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Sammamish Lake Report
King County, WA

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Details

12/25/2018
46° - 50°
Trolling
Cutthroat Trout
None
White
Cloudy
Flasher/Lure
Noon
46° - 50°
12/26/2018
4
2428

Coho ho! Merry Fishmas to all.

Yes, we caught cutthroat trout, but the coho were still active. We didn't start very early as it was drizzling until about 10 am and it we had a bit of that on the lake. Not many people at the launch - 3 other trailers and one was a ski boat. Calm wind and no wakes from other boats made trolling a dream. Not as many coho rolling on the surface as last week and very few midges that I could see.

I never really keyed in on the exact depth, but anywhere from 25 ft up to near the surface worked. Barely had two colors out on the lead line and at the end I had the downrigger set at 8 ft. Lots of drivebys that we never got to see who slapped it. I did see one good solid grouping at 35 ft and dropped down and picked up one cutthroat doing that. Caught several small cutts near the surface. Never used any bait, just small spoons and sling blades. Nothing unusual. Kept a few cutts and a few coho. No kokanee or chinook caught at all. A little slower than last week, but lots of fun on Christmas day and the flat surface with a little sun was comfortable enough.

Met two other diehards that were great company and shared some stories. A great day!


Comments

FastActionGS
12/26/2018 2:07:27 PM
Great report brotha! Glad you are finding some quality cutts and coho mixed in. Were you fishing alone or with someone? Wonder if I saw ya :)
stevertd2010
12/26/2018 2:25:24 PM
My wife and I were out there. I only saw two other power boats. We fished from 10 am to 2 pm yesterday. When were you fishing? Didn't see but one boat near us and I know who they were. Fishing was good but then seemed to slow down. i looked at my weather app from my station and the barometer had crested and was just started decreasing. So maybe there is a strong correlation between the bite and barometric pressure changes.
Finsider
12/28/2018 4:51:11 AM
Hey FastAction: Been very interested in the recent reports regarding Sammamish resident coho. Fished Sam for years & always got some kokanee & blackmouth now & then when cutthroat fishing, and still do in Lk Washington. I heard years ago that around 10% of the chinook released from Issaquah stay in the lakes and become residents (really cool to hook a 5+ pounder on cutty gear). You said in an earlier reply that "as of this year" there are resident coho in Sam because Issaquah "let a batch of fry go that ended up staying in the lake for some reason". Do you know if they intentionally held back this batch aiming for residency, and if they intend to keep doing this year after year? Or was it just an anomoly? I noticed the regulations from the year before have the exact same rule for hatchery coho from Dec. 1 '17 to May 31 '18 - like they tried this before. Never heard of a resident coho fishery on Sam before this winter. If they're doing it purposefully I think it's a good idea to take some pressure off the cutthroat population - release the cuttys & keep the coho. As long as they're using surplus and not taking fish away from the regular releases that return as adults in the fall. I really appreciate the info you've already provided, and was just wondering if you also heard about Issaquah's intentions for the future of this fishery.
FastActionGS
12/29/2018 9:30:21 AM
there is huge correlation with pressure change on this lake for the fish! on the fall it should still be ok, but anything low will kill the bite and send the fish deep.

I was in a fisher brand boat with fast action fishing adventures stickers on the side. if you're out soon give me a call and let me know!
would love to meet ya and say hello
FastActionGS
12/29/2018 9:35:50 AM
Finsider, I actually dont know if it is a purposeful fishery or not. that is a very interesting question and I will get back to you on that if I figure anything out. shoot me a text at 425-753-5772 and then ill text you if I get any info. yeah the rules were there, but the fish we are catching have been in the lake since the reg change.

I absolutely agree. we are fishing the coho to give the cutts a break and to let them spawn. this time of year the fish are prespawn and all colored up.

ill get back to you on the above questions. tight lines brotha
TMBob
12/26/2018 3:13:52 PM
I was out yesterday....did ok but put in some hours to do so. Cutt’s are at the surface also, not just Coho and some nice big brute’s! . Don’t forget that option.

Were you out on Monday afternoon also. Fishing near the beaches?
stevertd2010
12/26/2018 6:02:56 PM
No, didn't go on Monday and I haven't fished around the beaches. Most of what we caught was on the surface - both cutties and coho. Not so much at first but more in the afternoon. My biggest fish in the last week was at the surface.
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Available Guide

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

Phone: (509) 687-0709