Miscellaneous Fishing Report: Strange Days

The fishing has been strange recently.
So has the weather: hot and smoky. The fires in Canada smoked us up pretty good earlier this week. Here is the mountain, for example.
Right. You can't see it. You could barely see the ridges.
Before my two daughters, Carrie and Laura, arrived for an eight day visit, I went to the lake a couple of times. The first time I got there late. It was good to be there, but I caught nothing.
The second time I got to the lake and discovered that one side of the float tube was flat. I thought it seemed kind of squishy when I loaded it in the pickup that time before.
I had no repair kit with me (I do now) so I decided to make the best of it and fish from the bank.
It was a gorgeous evening, but the fish--what there were of them--were out beyond my best cast.

After the girls arrived we packed every day with trips to all the local attractions and diversions. Great fun.

On two evenings, however, they took their siblings out on the town, so Dad took the opportunity to see how the lake was getting along without him. And to check out the float tube repairs.

The first trip was short and wet. A couple of storms rolled through with enough lightning to send me to shore for awhile. But I still had time to finally catch a fish, a modest Rainbow who took a trolled leech. By then it was too dark for a picture.

That was a welcome break in my fishing drought, just as the rain and cooler temps were a welcome break here in the Dry Time.

The second trip, also short, provided further evidence that the fish are changing their habits. Hoppers aren't getting it at the moment, and when the fish are rising, they are highly selective. So, no fish this time either.

But look at this rise. Haven't I told you there are big fish in this lake?

OK, I lied. That's actually a "beaver rise." More accurately, it's a beaver submersion; it had just whacked the water with its tail and gone down.

Yesterday we took the girls to Seattle and said our sad goodbyes. So today it was back to our empty routine.

Making the best of it, I gave myself a little more time this evening and went back to the lake. But I didn't catch a thing.

The water level has dropped with the summer drawdown, and the configuration of the weedbeds and dropoffs has changed; so the fish aren't where they used to be. In general, fish activity seems way down, even though the hatches seem good. Hoppers continue to have an underwhelming effect.

I did get one good rise to my little light Stimulator pattern, but by then it surprised me so much I set way too fast and pulled it out of the fish's mouth.

All this will change; but for now, in the middle of the dog days, maybe the trout are staying deep and biding their time. That's what I'll be doing.

I'll keep checking out the lake, but meanwhile I hear the river's open. Seems there's this summer run of Chinooks.

Believe I'll check that out, too.