Spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday on the Gorge. Got there Sat. about noon after trouble with my boat trailer. Just before dark we teamed up with Ashley Bonser from Manila. Many of you either know Ash (Fishley) from other forums or have read his many posts on fishing the Gorge. Although he is a young guy, He has many many years fishing there and when he speaks: It pays to listen.
Ash had agreed to let us follow him out to the areas he was catching burbot and we were excited about the opportunity. Just after dark 2 boats launched from Holmes crossing and up the lake we went.
[attachment=4:1oxchxvb]ash night.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : ASHLEY BONSER AND FRIENDS
Before the evening was over my boat had seventeen burbot aboard, Ash had at least that many and one of Ash's friends who had arrived earlier had at least 40. His name was Kent, as I recall. Great guys and great fishermen. Taking Ash's advise we jigged with RMT glow tubes tipped w/sucker meat. 3/8 OZ glow jig heads. The take was mostly soft as it fluttered back down. Most fish were small. The largest 22". Ash and Kents boats both took larger burbot and a few incidental pup lake trout.
[attachment=3:1oxchxvb]burbot 1.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : BURBOT
The burbot are ugly enough to give new defination to the word, but supposedly excellent table fare. They are more like a snake than a fish and I don't care if I catch another one, but they are going to be a problem to the fishery and everyone that can be caught should be taken. We'll fish for them in the night when we are up there and I hope to get some video of Ash explaining how to catch them, but the inverter on my boat was acting up and I didn't have sufficient light to tape at night.
[attachment=2:1oxchxvb]burbot 2.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : BURBOT IN THE DAYLIGHT. 18" 6 or 7 OZ
SUNDAY: Weather was spectacular. Started trolling in Linwood but it was very slow. Plently of jiggers over the humps, but we didn't want to fish in that close proximity so we moved over to swimbeach and started trolling toward Pipeline. Water was flat and the fishing was great. We picked up 3 Kokanee, 8 Lake trout and that many rainbow. All the fish were caught on RMT Serpant spoons w/flasher 24 inches ahead of lure. Used both downriggers and lead core. My buddies don't like the downriggers and insist on using lead core even though they often have to let out 15 to 16 colors to get down. Too much reeling for me.
We were scheduled to go out agin after burbot, but we were too burned out from fishing all day and didn't make it.
[attachment=1:1oxchxvb]double.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : ONE OF MANY DOUBLES SUNDAY.
We were anticipating a storm Monday, but it didn't materialize so were launched at Lucerne and went back to the area between swin beach and the pipeline where we had fished the day before. It was a repeat. Lots of rainbow and lake trout on the troll. Everything was relatively small thought, 14 to 24". Late in the afternoon we lost a big fish at the boat. Estimated weight, 20 to 30 lbs). It's easy to say that they are that big when they get off, but this one was at least 20 lbs. Caught a few smallmouths in the shall bays casting jigs, but didn't give it the time we should have.
With the warm weather of the past month it will probably be a while before it freezes on the Gorge. In the mean time I'll fix my boat trailer and start planning another trip back up there even if I have to sell my house to afford a tank of diesel for the truck and a tank full in the boat.
If you are going up there are a couple of things to note: There is a courtesy dock at buckboard and Lucern which makes launching easy, but I have no idea how long they will leave them in the water. Call ahead for rooms as they were sold out Sat. night and we had to stay in Green River
[attachment=0:1oxchxvb]sunset gorge.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
SUNSET AT SWIM BEACH
Kokanee notes. The Kokanee we caught were 14 to 16 inchers. We did talk to some guys that had found a huge school of spawners in Sheep Creek and said they wore their arms off catching and releasing big, 3 to 5, pounders w/jigs. Kokanee fishing opens up again on 1 Dec.
I hope this post gives you some insight to current conditions at Manila and that you will have the opportunity to fish it soon. It truly is an extraordinary fishery. Keep the wind to your back. Tight lines
Ash had agreed to let us follow him out to the areas he was catching burbot and we were excited about the opportunity. Just after dark 2 boats launched from Holmes crossing and up the lake we went.
[attachment=4:1oxchxvb]ash night.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : ASHLEY BONSER AND FRIENDS
Before the evening was over my boat had seventeen burbot aboard, Ash had at least that many and one of Ash's friends who had arrived earlier had at least 40. His name was Kent, as I recall. Great guys and great fishermen. Taking Ash's advise we jigged with RMT glow tubes tipped w/sucker meat. 3/8 OZ glow jig heads. The take was mostly soft as it fluttered back down. Most fish were small. The largest 22". Ash and Kents boats both took larger burbot and a few incidental pup lake trout.
[attachment=3:1oxchxvb]burbot 1.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : BURBOT
The burbot are ugly enough to give new defination to the word, but supposedly excellent table fare. They are more like a snake than a fish and I don't care if I catch another one, but they are going to be a problem to the fishery and everyone that can be caught should be taken. We'll fish for them in the night when we are up there and I hope to get some video of Ash explaining how to catch them, but the inverter on my boat was acting up and I didn't have sufficient light to tape at night.
[attachment=2:1oxchxvb]burbot 2.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : BURBOT IN THE DAYLIGHT. 18" 6 or 7 OZ
SUNDAY: Weather was spectacular. Started trolling in Linwood but it was very slow. Plently of jiggers over the humps, but we didn't want to fish in that close proximity so we moved over to swimbeach and started trolling toward Pipeline. Water was flat and the fishing was great. We picked up 3 Kokanee, 8 Lake trout and that many rainbow. All the fish were caught on RMT Serpant spoons w/flasher 24 inches ahead of lure. Used both downriggers and lead core. My buddies don't like the downriggers and insist on using lead core even though they often have to let out 15 to 16 colors to get down. Too much reeling for me.
We were scheduled to go out agin after burbot, but we were too burned out from fishing all day and didn't make it.
[attachment=1:1oxchxvb]double.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
Above : ONE OF MANY DOUBLES SUNDAY.
We were anticipating a storm Monday, but it didn't materialize so were launched at Lucerne and went back to the area between swin beach and the pipeline where we had fished the day before. It was a repeat. Lots of rainbow and lake trout on the troll. Everything was relatively small thought, 14 to 24". Late in the afternoon we lost a big fish at the boat. Estimated weight, 20 to 30 lbs). It's easy to say that they are that big when they get off, but this one was at least 20 lbs. Caught a few smallmouths in the shall bays casting jigs, but didn't give it the time we should have.
With the warm weather of the past month it will probably be a while before it freezes on the Gorge. In the mean time I'll fix my boat trailer and start planning another trip back up there even if I have to sell my house to afford a tank of diesel for the truck and a tank full in the boat.
If you are going up there are a couple of things to note: There is a courtesy dock at buckboard and Lucern which makes launching easy, but I have no idea how long they will leave them in the water. Call ahead for rooms as they were sold out Sat. night and we had to stay in Green River
[attachment=0:1oxchxvb]sunset gorge.jpg[/attachment:1oxchxvb]
SUNSET AT SWIM BEACH
Kokanee notes. The Kokanee we caught were 14 to 16 inchers. We did talk to some guys that had found a huge school of spawners in Sheep Creek and said they wore their arms off catching and releasing big, 3 to 5, pounders w/jigs. Kokanee fishing opens up again on 1 Dec.
I hope this post gives you some insight to current conditions at Manila and that you will have the opportunity to fish it soon. It truly is an extraordinary fishery. Keep the wind to your back. Tight lines
