After working hard and physical around the house yesterday, the mind was willing the body was lazy so it was tough to get motivated to fish today. But knowing the weather was great and that there's usually only once chance per week to fish - and that the season ends in just a little over a month....we forced ourselves out the door.

P. had to work, so K and I trailered the boat to the lake. We stopped along the way and picked up some cold fried chicken to eat for lunch. We launched at 12 noon, floated and ate lunch, then began to fish. The lake level is down 3' and the shore sure looks different. (We need rain but it will come soon enough - non stop.) The water was 64.8-65 degrees everywhere. The air temperature was perfect for we fall lovers - about 63 degrees and overcast. There was a breeze on and off but never really too strong. A perfect fishing day.

The LMB were slow to respond. They must be going deeper getting ready for winter. We found about 5 in the shallows in various locations of the lake. Not concentrated in one spot for sure. We tried surface lures, shallow runners and deep runners and nothing was the magic lure. The only other people on the lake all afternoon were two kayakers who happened to be fishing. We came out of the mouth of the lagoon and they were there. I threw to one of my favorite spots and landed three fish right in front of them. One asked how they stay out of the weeds as that's all they were catching, and we explained we get weeds too, but that's where the fish are!

K. was starting to smell, and I made sure to stay upwind. Can you say SKUNKED? But then the largest bass of the day got on his line and we were both relieved. K was claiming the big fish title when we decided to go trolling and concentrate on the mid lake hump. We each picked up some more small bass on the hump. But the real excitement came when we got into 25-30' of water. I was monitoring the graph and thinking how flat, barren and devoid of weeds the area was and that we'd never see a fish here, when WHAM....something hit my crankbait like a freight train! I yelled, "Fish" and as I did my mind was racing wondering what kind of fish could this be...as I had not felt a hit that hard in several years.

In the next nanosecond, my reel flew off my rod. Yup, that big hit yanked my apparently loosely-seated reel right off and the comedy began. I was holloring, "I hoped I wasn't going to lose the fish, how am I going to get it in, oh he's off, no he's not, etc...". I was trying to keep pressure on while trying to reseat the reel. I thought it was on, and tighted down the thumb ring, only to find I had cranked the seat screw down, but the reel wasn't under it. At this point I gave up and decide to hold the reel over the rod with one hand and turn the handle with the other and just play the fish. He stayed down and never swirled or jumped. When, at last, he was right next to the boat and K. went to net him, he dove under the boat and K. missed to the refrains of my "get him, get him, get him!" The next time he came up we successfully netted the largest rainbow trout I've ever had in the boat. I couldn't believe how wide he was and how big his belly was. He looked like he had just eaten a huge fish. He was 18" long and super deep with big shoulders. In our excitement to get him back in the water we failed to measure his girth.

For the next hour we trolled the same area. K. landed a 15" rainbow which was a super fish though not as wide. We each lost a couple more. I had another very large fish on that took my line diagonal under the boat and jumped off the rear quarter then when we got him up next to the boat he jumped straight up about 2' and threw the lure. We were laughing like fools with all the excitement.

On the way to the ramp we boated a few more small LMB. I love to catch anything that swims, but trout have been one of my least favorite. However, today was an exception with the lunker trout racking up alot of fun on our large bass plugs.
K. boated 4 fish, and I caught and released 10. I guess it was my lucky day because I found a quarter in the grass and a nickle on the pavement too as we were leaving.

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drysuperfly52

9/24/2012 12:09:00 PM

i am headed to Orcas in a few weeks and was hoping to hit cascade and possibly mountain, do you know if the state park is still renting the boats or did that end on the holiday weekend.

i will most likely be fishing on the shore is it worth my time throwing some rapalas from the road in the shallows? or should i hike around and try to find some holes in the lagoon?

CarpMouth

9/24/2012 1:37:00 PM

The concession closed. Spoke to its owner Sunday and he said after sitting all day and someone showing at 4:30pm to rent for a half hour, it's just not been worth it, so they are closed until next year.

I would certainly throw along the rocky shore by the main road and walk over to the Moran Learning Camp (south end) and fish there off the dock and walk around to the lagoon too. The entire lake perimeter can be walked in one hour.

The trout in Mountain are much deeper and harder to catch but are universally larger. Cascade fish never seem to bite on the same lures to days in a row, so bring the widest variety you can carry. Best of luck to you!

drysuperfly52

9/24/2012 2:26:00 PM

thanks i have been to orcas almost every year since i was little, i love the walk around cascade with pole in hand and casting at every open hole i could find. i have only had luck at mountian once, it was some of the best fishign i have ever had, but been skunked everytime since then.

there is a lake/pond when you take a right off the ferry terminal that i fished once and caught a ton of bass then went back and there was no tresspassing and no fishing signs all over that place, is there any access on the other side of it? i dont know how else to explain it.

CarpMouth

9/24/2012 3:02:00 PM

That is Killebrew Lake and it is open year round. We used to fish it a lot and it does have pretty decent bass fishing. They "improved" the access there a year or so ago, but still not really accessible to trailerable boats. Just carry-ins. It is a State Lake and is open all year. You should not worry about No Trespassing signs at the lake itself. They may be for a driveway that takes off to the right of the lake to someone's private property.

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