fromthelogo
Active member
Thanks for the write up @bass.
Lakes Henry Hagg Lake Fishing Reports
bass
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Fished again on Sunday. A couple of drive-bys but no fish caught trolling. I caught 2 on power bait, and once again they were nice sized and fat, but that is not much to show for a full day on the water. I did try for bass for about an hour but that was fruitless as well. Between the last 2 Sundays the lake dropped 5' and then came back up by 1.5'. I am not sure if that has an effect or not but there seemed to be a lot more junk in the water, especially towards Scoggins.
There were quite a few folks out but I never saw a single fish caught trolling.
There were quite a few folks out but I never saw a single fish caught trolling.
bass
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Nice fish @Fishnbuck!
I have not been catching many at Hagg but they have all been nice sized and healthy. The weird thing is how bad the trolling bite is. I know folks are catching trout and kokes at places like Detroit, Merwyn and other lakes by trolling. Perhaps it is just that Hagg is too off color for trolling to be effective. What was the clarity like at Detroit? I have driven past Detroit but never fished it. I want to fish BIg Cliff some day as well.
I have not been catching many at Hagg but they have all been nice sized and healthy. The weird thing is how bad the trolling bite is. I know folks are catching trout and kokes at places like Detroit, Merwyn and other lakes by trolling. Perhaps it is just that Hagg is too off color for trolling to be effective. What was the clarity like at Detroit? I have driven past Detroit but never fished it. I want to fish BIg Cliff some day as well.
bass
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I hit Henry Hagg Hagg lake on Saturday. I was excited to both go fishing and try out some Beta firmware on my Garmin heading sensor. I got to the ramp C around 7:15am and I have to say the drive around the lake had some icy spots. If you are heading out early and it is cold and clear be careful!
Since it was so cold I took my time getting ready. Even though it was a beautiful day it felt really cold on the water until about midday. I am glad the winds were calm but when the sun went behind a cloud you really felt it.
I started out by trolling again. The lake was 9.8' below full pool and the visibility was a fair bit better than my previous trip (probably about 2' in a lot of places although there were some murkier areas). On one rod I had my faithful 1/24oz roostertail with 1/2 nightcrawler but I added a flasher in front of it do to the water conditions.
On the other rod I had a Strike King bitsy minnow (1.5" crankbait) in chartreuse/green color. I started trolling towards Scoggins slowly weaving my way back and forth across the lake happy to see way less junk in the water than my previous trip.
I huddled in tight to stay warm when the crankbait rod went off. After a spirited battle I landed a fat and healthy 13" fish. That has seemed to be the normal size I have been catching this winter. I think it indicates that the fish are growing. This was probably a 10" stocker from last spring.
After I released that fish I went back to slowly pedaling my way back towards Scoggins. There were a couple of crew boats out rowing and it was enjoyable getting to watch them work while I searched for more trout.
I made it back to the mouth of the Scoggins arm without any more bites so I decided to turn around and start trolling back. Shortly after I made that decision I had trout number 2. Pretty much a clone of the first fish and also on the bitsy minnow.
I kept trolling and did not get another bite until I was past ramp C, but I did see some folks scuba diving on the way there. What a crazy day on the water.
This fish hit the spinner hard but came off about 1/2 way in. That is one reason I don't like adding a flasher (or spinner harness). That extra drag seems to make it a lot harder to land a fish. I thought about taking the flasher off, but it is hard to change something out that just got bit.
I hooked another fish around the mouth of Sain on the crankbait but it jumped and through the lure. I circled around that area for while since I had two bites fairly close to one and other but I could not draw another strike there.
I kept heading towards the dam. Experimenting with fishing depths of anywhere from15' to really deep and running my lures from near the surface to depths of about 30'. All that experimenting did not produce any results so I went back to my earlier setups.
I was trolling across the mouth of a small cove when trout number 3 hammered the bitys minnow. Once again, they fish put up a great fight and was right in that 13" range.
At that point I took off the spinner and put on a different small crankbait on that rod. I trolled for a couple more hours without getting another bite. Maybe the spinner and flasher was attracting them and then they were liking the bitsy minnow. I have no idea.
