End Of The Year Report From Lake Chelan From Anton Jones Of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service

LAKE CHELAN AREA FISHING REPORT FOR 12/28/15

Winter fishing for Mackinaw continues to be hot on Lake Chelan during the Christmas holiday period.  Heating up is winter Kokanee fishing around Colyar Ledge.  We troll for these Lakers from 180 to 245 feet deep in the Barrens and the Trench.  Fish within 3 to 5 feet of the bottom and keep your speed around .8 to 1.3 mph.  Glow in the dark Smile Blades from Mack’s Lure continue to be the go to attractor here on Lake Chelan.  Put those in front of a 4 inch needlefish squid rig by Silver Horde, bait them with a piece of Northern Pikeminnow and scent everything with Pautzke’s Krill Juice to keep yourself consistently into the fish.  Silver Horde’s Kingfisher Lite spoons have also been productive.  These fish are completely jammed full of Mysis shrimp.  This in turn makes the meat especially delectable.  Trolling for Kokanee in the mid-depths has worked pretty good.  Your basic rig is a Mack’s Lure’s Double D Dodger in 00 to 0000 sizes with a short leader to a Mack’s Lure Mini Cha Cha Squidder.  Sizing up the hooks to #4 or even #2 might improve your fish retention percentage.  Bait the hooks with Pautzke’s Fire Corn to complete your ensemble.  Spot mid depth arches on your sonar.  We have found them from 50 feet deep to 175 feet deep.  Then troll just above them at about 1.1 mph.  Your fishing tip of the week is to use de icer to keep your gear functioning during these cold snaps.  Having reels lock up and downriggers stick are among the many “joys” of the season when a cold snap hits.  Sometimes a touch of oil on the rod eyes will help you out to.  The kid’s tip of the week is to dress them in layers and have warm liquids to fight off the winter chill.  Plan on shorter trips so the little ones will want to go fishing again.  The safety tip of the week is to leave your lower unit in the water a minute or two before starting the engine.  It will let any ice layer that has formed around the impeller to melt.  That way you won’t shred your impeller and have to pay for repairs.

11-24-15 - Terry Bright and Sara Hood of Elk Grove, CA with their mornings catch of Lake Chelan Mackinaw.

12/22/15:  Pepe' Hernandez of Blueberry Hills in Manson with son Emilio and their mornings catch of Kokanee and afternoon blast of Chukar.

12/08/15:  Pepe' Hernandez again with a 4.4 pound Chinook from the Mitchell Creek area. 

DARRELL & DAD’S FAMILY GUIDE SERVICE

509-687-0709

www.darrellanddads.com

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