I fished East Lake with long-time buddy Jeff Trant today. Before getting to the the actual fishing, I have to say that Jeff has a really nice rig: 20' Alumaweld SuperVee LT, 10 degree hull, center console, Merc Optimax & kicker, Hummingbird Hi-def GPS Combo Side-finders, front and rear casting platforms, comfortable seats, and all the rest of the goodies that make a great fishing platform.
Meanwhile, back at the lake, although it took a few stops to find some bigger fish, we ended up landing 20+ browns, 'bows, and atlantics in gorgeous weather and near-perfect wind. Most were 11-12" with a few bigger ones, and all came on small black or red chironomids under indicators. We fished 12-14' of water on the South and East shores from the Hot Springs, past The Lodge, and around to the Cinder Campground. When Jeff said at one point, "I think this is a better fish", I doubt he realized he was in for a prolonged tussle with a 25" brown on a very light 4 wt (Sage TXL 4710) and 5X tippet. Fortunately, he played the fish really well (for an old guy), so we have photo evidence. Way to go Mr. Big fish!
Another surprise are the newly introduced Blackwater Rainbows, piscavors planted to help control the tui chubs. We caught a few in the 16-17" range, and I think they're really good fish: solid bodies, aggressive, in the air, and hard fighting. It's been awhile since I've seen 'bows tail-walk 50' out and then make multiple jumps right at the boat on a short line. I don't know them well enough to say if they're in spawning colors, but the bigger ones almost look like our native resides. Unlike the other East Lake 'bows, they are not fin-clipped, so that's a good way to ID them. And OBTW, an old guy float tuber -- yeah, I know, who am I calling old? -- caught fish all day long dragging an olive/orange hotspot bugger, including several nice, really bright and very acrobatic 14" kokanee. Save a trout, kill a chub. Tight lines -
