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[FishOn36]

I had a pretty dismal day out at Hicks lake yesterday, brought my new inflatable boat in hopes of better fishing then just casting off shore. The weather was overcast with a fair amount of wind at times, which was hard to row against....thankfully the rain held off though. Anyways, I tried trolling several different things without any action, a willow leaf spinner & red wedding band w/ worm, Hammered Brass Fire Stripe 1/4oz croc spoon (which I ended up losing ), flatfish, and black & olive woolly buggers. A lot of people were catching fish just off the shoreline near the boat launch, with just a worm/bobber combo it looked like. One guy claimed to have caught 8 and to release a bunch more. I did a big loop around the whole lake, then just trolled around the islands and somewhat near the launch, trolling anywhere from about 10-30ft down. I'm looking for suggestions as to what else I could try that would produce something, and where the best spot(s) to fish that lake are when in a boat.

Thanks

[newsman]

You were probably trolling to fast. What I have found works best in that lake is to motor just of the Island and then do a wind drift with a moderate sink line. Lots of Kokanee in that lake. Flies that have worked for me are: black Wooly Bugger, Doc Spratley, standard black Chironomid, and tan Chromed.

[FishOn36]

You were probably trolling to fast. What I have found works best in that lake is to motor just of the Island and then do a wind drift with a moderate sink line. Lots of Kokanee in that lake. Flies that have worked for me are: black Wooly Bugger, Doc Spratley, standard black Chironomid, and tan Chromed.

I was wind drifting quite a bit, but yeah I may have been paddling a bit too fast. I don't have a fly rod yet so I was just trolling those wooly buggers on a spinning rod with about a 2 foot leader.

[colin6101]

That lake can be quite tough to manage in an inflatable boat due to the wind. I would suggest you try out trout or deer lake for some easier fishing. They don't seem to be as large as the fish out of hicks but are generally easier to catch.

[FishOn36]

That lake can be quite tough to manage in an inflatable boat due to the wind. I would suggest you try out trout or deer lake for some easier fishing. They don't seem to be as large as the fish out of hicks but are generally easier to catch.

I'm after the decent sized fish 

[FishOn36]

Bump, still looking for some more input on hicks lake!! 

[Bavarian Raven]

havent fished there for years. but trolling with willowleaves/ford fenders with willowleaves and worms always caught us trout.

[FishOn36]

havent fished there for years. but trolling with willowleaves/ford fenders with willowleaves and worms always caught us trout.

I was running a willowleaf spinner w/red wedding band & worm and didn't get anything. For some reason I had some serious line twist on that setup, possibly from trolling too fast?

[Bavarian Raven]

I was running a willowleaf spinner w/red wedding band & worm and didn't get anything. For some reason I had some serious line twist on that setup, possibly from trolling too fast?

could be u going to fast. i fish from a canoe so for me its easier to judge the right speed.
maybe u just had a bad day. it happens to all of us. but if you want more action, try the smaller lakes around there. smaller fish (usually) but more fish.

[ricer]

Try again  - some days they just don't want to cooperate

[Spooner]

Ive had the same kind of luck lately .Some days are great and others not so good. Still beats the hell out of work.
Maybe its the weather its kind of a dogs breakfast

[trout80]

I was running a willowleaf spinner w/red wedding band & worm and didn't get anything. For some reason I had some serious line twist on that setup, possibly from trolling too fast?

You shouldn't get line twist with that set up.Did you have a weight in front of your willow leaf that might cause everything to spin? Sounds like your whole set up was spinning which means your worm and hook probably were as well. Maybe try putting a chain swivel in front of your willow leaf.

[canso]

your gang should have a rudder to prevent line twist.
also if you loosen your drag, and pull line out of a spinning reel, it will cause twist.
when you pay out line, you need to open the bail.

I'm sure your luck will pick-up

[FishOn36]

You shouldn't get line twist with that set up.Did you have a weight in front of your willow leaf that might cause everything to spin? Sounds like your whole set up was spinning which means your worm and hook probably were as well. Maybe try putting a chain swivel in front of your willow leaf.

I actually did have a small egg sinker (not sure which size) right before the swivel of the willow leaf just to help get er down.

@canso, the willow leaf spinner I was using looks pretty close to this (http://www.gibbsfishing.com/products_willowleafspoon.asp), except it has a swivel to tie your line to instead of just a little loop as seen in the pictures.

[Davidp]

With the recent stocking at hicks lake anyone try there luck at Sasquatch yet?