Merwin 2011

[Kokecatcher]

Great picture! I like to see kids have a good time fishing. My dad started me when I was about four and I have been fishing ever since. Today I went back to Merwin. There was an excellent bite early. I started at 0530 and had my limit at 0630. I was fishing below Woodland Park making large circles in the middle of the lake. When I got a hit I would make small tight circles to try and stay with the fish. I caught all my fish on fire tiger spinners that I make. Today I learned that a small difference in depth can make a difference. I set one lure at 22 ft and the other at 24 ft. Both lures were fire tiger spinners, both were set back 35 ft and both had the same bait. The one at 22 ft caught 4 fish and had two hits that did not hook. The other nothing. I raised the lure at 24 ft to 22 ft and in a couple of minutes I had my fifth fish. All my fish were 13-14. They look bigger but when you measure them they are not.

[Mudinchev]

OK so my parents are visiting from Spokane this week end and my dad loves kokanee fishing, he fishes a small private lake over there with a neighbor all the time. I am planning on taking them on a sight seeing trip around the lake and then spend a few hours fishing. My question is what part of the lake is best this time of year? Last week end I was close to the waterfall just west of speleai (sp?) bay. Didn't have the greatest luck there, I found a couple of small schools but couldn't find them again for even a second pass. Only had one bite after I had seen fish, the other 2 came as a surprise (nothing on the screen for quite a while).

[Kokecatcher]

My last three trips I have been fishing below Woodland Park. Often I will get a fish when the sonar shows nothing. If you are fishing in the top 20 ft of water and have a long set back your lure will be out of the sonar cone. There may be fish near your lure but not in the cone under your boat. I also fish early in the morning.

[Cosby]

OK so my parents are visiting from Spokane this week end and my dad loves kokanee fishing, he fishes a small private lake over there with a neighbor all the time. I am planning on taking them on a sight seeing trip around the lake and then spend a few hours fishing. My question is what part of the lake is best this time of year? Last week end I was close to the waterfall just west of speleai (sp?) bay. Didn't have the greatest luck there, I found a couple of small schools but couldn't find them again for even a second pass. Only had one bite after I had seen fish, the other 2 came as a surprise (nothing on the screen for quite a while).

IMO...... you'd be better off to do the fishing first, and the sight seeing tour second. The first few early hours (5:00-8:00AMish) at Merwin are almost always productive. I'd also recommend you motor down to the Woodland Park area OR downstream of Woodland Park.

[Mudinchev]

I guess we will have to get up early tomorrow, it was a late night last night so we couldn't get out too early today, we launch at LMCH and there seemed to be more boats up there than anywhere else. I am assuming Woodland park is on the north side of the lake from the water it looked like a bunch of houses close to the water, from Google earth it looked a little different. It was definitely slow but we fished from about 10am -2pm. This was the catch for today.

[Koke-n-a-smile]

I was able to get out of doing chores and go fishing today! I was torn between Yale and Merwin because my buddy is slaying them at Yale. However, the battery on my boat seems to be about done, I can't seem to get it to keep a charge, so, I decided to keep to Merwin, just in case the battery didn't work, at least I know the water. Put in around 7 and I got my limit of nice fat 14 inchers by 10am. The battery on the boat is dead dead. Looks like I get to buy a new one for the KFF gathering in a couple of weeks. My buddy, Yimmie ended up with a couple of limits at Yale for the day, though they looked a little smaller than the Merwin fish. Should be good times at Yale, I look forward to seeing everyone up ther

[Rikker99]

Spent free fishing weekend at Merwin and came away with thirty fish and a little SUNBURN! Awesome time with the family.

[Mudinchev]

