 80ft and started to turn around to go back thru that same spot. Never made it thru the turn and got whacked again. Not as big a fish but felt like a very nice trout. This one came unglued also and I never got a visual on it. Checked my hooks, razor sharp all good so I baited up again and headed right back over the path I just had success on, nothing.

It was getting to be about 3:30pm so I decided to troll back towards the SW corner of Mercer area and then call it a day. I did not get a single strike on the way there. The reason is this. When I stopped to pull my gear in to head home I reeled in and had one of those miserable lamprey eel things wrapped up in my line and all tangled up in my lure. Had to cut it up to get it unstuck from my gear.

Anyways, the fish are still there of course but they are scattered. I found them Tues at the NE corner of Seward Park in 120ft of water and 80ft down (hotspot position). Not once did I see fish on my sounder when I got takedowns.

Hopefully there will be a nice enough day next week so I can go hit it again. By the way I only saw 2 other boats (none of them fishing) the entire day. Love Lake WA in the fall/winter time for that very reason. Be safe! -G

greenboater

11/6/2017 8:53:20 AM

Well goban it sounds just like what happened to me as I was making the last pass west bound along the I-90 bridge last time out about a week or so back , the depth of the gear and water depth being almost the very same as well as the head shaking too. I wounder if going back and trying it over only using salmon gear maybe the old 12" B&B in green&sliver or similar , OG 87R with a strip 80 to 90 ft down at 1.5 to 2.5 troll speed just as if your out in the salt water I think your thought about the fish being a bigger salmon may likely be the case . The only thing I might add is that I saw on the sonar indications that the size was all big fish laying between 85' to the bottom lined up row after row. I snapped the leader when it happened to me , a 12 # leader won't hold very long on a fish that size. From a bigger boat that has a covered top and heat, the cold weather is not so bad , the little open shorter versions work better only on the nice days or you end up freezing your --- off that takes all the fun out of it .

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