Around mid-afternoon I was at the dam and decided to see if I could wrangle up a smallmouth. I tried a bunch of lures and depths but that ended up just being casting practice.
While I was trolling up towards the dam I had marked some fish on a point so I decided to head back there and see if I could tempt some with some powerbait (gulp eggs).
I was really happy to see that there were still a lot of fish on that point. There seemed to be fish at all depths from on the bottom (in about 20') all the way up close to the surface. The wind was light and steady so I was able to hold myself in position with my pedals and paddle and did not have to even drop anchor.
I made a cast and was getting the feel for how much correction I needed to hold myself steady when I thought I felt a bite. I wasn't completely convinced since it is easy for my to lightly bump the rod while holding position.
I focused in on the rod tip and oh yeah baby, that is definitely a bite. I set the hook expecting another 13" clone but this was definitely something else. My rod whipped down and my drag was peeling. The fish then come up and made a really nice jump (you can see it on the video at the end) and let me see just how big it was. It was a bigun'.
I just kept the pressure on with my ultra light and let the rod wear that fish out. I love that rod. It is a 6'6" Fenwick I bought this past spring and it is a fish whipping machine. Again and again I worked that fish near the kayak only to have it take off and dive like a demon.
My rod would bend almost all the way to the handle each time but that soft parabolic action protected my line beautifully. I thought I was starting to get the upper hand when the fish took off behind me and made another monster jump.
It is so hard to be patient when you have a good one on. I had my net out and thought I was ready to try for the fish but as soon as the net touched the water it took off again. However, no matter what that fish tried to do and what dirty trick it tried my rod just cushioned it all again and again.
Eventually, the fish tired enough for me to net it and measure it. 20.5" and fat as all get out. I am loving the new net!
The picture does not do that fish justice since it is curled up the side, but I think you can tell how thick and fat that fish was. I am not sure if that is one of the brooders from December or not. Its fins looked to be in good shape.
When I let it go it thanked me with a big splash
I had drifted quite a ways from the point during the fight and my hands were shaking as I retied a new hook on my line and made my way back. I looked around again with my FF and found the fish again.
I cast back out and after a short wait I had another customer. I set the hook and I could not believe it but it was another big fish. This one did not jump at all but just stayed down and once again tested the flexibility of my rod.
I eventually tired the fish out and netted it. Another big fish. If I had not caught that 20.5" fish earlier I would have called this one a beast. Instead it was just a nice fish
This beauty taped out at 17" and was a completely different looking fish. Its jaw is really long and this looks like a fish that maybe has been in the lake for a long time. Just a really beautiful fish.
I released that one as well and made my way back to my magic spot. It took a bit of hunting this time but I managed to get a 15" fish on that go round. My camera had died by that point so no pic of that one but it looked normal.
I once again headed back to the magic spot and I was still marking fish on the point but the bite was done. I probably fished at least another 40 minutes around that area without getting another bite.
It was getting late in the afternoon so I decided to head back. I stopped and fished here and there and missed a few more fish on power bait but I did not land another fish.
I was really happy with the day though. 3 caught trolling and 2 really nice fish on power bait.
Here is a video with me landing two of the trolling fish (and showing the lure) and catching the 20.5" and 17". I hope you enjoy it. Watch for the jump around the 4:40 mark. I got fancy and even slow-mo'ed the jump
Just a gorgeous day out on the water.
Since it was so cold I took my time getting ready. Even though it was a beautiful day it felt really cold on the water until about midday. I am glad the winds were calm but when the sun went behind a cloud you really felt it.
I started out by trolling again. The lake was 9.8' below full pool and the visibility was a fair bit better than my previous trip (probably about 2' in a lot of places although there were some murkier areas). On one rod I had my faithful 1/24oz roostertail with 1/2 nightcrawler but I added a flasher in front of it do to the water conditions.
On the other rod I had a Strike King bitsy minnow (1.5" crankbait) in chartreuse/green color. I started trolling towards Scoggins slowly weaving my way back and forth across the lake happy to see way less junk in the water than my previous trip.
I huddled in tight to stay warm when the crankbait rod went off. After a spirited battle I landed a fat and healthy 13" fish. That has seemed to be the normal size I have been catching this winter. I think it indicates that the fish are growing. This was probably a 10" stocker from last spring.
