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spoons
05-20-2011, 10:56 AM
Has anyone ever done well fishiong at Payette Lake? My wife loves to camp there (childhood memories).... but I have never done good fishing. I'm an eater so catching and releasing Macks is not very attractive to me.

kodiak1
05-20-2011, 11:53 AM
Well, if you are an "eater", I wouldn't be fishing for macs in Payette Lake. I have been fishing for macs there since 1961, and know the fishery well. We had a cabin there until a few years, and I practically lived on the lake. It used to be a great kokanee fishery, but isn't anymore. Fair to good, at best. The lake is very sterile, and thus trout and kokes don't do exceptionally well. I ate one mac years ago, before they went to catch and release. "Gross" is the best word to describe the taste. Immense amounts of fat. My suggestion is to catch and release or save one for mounting. By the way, it is a very technical fishery. You can be trolling just 10' off a hot spot, and not connect. The bottom has lots of surprises such as drop offs, submerged yellow pines, rocky bottoms, etc. and you can easily either be too high or snagging your ball. You have to be very alert, and adjusting your depth constantly. For eating purposes, you would be better off heading a few miles north to Upper Payette or south to Cascade! Mike

kodiak1
05-20-2011, 12:01 PM
I have a kokanee update! After my post, I went to the F and G stocking info section on their site, and was most surprised to find that after of period of no stocking from about 1993 to recently, they began with small plants, and since 2008, they have significantly increased the plantings of early spawning kokanee. I have no idea why they have changed. We used to beg them to plant kokes and they would always defer to "this is a water ski lake with few fishermen". Yeah, because there was lousy fishing. Maybe it is a new day for one of the prettiest places to fish in the state. I just might have to try koke fishing up there again. Mike