[Oats]

I left Blue Mesa again wondering why those fish won't eat anything. Caught 2 small macks early and then had trouble even getting a nibble after that, really, really slow. I guess its been that way for everyone according to the guy at the marina. Took a tour of a couple creek arms wow great sights.

 

[Don In Denver]

Oats-

Did you graph many big fish??

 

[Oats]

I marked alot more lakers and even a few more giants but forget about it, they wouldn't take anything I sent down there. I guess I'll be heading about 5 hours west if I want to go for the big ones from now on. Which doesn't bother me, that much at least when I go up the Gorge its well worth it.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

Sounds like when I was there, except when fish were being caught they were big. One guy landed an 18 pounder in a boat next to me and many guys said they had landed 20 pound plus fish in the last few days, but action was slow.
Did you get the two small ones in the morning? I got there way too late for the good fishing a couple weeks ago.
Even if the lakers aren't biting now, the browns are ripping spoons in the lake fork inlet near the riprap at the bridge. If you anchor parallel to the banks and slowly reel in a daredevle, I bet you could nail 50 browns a day, and some of these browns, lots of them in fact, have been four pounds or better. I had a brown that was at least 24" follow my devle up to the boat and snap at it as I lifted it out of the water.

 

[Oats]

The lakers were caught in the morning, but it was slow after that. Yea Blue is really a great brown trout lake and still is a great for lakers but there getting tougher to catch.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

The lakers were caught in the morning, but it was slow after that. Yea Blue is really a great brown trout lake and still is a great for lakers but there getting tougher to catch.

Do you think they have more food now or are they just not as common as they used to be? I hardly say any on my finder this winter and only a few this spring, and pretty much all of them were near the island in the lake fork arm.

 

[Oats]

Thats the biggest problem no other lake in this state has as much on the lake trout menu. Most of the fish I've caught over 22" at Blue have had fat belly's of kokanne or small trout. Blue's lakers are very rarely exceptionally active and when they are its usually in blizzard or pretty rough conditions.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

Thats the biggest problem no other lake in this state has as much on the lake trout menu. Most of the fish I've caught over 22" at Blue have had fat belly's of kokanne or small trout. Blue's lakers are very rarely exceptionally active and when they are its usually in blizzard or pretty rough conditions. 

I've always noticed that lakers are way more active in stormy conditions. The one time I hit blue this year for ice, it snowed all day so I thought I was in for good fishing. Alas we landed only one 18" mack that was 2.33 pounds, on a tip up baited with a whole anchovy. I saw a few others on sonar, missed two other strikes, and lost one that felt in the 3 - 5 pound range, maybe a tad bigger.
If I really want that big laker I'm just going to have to fish it a good solid week and really learn the area. The nicer ones I've caught here in the past have usually been around the island in the lake fork arm and I think more or not lucked into them.