Fishing Report 7-5-05

After a few weeks off, I got back to business and took out Tom Loomis and his friend Ralph from Roseburg and Portland respectively. We meet at the ramp at 4:30 to take a shot at the browns before the sun got too high. It is a little late in the year for flat lining with surface temps of low 60's but we gave it a shot until the sun hit the water. After a dink rainbow and one small brown, I decide to break out the riggers and things improved dramatically.

We did really well with 17 more browns caught and released before 11:00 a.m. The biggest 3 fish went 3.5, 5.5 and 6lb. Most of the fish were 1.5 to 2 lb. The hot lures were a Yo-zuri plug that is no longer made and the Lyman 4.0 in a chub color (blk/gold). I have EChips on both lures as I do almost anything I run anymore.

After lunch we decided to finish the day working on the kokanee. It was really tough when we got back on the water at 1:00 but we finally figured out where some good numbers of fish were and things improved as the afternoon progressed. We were running 2 rods for the kokanee using Shasta Tackle Slingblades ahead of Pro-Troll kokanee killers in watermelon and copcar patterns. When we got off the water at 5:00 we had 7 kokes in the livewell and had probably lost at least a dozen fish. Most of the kokes came the last two hours. They are running smaller this year and the biggest ones were around 12 in.

I will be heading to Yellowstone and Flaming Gorge Res. for a couple of weeks of vacation but have some guide trips lined up at the end of July. I will post about my fishing excursions at Flaming Gorge when I get back. The kokanee in there have exceeded 4 lb. regularly the last few years and the record for the res. is over 6 lb.
I'll be fishing with a couple of friends that live there so I have some local knowledge working for me.

Thanks to all of you who have faithfully supported my website!

Tight Lines, Rick