After 4 straight months of fishing at Lake Sammamish I took a few weeks off but made my way back there on Sunday 2/2.

With the thought of heavily murky water from all the run off I launched out of Vasa Park instead of the State Park as it’s a shorter row or proven fishing grounds (weather buoy area) that I knew would hold cleaner water.

Strategy was to fish top water most of the day but was ready to try Leadcore also which I have seldom used the past few months after using it exclusively in Oct., Nov., and some of December.

Worked my way to the weather buoy and had two strikes that were on briefly and off. Started getting fish and strikes more regularly as I worked the area. After 5 Cutt’s 4 on the top and one 5 colors down I decided to work my way South towards Greenwood Point and see if anything was going on there. Without electronics I am never comfortable fishing out in open water since it’s hard for me to pin point an area like I do fishing closer to shore in the south part of the lake.

I worked the top water on the row over there as I usually do when I am moving to a new area. As I got closer to the shoreline and homes near the point, I switched over to my LC set and slowed it down. Quickly my tip goes down, but in a different kind of way. Grab the rod from the holder and an instant heavier weight and pulling against me very hard! Lots of head shakes but super heavy feeling. With lead core, I rarely have any fish fight me all the way in. My two Huge Cutt’s I got in October and November were by far the only other fish to do this, but this still was different than those two Cutt’s, different for sure. As my line stayed down and neared my pontoon, I started to think a super big Pike Minnow because it did not have the side to side fight to it as I am use to. I could see a light skinned belly as I got it closer to the surface and then I saw it! A huge (to me) SMB that ended up being 19.5” estimated at 3.5lbs. This was my second one that I caught trolling lead core line over in this area. Caught a smaller one, still very nice in October. Snapped a few pics of my new personal beast Smallmouth Bass and released it and headed back towards Vasa.

Got one more pretty small Cutt on the top and that was it Cutt wise for the day. This poor little fellow must not have done well after the release as an Eagle swooped in and grabbed him about 40’ from me. I was pretty close to the sunken forest where all the trees are with eagles in them, what eye sight they have. One last thing, I saw an Otter along the shoreline running on someone’s grass lawn near the waters edge. You can tell their running style for sure. First time I’ve seen one at Sammamish.

Oh, the midge hatch was much stronger on the Eastside of the buoy and a bit bothersome. They were all hitching a ride on mainly my pontoon and me.

Hope Sunday weather stays ok and I’ll give it another go.

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