Loon Lake Night Mission 6/15

[Brisco]

Going to try out some of my new lighting kits/setups. I am not super experienced at the whole night time jigging/still fishing thing. I have always been a hardcore troller but I think this is gonna be fun to try!

[Brisco]

It was warm. It was beautiful. I managed to catch a couple trolling as the sun went down. As soon as I anchored up and started still fishing with the floodlights, NOTHING!

I think I'm gonna stick to my game because as I was loading up at around 1 AM another boat came in with five guys on it and they had 50 fish!

[downriggeral]

Brisco, PM me we gotta talk about this! Alan

[AquaKing]

What kind of lights you using? Full spectrum is probably your best bet? I know some guys swear by metal halides....ive had decent luck with off road high powered LED lights. Havent tried for just Kokanee yet....

[downriggeral]

OK so here is the deal: I just use the floating headlights I pick up at the White Elephant ( 5" car headlights?) Anchor in 32' when you find the fish (both ends) turn on the lights, I use two per side (separate battery from the one for the motor!) Now the setup; 5' Eagleclaw FEATHER LITE, they are yellow with gold guides. Small spinning reel with yellow 6# Fire Line. Tie on 4' 8# Berkley Vanish or other flurocarbon with double uni knot. Tie on small snap (no swivel) using Palomar knot. Get a 1/4 oz. Swedish Pimple in glow (4GLO S.P. 1/4 OZ.) and remove all hooks and split rings. Get Mac's Glo red hook wide gap 02323 in Green #6, tie small snap on leaving about 4 or 5 inches of leader. Snap the hook to the Sewdish Pimple and snap the Pimple to the line, it makes a nice weight to keep the line tight. Put 3 or four maggots (through the head to leave them squirm) and add ONE kernel of SHOEPEG corn. Use camera strobe to charge it up (cover with hand to keep from flashing your eyes, can't see a thing for ten minutes if you do that!)
Let the rig all the way to the bottom quickly to keep from catching sun fish. Come up one crank on the reel. The bite will be VERY soft many times or they will just hang on it. A flick of the wrist is all that is needed to set the hook. They will FLY for the surface when hooked, reel fast and lift the pole to keep up, now as they come to the top it is a nice smoooooth swing into

[downriggeral]

Continuation....the cooler on ice. They are really slippery little buggers to try to catch flopping around in the boat in the dark!

I have a Coleman propane gas lantern set up on Coleman pole (multiple fuel outlets) and a LPG tank that I put on a makeshift shelf across the motor well to light up the boat so we can see the poles and bait hooks. Be sure to strap it down, I put it in a milk crate, to keep a wave from throwing it in the lake.
Flying fish on Alan

[Brisco]

Looks like I get to go back to White Elephant. I was using the full spectrum, plain old car headlight floating lights though. 8 bucks I think.

[downriggeral]

Sounds about right. The wire connectors are kinda cheesy, you may want to check them after purchase.

[Brisco]

I set up 2 rods like that this afternoon. We shall see on Saturday

[Heavens Ridge]

I'm new to the night fishing at Loon lake can some one show me the best hook setup and do I need lights do the green lights work any better?
thanks Dave

[Brisco]

Dave, scroll up and look at downriggeral's post. He pretty much nails it.

[downriggeral]

Hi Dave,

I don't know anything about the green lights. LED's would be nice from a power standpoint. The headlights work great...just run them separate from your starting battery. See my post from the 17th for the rest of the details; as Brisco says that "pretty much nails it" Have fun; it's a blast - Alan

[Heavens Ridge]

Alan,
It sounds like you have the night jig setup is it possible to get a picture or two of the set up.

Thanks Dave
dwbecker85@yahoo.com

[downriggeral]

Hi Dave,

I don't have any pictures but my post from 6-17 (scroll up to it) covers the details including part numbers for the tackle. Hope that helps.

Alan

[Heavens Ridge]

What is the best color to go with on the Swedish pimple in glow?

Dave

[downriggeral]

The only glow they have is white that glows green when charged. Get the 1/4 oz one. The part # is 4GLO S.P. 1/4 OZ.

[Ridgeratt]

Just found this site.
Fished Loon last Saturday night after the 4th hit the water about 8 pm. and set up in the floatin city. The bite was slow at best, my fishin buddy and I did manage to pull 20 out but just like fishin for ghost's!! The only way you felt a fish was if there was any drag as you lifted the rod. Size was about 11 inch cookie cutter's.

[downriggeral]

Welcome Ridgeratt! I took my grandson and his other grand father a couple of weeks ago. Grandpa Steve described it as them "sniffing" the bait and then he would hook them in the nose. Ghosts aptly describes it....ain't it fun?? I find catching the sneaky little buggers to be a BLAST! They are growing about an inch a month.
See my post above on the 17th for the method I use. The Feather Lite Eagle Claw rod, Fire line, and Swedish Pimple are the key to "feeling" the bite. Even then it may just be a "heaviness" on the rod as you lift it. Tight lines, Alan

[Ridgeratt]

Thanks for the welcome!!
I have been fishin "Silver Ghost's" for over 30 years off and on. Everyone has their favorite strategy on catching them. Many years ago my Dad used to keep a creek open so the silvers in the lake could spawn. I sort of continued it after he past and then the population sort of collapsed but over the last holiday my wife and I fished the lake and we found some pretty good silver's. So I will re-visit it this weekend to see what I pan out.

[downriggeral]

Sounds like you've got lots of experience with the "Silver Gohst's" of Loon lake. Thanks for your family's devotion for a spot to spawn when you did it. The State planted 100,000 in May and June for the 2016 adult kokanee fishery.

I may be headed out tomorrow night for the "night" fish. I'm in an 18' Starcraft with Evinrude E-Tec power. Stop and say howdy if you see us down at the Granite Point floating city.

Alan

[Ridgeratt]

I won't even slow down going past Loon tomorrow!! I have other target's planned. I'm also on a quest to put a few "White Fish" in the freezer. Now the wally tourneys are done up north!!

[downriggeral]

I haven't heard how the "white Fish" are doing up in the Kettle country. I did hear of some white fish removal at China Bend with nets. They'll never be satisfied will they?

[Ridgeratt]

The flows are still a shade fast but It's getting close to a fishable run. Guess I won't know until I float it!

[downriggeral]

Took my wife to Loon last night for "Date Nite". Stopped on the way and had a gourmet Meal (hamburger) and then off to fishing. It was a nice evening with lite wind and of course no skiers since it was dark. Put out the lights, fired up the Coleman gas lantern baited up and my wife caught the first fish, well almost. It had been since last year and it took a while to get the hang of flipping those spunky silvers in the boat! The bite started about 10:30 and was very lite...those silver "gohsts" one WL guy called them.

Finished the Friday limit(20) about 11:50 PM, had our lunch/snack break and fished Saturday AM for the Saturday limit finishing about 1:30 AM. Fun night with my wife; we had a blast as always!

Fish are cleaned and ready for brine, then off to the smoker. Family and friends love to share the smoked kokanee and they won't last long. Shucks guess we'll have to get some more!!


Alan

[Ridgeratt]

Congrats on the success Downriggeral.
I did make it up to check on some others fished it Saturday evening, was able to put 3 solid 14's in the boat but my fishing partner thinks she needs fed at 6 pm and then shortly after she needs to hit the beach. Dang Dog!!!