Man I cant wait for the weekend at Yale to hopefully learn a few things, its killing me to read about all the limits and I cant get it figured out. We fished Sunday morning from about 5:30 to 10 and came away with 2 trout 2 squaw fish and 1 lost Kok. If there is one thing I have learned about fishing, it is all in the details. I threw everything I had in the tackle box at them and got . Most likely it will be my next opportunity to fish as we are taking the kids to a USFS fishing derby in Trout lake next week end.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin on Tuesday. It took a little over 4 hrs to get my limit. I did not get any big fish but they were all nice fish between 13-13 1/2. I got all my hits between 22 and 28 feet using down riggers. Last Thursday I got a limit in 1 hr. Tuesday the bite for me was on a few minutes and off for much longer. I went through one period of nearly 2 hrs. with nothing. I was marking a lot of fish so I decided to stay with them and just wait. There were not many people fishing on Tuesday. When I got back to the dock a little after 1000 there were only about a dozen or so trailers.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin early today. This was probably my best day ever at Merwin. From 0535 to 0551 I had seven hits: caught five, lost one and one squaw fish. The fish ranged from 13 1/4 to 14. I was fishing two poles but the action was so fast that I never had more than one line in the water at any time. I used UV sling blades with a white and a red wedding ring. All hits were at 18 ft with a 45 ft set back at 1.1 to 1.2 mph. I found a school and the bite was on. A guide once told me " I would rather have luck than skill any day." Today I had luck.

[BonkinKokes]

Nice fish. I love it when you drop in to a wide open bite. 1 day last summer it was our turn. Once we came around the point into koke cove it was wfo. Twice we had doubles and put the motor in nuetral to fully enjoy the battle. 45 minutes later we were done. Hoping to get up there in the next few days.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin this morning. Started at 0530 and had my five at 0650. I had 12 hits all at 28 ft. The UV sling blades and the red and white wedding rings have worked well for me this season. For years I used the 1.0 silver scale apex or spinners that I make. Early in the season my spinners were very productive. The last several trips the UV sling blade wedding ring combination has proved effective. The white, glow, wedding ring is very effective early in the morning. One thing is very important this time of year. FISH EARLY!

[BonkinKokes]

Fished Merwin yesterday. Got my lines in the water about 5:45. First bite around 7 which was a driveby. Next biter stuck but came off near the boat. First fish in the box around 7:15. Then about 8 and 8:30 were the next ones flopping on the deck. That was it for me. Fished until noon and then headed to the ramp. The water temp early was 58 degrees and when I left at noon it was 62. Around 11 I sent my thermometer down. I found 55 degree water at 35'. I was marking fish from 25 to 40. I couldn't unlock what they wanted to bite. Last year I thought I started to have it figured out. Wrong again. But I do love it. Th 3 fish measured 13 to 13.5".

By the way,I had a fish with shoulders follow in my gear. I did my best to entice it to bite. I realize that the water distorts the size of objects but this fish looked like a football size chinook jack.

A side note is that these fish had almost empty stomachs. Have yet to see a plankton bloom.

[KnotWorkin]

I fished Merwin this morning. Started at 0530 and had my five at 0650. I had 12 hits all at 28 ft. The UV sling blades and the red and white wedding rings have worked well for me this season. For years I used the 1.0 silver scale apex or spinners that I make. Early in the season my spinners were very productive. The last several trips the UV sling blade wedding ring combination has proved effective. The white, glow, wedding ring is very effective early in the morning. One thing is very important this time of year. FISH EARLY!

Kokecatcher, thanks for all the updates, it's nice to get info before heading out! .... Might I ask where you start and how do you go about finding the school? Seems like most boats are fishing between the falls on the northside and then across the lake in the same general area. Are these typically the best area's or do they move all over the lake?

[Kokecatcher]

Kokecatcher, thanks for all the updates, it's nice to get info before heading out! .... Might I ask where you start and how do you go about finding the school? Seems like most boats are fishing between the falls on the northside and then across the lake in the same general area. Are these typically the best area's or do they move all over the lake?

Hello. I start the day before doing a little research and developing a plan for the next morning. After every fishing trip I make notes on where I fished, what I used, depth, weather, bite pattern and other data. When I leave in the morning my poles are ready with my first offering and I have identified the next two or three that I will use. I have selected where I will start based on my last couple of trips and my historical data. I fish downriggers. I set them about six feet apart and then adjust the depths using my sonar until I get a bite. After a couple of bites at a given depth I fish both poles at that depth until the bite stops and then I start the process again. You will notice that most people catch a fish and then keep going in the same direction. If they passed over a school they will soon have passed it. I work a small area and fish in circles. After a hit I reverse course and try to pass over the same area again. Fish are all over the lake. At different times of the year I fish different places. This time of year I like areas of the lake that are deeper.

