You ever write a nice story about your fishing experience and then accidently delete it adding a picture??? well i just did so this is a condensed version
Pass Lake is on the way to Deception Pass, it's about a 45 to hour drive from Blaine, exit off on hwy 20. It's a fly fishing only lake and a motor less boat lake as well, catch and release also. The catch and release was done to curp or distroy the bass that someone put in the lake. Pass lake as a catch and release lake has some huge brown and rainbow trout in it now.
I went down with a buddy and met up with the four corners fly fishing club as well, ( i'm thinking of joining a fly club as i seem to suck at catching anything on the fly and could use the knowledge of a lot of the senior members)....As the club was there the lake was semi crowded compared to usual but it's a pretty big lake with a huge section of it around the bend..which depending on your rowing abilities is very or not accessable...i borrowed a friends kick boat float tube..which was really nice except for the slow leak...i found i could last an hour and half before needing a re-inflate..after three long kick trips back in i talked my buddy into putting the pump on his pontoon boat and that let me re-inflate while still on the water...
The lake is very scenic..while right on the main road it's still feels very secluded...
I saw a lot of fish caught by guys using indicators and chronomid fishing....i would say the average size of the rainbows caught were 20+ inches...i saw some bigger a couple small ones too...i got shut out again but as i have zero patience for indicator fishing so i wasn't to upset...i trolled around with doc sprats and wooly buggers and spent a long time tossing minnow patterns into the undergrowth of trees'etc. (and losing a lot of them) looking for the elusive giant browns that the lake is also known for....I also tried a few different nymph patterns and basically just had an excellent time trying out just about everything i tied in my fly boxes...I will admit to this right now...i'm not to keen on chonomid fishing with an indicator...sitting there doing nothing is not my idea of fly fishing...i know there are times to do it, blah blah blah..and i know i will again too but man it's a lot more fun winging some serious line into nice dark green pockets of water with the promise of big fish waiting underneath....
I saw three hatches on the lake and at dusk there was a huge hatch. I'm checking to see what it was as there were about three or more happening at the same time..i saw chonomids hatching, some large, (one inch) insect that were tan/brown and i'm assuming were big mayflies..i'm checking on that..also some insect that were leaving large husks but i couldn't get on in so not sure on that. ( i left my insect net in the truck)...near dark i swapped over to a 4wt rod and tossed some dry flies but the fish weren't rising in any large numbers so i mainly was practicing my dry fly casting, which is a helluva lot of fun for me too....what a blast to be on a nice lake at evening with a hatch happening all around you and watching your line in the near dark sky flying in tight loops as your flashing your fly out to distants ripples....
A couple things that are different down here. You can fish at night on Pass lake, something i didn't know or i might have stayed longer.....OK, maybe not i was starving as it was....also you can use two hooks, so i saw guys chonomid fishing with hooks at 4 and 14 feet...or with a dry fly tieing on a smaller dry as well...or possibly an emerger and using the dry as an indicator...pretty cool stuff which i forgot till i was talking to some friends today...
A great spot for you fly guys to come visit for a change of pace...My new license cost me $23..and as a Canadian yours would cost you $43 for the year, so not to horrible to deal with...it's tough fishing at times but the rewards are some huge fish...if you stay into the night the browns are supposed to become quite active so next time i will be doing that for sure..and hopefully my Water Master will be here by then...Here's some shots..
Author
Topic: Pass Lake, Wa. 4-2-06 (Read 2527 times)