After I released that fish I went back to slowly pedaling my way back towards Scoggins. There were a couple of crew boats out rowing and it was enjoyable getting to watch them work while I searched for more trout.
I made it back to the mouth of the Scoggins arm without any more bites so I decided to turn around and start trolling back. Shortly after I made that decision I had trout number 2. Pretty much a clone of the first fish and also on the bitsy minnow.
I kept trolling and did not get another bite until I was past ramp C, but I did see some folks scuba diving on the way there. What a crazy day on the water.
This fish hit the spinner hard but came off about 1/2 way in. That is one reason I don't like adding a flasher (or spinner harness). That extra drag seems to make it a lot harder to land a fish. I thought about taking the flasher off, but it is hard to change something out that just got bit.
I hooked another fish around the mouth of Sain on the crankbait but it jumped and through the lure. I circled around that area for while since I had two bites fairly close to one and other but I could not draw another strike there.
I kept heading towards the dam. Experimenting with fishing depths of anywhere from15' to really deep and running my lures from near the surface to depths of about 30'. All that experimenting did not produce any results so I went back to my earlier setups.
I was trolling across the mouth of a small cove when trout number 3 hammered the bitys minnow. Once again, they fish put up a great fight and was right in that 13" range.
At that point I took off the spinner and put on a different small crankbait on that rod. I trolled for a couple more hours without getting another bite. Maybe the spinner and flasher was attracting them and then they were liking the bitsy minnow. I have no idea.
Around mid-afternoon I was at the dam and decided to see if I could wrangle up a smallmouth. I tried a bunch of lures and depths but that ended up just being casting practice.
While I was trolling up towards the dam I had marked some fish on a point so I decided to head back there and see if I could tempt some with some powerbait (gulp eggs).
I was really happy to see that there were still a lot of fish on that point. There seemed to be fish at all depths from on the bottom (in about 20') all the way up close to the surface. The wind was light and steady so I was able to hold myself in position with my pedals and paddle and did not have to even drop anchor.
I made a cast and was getting the feel for how much correction I needed to hold myself steady when I thought I felt a bite. I wasn't completely convinced since it is easy for my to lightly bump the rod while holding position.
I focused in on the rod tip and oh yeah baby, that is definitely a bite. I set the hook expecting another 13" clone but this was definitely something else. My rod whipped down and my drag was peeling. The fish then come up and made a really nice jump (you can see it on the video at the end) and let me see just how big it was. It was a bigun'.
I just kept the pressure on with my ultra light and let the rod wear that fish out. I love that rod. It is a 6'6" Fenwick I bought this past spring and it is a fish whipping machine. Again and again I worked that fish near the kayak only to have it take off and dive like a demon.
My rod would bend almost all the way to the handle each time but that soft parabolic action protected my line beautifully. I thought I was starting to get the upper hand when the fish took off behind me and made another monster jump.
It is so hard to be patient when you have a good one on. I had my net out and thought I was ready to try for the fish but as soon as the net touched the water it took off again. However, no matter what that fish tried to do and what dirty trick it tried my rod just cushioned it all again and again.
Eventually, the fish tired enough for me to net it and measure it. 20.5" and fat as all get out. I am loving the new net!
The picture does not do that fish justice since it is curled up the side, but I think you can tell how thick and fat that fish was. I am not sure if that is one of the brooders from December or not. Its fins looked to be in good shape.
When I let it go it thanked me with a big splash
I had drifted quite a ways from the point during the fight and my hands were shaking as I retied a new hook on my line and made my way back. I looked around again with my FF and found the fish again.
I cast back out and after a short wait I had another customer. I set the hook and I could not believe it but it was another big fish. This one did not jump at all but just stayed down and once again tested the flexibility of my rod.
I eventually tired the fish out and netted it. Another big fish. If I had not caught that 20.5" fish earlier I would have called this one a beast. Instead it was just a nice fish
This beauty taped out at 17" and was a completely different looking fish. Its jaw is really long and this looks like a fish that maybe has been in the lake for a long time. Just a really beautiful fish.