Now for today's report. I had a very nice morning at Merwin. I started at 0540and had my five at at 0640. I again got all my hits at 28 ft. I started at 22 and 28 and after two hits at 28 moved the other lure to that depth. Today I used white glow wedding rings and UV sling blades. I troll at 1-1.2 mph. The fish were 13 1/4 with the largest close to 15. The ruler in the picture is 15 inches. I try to fish twice a week. The last couple of weeks have been very good for me. Some days, however, it taks a long time. If the bite is not on there is not much you can do.

[Kokecatcher]

It has been a week since I last fished Merwin. Today was a beautiful day at the lake. I got my line in the water at 0530 and had my limit at 0720. I had a total of 10 hits. Today all hits came at 35 ft. I again used white and red wedding rings with UV sling blades. Until about six weeks ago I was not a fan of sling blades and wedding rings. With the success I have had, however, I will stay with this combination until it stops working. The fish were 13 3/4 to 15. This is the second trip where I got a 15 inch fish. I thought about going to Yale but I had a lot to do at home like pick my strawberries. This is what summer is all about: good fishing and fresh fruit!

[MackPrince]

Great reports KC. While I didn't have the same done at 6:30 results as you I was able to make an early morning run yesterday and left at 9:30 with some nice sized fish. Caught some on my green combo some of you have seen, and on a watermelon Vance's dodger with pink squid. I mean... I was using a ford fender with a red wedding ring tipped with a whole night crawler at 60'

It was great talking with Splash and Koke Hunter.

See you on the water!
-Mack

[Get'nJiggy]

Little late on the report, but my son and I had a few hours to kill Sunday am, so we hit the lake around 6:30 and managed to scratch out 5 fish before we had to leave. Started out just west of CH, and got two. After not finding many schools we headed down tot he waterfall area and got into a decent bite for 20 min or so and landed 3. Best combo was a SEPP's dodger and pink hootchie. 31- 35 ft seemed to be best.
I was "that" guy when I didn't notice my batteries getting low, and had to limp all the way from the waterfall to Cresup on my kicker to get in. Oh well, it was a fun ride and with all the debris in the water I wouldn't have gone much faster on my main.

(We got our last one as I was taking this picture!)

[Mudinchev]

Saw you out there.....I didnt have much luck only ended up with 1 but part way threw the morning my son jumped ship on me and hitched a ride with Richard (kokonuts). At least he reeled in a couple fish that morning. We will have to hook up some time, your boy looks like he is close in age to mine, they can swap fish stories!

[TrollNFisher]

Get'nJiggy man I bet your son had a ball, nice looking fish.

[Koke-n-a-smile]

Get-n-jiggy, don't feel too bad. I was "that guy" a couple of weeks ago. Except I found out when the kicker motor tank ran out of gas. Then the battery goes dead and I had to pull start the main motor. At least you weren't out on the Columbia, you might've had a really crappy day!

[MackPrince]

Great pic Jiggy.

[Kokecatcher]

I had another interesting morning at Merwin. Today it took just under 3 1/2 hours to get my five. I was lucky. I had lots of hits and lost six nice fish, 2 at the boat. I am glad that other boats were not close enough to see how incompetent I was today, like wrapping a fish around the downrigger wire or beating a fish off the hook with the net. At one point I stopped fishing and drank a cup of coffee just to settle down. Oh well, I guess that most of us have a day like this once in a while. No pictures today, I forgot to take the camera!

[Kokecatcher]

I started fishing Merwin on April 1. Today was trip #20. It has been a wonderful season for me. Today I started at 0550 and got my fifth fish at 0740. The fish ranged from 13 1/4 to 15. The rain kept most people away. When I left the lake there were only five trailers in the lot. It is so nice to get our lake back from the Mongol Hordes of April and May! I got hits from 35 to 45 feet. I continue to use UV sling blades with white and red wedding rings. My next trip will probably be on Friday. Wishing you all tight lines.

[Kokecatcher]

I fished Merwin On Friday. I had lots of action but it took 5 1/2 hours to get my limit. A fellow that I know launched when I did and it took him 5 1/2 hours also. I got all hits between 30-40 feet. I caught three on the white wedding ring with gold ring and gold plated blade and two on the 1.0 silver scale apex. I had a lot of hits that did not hook, lost a couple and five squaw fish. There were not many boats on the lake. When I left around noon there were twelve trailers in the lot including one water vermin that was just launching.