Merwin 2011

[Birds Nest]

Well first day without a limit, got 4 and lost about 12, Aloe is the medicine of choice this evening. The water is back up so no problems launching, plenty of boats out there this weekend too. Fished about 30 feet deep for my hookups I estimate. Best of luck out there

[southside]

Thanks for the report. Glad to hear the water is back up.

[greatnwriversgs]

30 ft is deep, the fish are right on the top

[Kokonuts]

With so many people getting limits I am wondering what is the largest that you have gotten?

My best was last month when I pulled in a nice 16" koke. I have heard reports of 18" to over 20". I would like to hear about the largest that you have caught.
Does anyone have any pictures of the big ones?

Kokonuts

[greatnwriversgs]

out of the 1000 we have got this year, just over 15 is our biggest, no one is getting 18-20 in fish, my biggest ever is 18 out of that lake.... we got a 19 in king 2 weeks ago, maybe some people can not tell the diff.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin today. I was the first boat out and returned with my limit around 8. The fish were between 13 and 14 inches. I now know how Sir Frances Drake must have felt when he first spotted the Spanish Armada! Boats everywhere! When I left the lot around 8:45 the lower lot was full and the upper lot was 3/4 full plus some were parking in the wide spots in the road. On the way from Speelyai to Woodland I counted at least a dozen boats headed for Merwin. I am concerned that too many fish are being caught and that fishing will be poor this summer. I hope that the bite goes off for a couple of weeks.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin today. I had six hits and caught 4 in 1 Hr and 20 minutes. I thought another quick fish and I can head to Yale. The Merwin Gods did not like that thinking. It took me 3 hrs. and 25 mim. to get that last fish. My fish were between 12 1/2 and 13 1/2. I have not caught any fish 14 inches or better for about two weeks. When I left about 11:00 the lot was almost full. It was a very nice day with calm wind. I fished several levels but got all my hits at 16 ft.

[Kokecatcher]

I went back to Merwin this morning. I got my limit but it took 5 hours and 45 minutes. I fished several places. I got all my fish down lake from Woodland Park. I got 4 at 16 feet and the last one at 28 feet. I did not see many fish caught. You can get a limit if you happen to be at the right spot at the right time and are willing to fish for 4-6 hours. It is not like it was a month ago when people were getting quick limits all over the lake. It was a very pleasant day on the lake. The Host has arrived. I think that they start charging $3 next Friday.

[Calcan]

Went to Merwin today fishing was slow but fun, Hey thanks to the folks who followed me up and let me know my tailights on the trailer were faulty. Caught two, failed to catch about 10 but what a gas trying to bring them in. I hope everyone had fun out there today. Does anyone know when cresup launch is going to open?

[Koke-n-a-smile]

The fishing is SLOW now. We ended with 5 today for 3 poles, and lost another 5 or so. Ran out of gas for the kicker, or we would've stayed and maybe finished our limits. Then the battery gave up, so I had to hand pull the 90 hp main motor. What a pain in the butt. The other reports I was getting on the water were my buddy also got 5 for two poles, but no one else was having any luck. One guy said they had one puke minnow on but didn't even get it in the net. The weather was good so we aren't complaining! Calcan, Cresap Bay should open next weekend when they start charging the ramp fees.

[Calcan]

thanks that should save me a lot of time

[Kokecatcher]

Quick limits are over for a while at Merwin. What was catching is now fishing! I got five nice kokanee but it took five hours. I caught fish at 22 and 28 feet. The bite would be on for a few minutes and then nothing for an hour or more. It is important to have good sharp hooks. You get fewer bites now and you want boat as many as possible. I did not see many fish caught. I did talk to one fisherman at the dock and he had a couple of fat rainbow about 12 inches.

[Fish Slayer]

I fished at the dam from shore Sunday with three grandkids. We caught 12 fish in the 12 - 14 in range. 8 Kokes and 4 rainbows. We were there for 4 hrs.

[Mudinchev]

Went out last Sunday morning, granted this is my first year fishing this lake and first year fishing with my new boat, so we (son and I) are still learning. The last 4 times on the lake we did good (well ok) for newbies we landed 4-6 fish each trip. This time, I couldnt keep a fish on for more than 3 seconds by the time you got to the pole it was gone. We had at least a dozen take downs but nothing to show for it. (Except 3 squaw fish) they seemed to be the only thing that wouldn't spit the hook. It was a frustrating morning. We were running about 20-25 feet deep (same set up as before). Any advice on what I was doing wrong? My son talked to some people while I was getting the trailer and they said they caught nothing but 8 pike minnows a few days earlier as well.

