We took advantage of all those helpful reports coming in from up north and headed uplake on Saturday. As you would suspect, 4th of July weekend on the Gorge was busy. We still managed to catch our limits of some awesome kokes measuring up to 19 inches and 3.5lbs.
We slalomed through other trollers just off Holmes Crossing, graphing most of the fish between 30-50ft. After changing techniques, we dialed in a pattern. Much like previous reports, we did best with an RMT Signature Dodger in pink/green, followed by a hot pink Shasta Pee-wee. Second best was a RMT Signature Dodger in Hyper plaid, ahead of a watermelon Serpent spoon. Most of the fish came in around 37ft cruising 2-2.2mph. Water temps in the morning were about 64F.
Nice report Ryno, sounds just like mine. The kokes seem on the larger side this year. Lots of folks out there having fun this weekend, at least they aren’t crazy like the people at our local lake[;)]. Thanks for sharing your report.
You mentioned you fished the Holmes crossing area, tell me did you see large numbers of fish below 60 feet or on the bottom? Just trying to get some kind of picture, thanks.
No, the bulk of the fish were between 30-50ft. We saw a few marks just off the bottom, which were probably macks but we didn’t drop any rigs.
Watching the graph up there was different compared to what I’m used to seeing in the Canyon. You would see an fish just suspended here and there, and then a “ball” or concentration of a dozen or more fish. I can’t think of a time when I’ve seen “balls” like that in the Canyon. When you find the fish, t’s more common to see them suspended at a specific depth or within a narrow band.
The attached pic shows my graph a couple of weeks ago while trolling in Jarvies. The distinct line around 30ft is my cannonballs, but the kokes and bows were suspended from about 25-30ft. That’s a lot of fish, and of course I snapped these pics after we already had the limits in the boat!
I appreciate that info and pic. I want to ask you one more thing though. Do you know what all those fish are stacked up in some places against the canyon walls? I show them most of the time between 40/50-160 feet deep. Tens of them. There are alot of these around Horseshoe Canyon. Have tried so many times to catch one and not a bite. I am lost. Do you have any idea?
I would guess you’re seeing lake trout. I’ve seen that in Horseshoe and I see that quite a bit in the Canyon. I love to troll for pups near steep canyon walls. Of course it’s always a gamble, because if the depths come up to quick, you sacrifice your cannonballs! Have you tried trolling those areas?
I have tried to troll these areas and get nothing. Only some 'bows in less than 30 feet. I will have to try more though. So you think they are probably laker trout then? What do you like to use for the pups agianst the walls like that?
I use the same colors that I run for kokes or bows but size up my Needlefish (#3s) or put on crankbaits like Husky Jerks or Thunderstick Jrs. I’ve also got some Daredevils I like to troll in blaze orange colors. Lake trout seem to be pretty finicky eaters though. One day my livewell is full of them and the next I don’t see a pup. It’s hard for me to understand, it may be something I’m missing as an angler, but it “fuels the fire” to figure them out. Good luck!
