Merry Christmas everyone,

I caught an episode of NWFR on the DVR a few days ago that showed the team slaying some beautiful winter cutthroat on Lake Sammamish. Well that set the wheels in motion for a trip down from Mount Vernon this morning which for all intended purpose was my Christmas present to myself. A late morning start but I wasn't getting outa bed that early on Christmas. When I got down there I started in the northern half of the lake and as far as gear goes, I pretty much copied what the team did on the show with a few variations. I read some of the reports filed from this time last year so I was happy with my plan of attack. After two hours, nothing! Not even a drive by. Rolled her in and set her back out north of the weather bouy where most of the birds hanging around. After two hours, nothing! Not even a drive by. Got maybe a half dozen hits on the hummingbird and all of um were on the bottom bout 80ft down. I didn't see any fish breaking the surface nor did I see any bugs on the surface which was the one condition that seemed to differ from the show. So fishing wise, this wasn't one to write home to mother about. I'm thinking timing. The one thing I didn't hear the team say was exactly when they went. There was one other boat trolling the north end of the lake but that was it. So I'm all for suggestions everyone. Remember, we're all friendly fishermen here, this isn't some secret special ops recon mission! Couldn't have asked for better weather or water conditions though. No rain, not a breath of wind, and the water was glass all day. Well fiddlesticks!!! Sure would have liked to get a couple of those pretty cutts. Awe no matter. I thought it was a pretty sweet Christmas present anyway.

Mike Carey

12/26/2019 6:43:25 AM

Your timing was right, we fished it 12/28/16. Did you see many hatching midges on your windows?

http://www.northwestfishingreports.com/Reports/Details/38834

Mr. Golfball

12/26/2019 8:50:53 AM

Good morning Mike and thanks for shouting back. No, I did not see any midges at all. Again that was the one condition that was different from the show. I watched the recording again last night to be sure. The show did say the birds will tell where the bugs are so that's where I concentrated. If it weren't for the drive I would hit that lake every day. My home lake is Cavanaugh and we use pretty much the same techniques.

jdp53

12/26/2019 8:36:56 AM

I saw this episode too while eating dinner the other day, makes me want to invest in some cutt gear and head down for some winter trout on sammamish as well. That's too bad your trip didn't go well, but a calm rain/wind free day on the water is always a beautiful thing.

jd39

12/26/2019 8:46:17 AM

Biggest variable I’ve noticed recently is trolling speed. I’ve had to slow way down to catch cutts there. Not sure if anyone else has experienced this. 2-3 mph used to be money but recently I had to be around 1 mph to catch them.
I was reluctant to slow down due to the kokanee but it hasn’t led to hooking more of them.
Also God’s tooth spoons have proven to be very effective if the spinner bite is slow.
Add a berkley gulp pink maggot to your worm if the bite is slow. That’s done the trick a few times along with adding herring or garlic bloody tuna scents.
Nothing earth shattering but I hope it helps.

flyfisherguy

12/26/2019 9:49:44 AM

Thanks for this report, I was actually planning to go there on Monday but I guess I'll make other plans. Sorry your trip was unsuccessful, but any time you can get out and fish still beats sittin' in the easy chair watching reruns of I Love Lucy! Tight lines my friend!

rmrauscher

12/26/2019 12:49:06 PM

Well heck thats a long drive to go home smelly. Sammamish has been good for us but the key is finding the dang fish! Week or so ago we looked for a couple hours, found nothing and then BOOYAH! This time of year fish are at about 15-20 feet down. Run your dropback about 100 feet and and trolling speed 1.75-2mph. (I noticed JD39 said he slowed down) so guess the point is vary your speed. Sling blade flasher with a wedding ring type spinner (any color) and worm chunk appx 14inch leader almost always works. Thats the easy part. Now to find the fish. The dock to weather buoy area has not been all that hot for us. But it can turn on at any moment if the fish are on the move so dont pass it up. Marymour end out in the middle has been good up to the corner but thats no guarantee. Sulphur Spring Pt across to Bass Cove has also been productive. Section the lake off and work the water. If you dont mark fish or get hits move to a different area. When you find them stay in that area and work it. Its a fun lake to fish. What those marks are at 80 feet is a mystery to a lot of people including me. Dont know if this helps or not. Good luck next time.

rmrauscher

12/26/2019 1:04:30 PM

One final thought on Sammamish to anybody reading this and then I'll shut up. Its a wild fishery. Respect that. Just because you can catch a bunch of fish doesnt mean you should keep them. If you can safely release a fish please do so. (And maybe take a couple home for the barby). Also even if you catch and release, any fish caught on bait or scent count towards your limit!!! Also release Kokanee and any blackmouth (chinook) or Coho you may encounter. Thanks

herefishy

12/27/2019 11:12:29 AM

Hi there! You probably seen me and my husband out there on Christmas day. We were in the red Hewescraft. We trolled the north end down toward the south in various areas where people report having caught fish. Picked up 5 randomly along the way but even after working the area we caught fish, no additional ones were caught. We did not see many birds except for a small flock down toward the boat ramp where the water was very muddy and full of debris. No midge hatches noted, just a few flying here and there. We varied speed between 1.3 - 1.7 mph, 10 - 15 feet on the rigger with a 120 ft set back. Also used a long line with a 1 oz weight set back at 120 ft. Best results came on a 50/50 hammered Arrow Flash dodger and homemade wedding ring spinners in various colors with a chuck of worm. Saw lots of marks 50 ft - bottom at various depths of water. Ran through those a couple of times just to see what would happen but no response. Don't give up. Different days produce different results. I know several people who have been doing well but finding the schools can sometimes be difficult. Hopefully the midge hatch will heat up and finding schools will become a little easier. We did open the stomachs and all were all had insects in them. Tight lines!

Mr. Golfball

12/28/2019 5:23:31 PM

I do remember your boat. I was in the maroon bayliner. If we happen to see each other again, lets trade pleasentries. Well it looks like I got quite the response. I'm gonna go with the short version when you put everything here together. Know your lake!!! I wasn't far off and with a few more missions I'll get the right combination. Thanks everyone. Keep on hook'in

abedh

12/28/2019 1:51:31 PM

I was there on the 26th, and I fished the south end near the rivers mouth with my kayak. Plenty of fish in the water, the flies were everywhere, lots of birds and I saw several fish jump and eat the flies. Sadly not a bite on my line the whole day. Most fish were at 20-30 foot depth In 60 foot water with a few further down the water column. They just were not biting any setup. I fished from 8AM till 2PM. Went home empty handed. I will likely go again soon.

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