I released that one as well and made my way back to my magic spot. It took a bit of hunting this time but I managed to get a 15" fish on that go round. My camera had died by that point so no pic of that one but it looked normal.
I once again headed back to the magic spot and I was still marking fish on the point but the bite was done. I probably fished at least another 40 minutes around that area without getting another bite.
It was getting late in the afternoon so I decided to head back. I stopped and fished here and there and missed a few more fish on power bait but I did not land another fish.
I was really happy with the day though. 3 caught trolling and 2 really nice fish on power bait.
Here is a video with me landing two of the trolling fish (and showing the lure) and catching the 20.5" and 17". I hope you enjoy it. Watch for the jump around the 4:40 mark. I got fancy and even slow-mo'ed the jump
Just a gorgeous day out on the water.
4labs
Active member
Those are some great looking fish.
Hagg is a bit past my range . Ready to hit Dorena soon
Hagg is a bit past my range . Ready to hit Dorena soon
fromthelogo
Active member
Once again thanks for the report. I’m looking forward to the water warming another 10 degrees so the small mouth bite will start heating up.
bass
Most Featured
Thanks @4labs . I was really amazed at how beautiful those fish were.
@fromthelogo I totally agree. I am really looking forward to the bass bite heating up.
@fromthelogo I totally agree. I am really looking forward to the bass bite heating up.
jamisonace
Most Featured
Fun report and that rod looks like it makes for a fun fight. Thanks
305to503fishermen
Member
Can't wait to hit Hagg soon again. I am getting tired of waking up early on Saturday to go fish steelhead and coming up empty.
Might need some trusty Hagg Rainbows again.
Maybe this summer i will try my hand at smallies too.
Might need some trusty Hagg Rainbows again.
Maybe this summer i will try my hand at smallies too.
Fishnbuck
0
Great write-up. Glad to hear you had a rewarding trip, H.H. had not been treating you well. Good quality fish!
bass
Most Featured
Thanks @jamisonace , that rod is so forgiving in a fight. I love how cushioned it is. Not an accurate caster but a great fish fighter.
@305to503fishermen , I see folks catching trout from the shore while I am out there. You should definitely fish for smallies this summer. Fishing for smallies in the Willamette is my favorite fishery.
I was happy to finally have a good day at Hagg @Fishnbuck ! I did not even decide to go until late Friday. I think that threw them off
@305to503fishermen , I see folks catching trout from the shore while I am out there. You should definitely fish for smallies this summer. Fishing for smallies in the Willamette is my favorite fishery.
I was happy to finally have a good day at Hagg @Fishnbuck ! I did not even decide to go until late Friday. I think that threw them off
305to503fishermen
Member
I got a little inflatable boat with a trolling motor or my Kayak. No need for banking lol. It is fun to paddle around there in the summer.
G
Gulfstream
Most Featured
GREAT report and photos!
bass
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305to503fishermen said:
You are all set then. Hagg is an OK bass fishery but the smallmouth in the Willamette in the summer are insane and insatiable.
bass
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Gulfstream said:
Thanks!
troutdude
Moderator
Well now you've gone and done it Mr. @bass! Now I want to GO FISHIN'!!! BAD!!!
You also came mighty close to needing a new Fenwick. ;-)
P.S. I Love my glass Fenny's!
You also came mighty close to needing a new Fenwick. ;-)
P.S. I Love my glass Fenny's!
305to503fishermen
Member
@bass maybe I will give the Willamette a go this year on my Kayak. It is just a cheapo lifetime. So the Willamette makes me nervous.
bass
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troutdude said:
I did not realize how close I was to losing that rod until I saw the video. I knew I had bumped my rod and I grabbed it without realizing how close I had been to losing it. That Fenwick I have is a graphite rod but it feels like a glass rod. They did an amazing job on that blank!
bass
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305to503fishermen said:
We can meet up one of these days when the bass fishing is good. The Willlamette park launch in West Linn (not the one in Portland) is a good one to try. There is a lot of good water on the ramp side (West side) of the river but the marked channel is on the East side. Usually not too much boat traffic close to you although it is usually pretty choppy by the end of the day. That has become one of my favorite places to fish on the Willamette.