[skookum9]

Two things I might try. The first is to make sure I have a stinger hook behind my rig. This will ensure that there is plenty of opportunity for him not to miss a connection. The second thing would be to play with the leader length. When using a hoochie, it is necessary to keep the leader relatively short in order to create movement in the lure. But when using a more traditional lure, the leader length is far less critical to the action of the lure. This leader length can make a difference in the caution of the fish however. If the leader is too short, this can cause fish to be bashful of the lure and cause "short strikes" that will have a tendancy to either break leaders or miss strikes. If the leader is too long, this will allow the fish to be too comfortable and they will be more likely to mouth the lure and as a result, never really even let you know they were there, or at least not until it is too late.

I don't know that these are things that would have helped you to catch your fish but they are the things I would have tried. The stinger hook idea has really paid off for me when trolling and I try to gear all of my trolling rigs that way now no matter what the species I am pursuing.

[Kokecatcher]

Some days the bite is soft. That said, I believe in very sharp hooks. I have always used octpus hooks. My last three trips I switched to drop shot split shot hooks and have had only one hit that did not hook. I think that this hook has made a difference.

[Mudinchev]

Soft bite.....maybe, but there were a few take downs that were pretty hard, we had some soft ones but when they fold the pole 3/4 of the way down and tugging hard, I just don't understand how or why they wouldn't stay. Like I said before the set up we are using has proven it self the last 4 trips we landed probably 80% of what hit. I know that this is why they call it fishing and not catching, but my son is still learning that. He gets so excited reeling fish in he is literally shaking and he is jabbering like crazy, like wise on days like that the emotional swing from such excitement to such a let down is sometimes more than he can take. By the time we left the lake he was in tears. Like I said before I've created a monster!

[southside]

I went up at the crack of 1:00 pm. on Friday. A very mixed bag of weather. Dead calm and glassy water starting off. Hit my first fish about a half hour later. Willow leaf gang troll with a green wedding ring tipped with shoe peg flat lined at around 50ft. 0.8 to 1.2 mph. Very nice fiesty 14"er. Then the wind kicked up, showers and a very hard time trolling. Hooked my second cookie cutter 14" fish during a major squall. Same set up at 60'. I was also flat lining a red sling blade with a pink hoochie tipped with one pink, and one white gulp maggot. Only got one bite on that set up, a small fish that spit the hook at the boat. Changed it over to a gang troll and green wedding ring at 62' on the line counter and got hit on the first crazy Ivan.

It took a good 4 hours to get my limit. Many very hard drive by strikes with no hookup. Bait checked after and still had both pieces of corn on the hooks.

I bbq'd three of them using cedar planks. Absolutey wonderful meal with sweet corn on the cob and a salad.

Great way to start a weekend.

Peace,Tom

[Mudinchev]

Went back Sunday morning to find mostly calm water for the 1st hour or so then the wind kicked up. Making it nearly impossible for me to control the boat (my trolling set up leaves a little to be desired) my only option was to go with the wind and it was pushing me WAY to fast. I tried going cross wind but it would push me so hard sideways that the lines were off the back of the boat at about 45 degrees. We ended up with 1 little trout. Of coarse about the time we left the wind died down but oh well that's the way it goes. Cant wait meet the every one up at Yale next month and learn the tricks of the trade.

[MackPrince]

I got the itch early today so I snuck out of town around 4:00. Thankfully there was no rain at the lake, and relatively few boats.

As for a report: Don't try the secret scent I used on my corn today. It even kept the pikeminnows away. I might as well of had a banana on the hook. The water is l-o-w. But, there were several great schools with a few biters (on the standard bait). All we need is a swift weather change and I think the bite will be back soon.

[daveo]

Good fishing over the weekend. The suprise was half the fish long lining and half on the riggers fron 22 to 30 feet. If you found the plankton you found the fish. I have a new favorite dodger I call the clown or Bozo wich is really a 0003 seps watermelon dodger followed by a pink hootchie. A very interesting observation was I had one hootchie with store bought hooks ( gamagatu octapus) and one with a retied hootchie with gamagatsu drop shots. 80 percent better hook up ratio with the drop shots. Also Monday we didnt leave the Hideaway end of the lake it was full of plankton and fish wich was completly diferent than the previous 2 days......

[Calcan]

Launched at cresup about 6:00 went to campers hideaway started to troll no luck until the slide then upped the idle on the trolling motor and in about thirty min. had my limit. 1/2 ounce banana, 65 feet back , ford fender and a pink hootchie with tuna corn. What a great day!!!

[addicted2fishing]

Went out on my first hunt for the kokanee with my wife. We had a blast even though it was a slow day of fishing. Big thanks to kokonuts for the chance to experience kokanee fishing. I'm hooked!

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin On Friday, June 3. In about four hours I caught five kokanee and had seven other hits. The fish ranged from 12-14 inches. I caught the fish at 22 feet. Two were caught on a UV sling blade and a red wedding ring and three were caught on a UV sling blade and a firetiger spinner that I make. It was a very nice day and I did not see any water vermin.

[Mudinchev]

First try at a pic, we were up there this week end, we got one nice one and a couple of trout. It was a nice time with the family, just wish we could find a limit or two one of these days.