Help a fellow angler get into some trout!

[Matt G]

I need your HELP!!

I have Thursday & Friday this week to fish. I wanted to hit the McKenzie with my fly rod, but all this rain has me thinking the rivers will all be blown out. But I still want to FISH! :dance:

All the low snow leaves me wanting to avoid the mountains - even the coast range seems socked in. So here's my assets and my limitations:

ASSETS:
- fly gear
- spin gear (lures and bait)
- 13 foot boat with motor & oars (for motor-less lakes)
- enough clothing to brave cold, wet weather for a day

LIMITATIONS:
- Willamette Valley (well, at least no snow covered passes)
- within 2.5 hours of Portland
- Halfway decent shot at trout!

So, what would you do if you were in my shoes? :think:

Thanks!!

 

[Markcanby]

I have been planning a trip to Silver Creek Res as soon as its warm enough to not freeze my fly line in the guides. Last time it was over 50 a Friend was out there an said they were jumping like crazy. They haven't stocked it since last fall but I think there should be some good holdovers in there.

 

[troutdude]

MC, is there a boat ramp at Silver Creek Res?

 

[Markcanby]

Yeah remember last year when they closed teh lake cause the guy drove his truck in it.

 

[troutdude]

WHOOPS!

I hadn't heard about that. I've been by there a few times, but never have fished it. The south side shoreline looks like great trolling turf. (But, I guess that guy last year didn't get to find out...LOL).

 

[Bad Tuna]

I didn't think they unlocked the gate until April?

 

[Matt G]

Yeah remember last year when they closed teh lake cause the guy drove his truck in it.

Ouch - I'll remember to keep the truck on dry land! I've never been to Silver Creek - thanks for the tip! I'll look into it.

 

[Markcanby]

Its open all year but I hear sometimes the guy forgets to open it. You just have to call teh number on the fence an the cops will come open it.

 

[Matt G]

Mark,

How would you fish this lake at this time of year?

 

[Markcanby]

I want to try Chironomids but the bets way is probably a wooly bugger real slow

 

[Matt G]

I have a bugger or two that I may just chuck in there. Thanks!

 

[Matt G]

Got out to Silver Creek Res today for the first time. Weather cooperated pretty well - upper 40s, light variable breeze, only a little rain. I spent 4 hours trolling around the lake with numerous different lures and didn't get a bite. Saw about 3 fish rise in that time, and a bankie told me he caught two with power bait off the bottom in about 3 hours. That was the bad news - this early in the year it is SLOW. Good news was he and I were about the only people there, save for a canoer who showed up and took a lap around the lake and then left after less than an hour. It was quiet and peaceful - nice little lake.

 

[troutdude]

Hey Matt, sounds like you had a nice time despite the lethargic fish.

How fast were you trolling? SLOW is the key...even more so in colder temps/early season. Trout generally won't move very fast or very far for an OFFering this time of year.

I'm also wondering if you tried any Woolly Buggers? But, you've got to go even SLOWER still with flies.

I'm really curious. I've looked that lake over a couple of times, but have yet to try my luck. Any answers that you can OFFer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Matt G]

I was in my 13' Smokercraft with oars (no gas motors allowed on that lake and I don't have an electric) so I was going pretty slow. I did not try the bugger - I had my fly rod with me but chose to start with hardware first and never really got off it. Plus it's not like a float tube: I had to have the rod in a holder to row. I rowed as slow as I could while still seeing a slight twitch on the rod tip so I knew the lure had action.

I started with a pink wedding ring holding a rainbow Power Nugget behind a Ford Fender. I got a single strike on that rig but no hookup. Later I removed the Fender and switched to a silver/orange Kastmaster, then a silver Kwikfish, and ended with a black Panther Martin that has a gold blade with red spots. None of the latter three produced a peep. I stuck to the margins of the lake, fishing in the shallower inlet end a little and making several runs across the dam.

That was my first time trolling in a lake that small and using oars to do it, so I'm sure a real veteran angler could have done better. But I did break in a new set of oars and found they work quite well with that boat! I also thought on the wya home I could have anchored somewhere and cast the Wooly Bugger, stripping line in at variable rates and depths (with a split shot, as my fly rod has floating line) but that's the curse of a fisherman: always thinking the next thing might work! I wanted to get a sign of life with hardware before breaking out the fly and it never came, so I never switched. Maybe I should have anyway

 

[troutdude]

Wow, you know your stuff. You fished it pretty much the same way, that I'd approach a new lake in the early season.

I have had great luck with a green and black wedding ring, tipped with a 1/2 night crawler (and a Ford Fender or Doc Shelton). That rig has produced well, in Foster and Green Peter. So, I'm hoping to try some other lakes too. And I always try a brass colored Little Cleo spoon/wobbler. That lure produced more fish trolling last year, than anything else.

Next time that you go, I'd encourage an attempt w/ your fly rod and Woolly Buggers. They almost never fail, and it should work well from a row boat.

Thanks for your report!

 

[Markcanby]

I might go out tomorrow but I plan on just dropping chironomids to the bottom an twitching.

 

[rainbowfisherman]

Are we talking about Silverton Reservoir? Or somewhere completely different?

 

[Markcanby]

It is actualy Silver Creek Res in Silverton.

 

[rainbowfisherman]

Okay, my mistake. I was just wondering because I was there this morning and I guess I didn't even look at the sign. I had similar results. Fished in my float tube for about 2 and a half hours. Tried worms on the bottom, trolled worms, worms behind ford feders. Not even a hit. I didn't see any fish rise either. But it is definitley a beautiful lake.

 

[Matt G]

Wow, you know your stuff. You fished it pretty much the same way, that I'd approach a new lake in the early season.

Well you're too generous with your encouragement, but thanks! I'd forgotten that I did troll a brand new black and green wedding ring for a short time as well as the pink one, without a strike.

The fly rod is new to me - just got it last year. So I'm still getting the hang of that. I trolled with it once last summer in a couple high cascade lakes off a friend's pontoon boat, but I couldnt figure out how to do that in my (bigger) boat. All the other fly fishing I've done has been on moving water so I wasn't sure I'd have any luck just casting the Woolly Bugger and stripping it in. Ah well, next time.

The techniques you all list here, including the ones you mentioned in your post above, are all helpful, so keep posting them! I want to get some serious fishing in this year both on flies and on hardware with my kids. My 13-year-old daughter has already been informed that she needs to man the rods next time while I row! She's amped.