Lake Cocolalla Report 10.11.16
With the seasons changing, I am looking for any lake or river that hold brown trout. Since I always seem to hook into a few browns on Lake Cocolalla, I figured I might be able to find a few staging.
Temperatures were in the high 40's and there was a steady south breeze for most of the day. The first couple hours were as slow as slow can be. Cast after cast, deep and shallow, without a single grab. Once the sun started to shine through the clouds, the trout turned on. We went from zero fish in two hours to doubling up on healthy browns. Now the action wasn't always hot, but steady enough to keep a couple cold fisherman interested. The trout that did eat our buggers absolutely crushed it.
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#6 Olive woolly buggers did the trick when fished with an intermediate line in 2-8 ft of water. I seem to always reach for my intermediate line on days when I don't expect to need it. Having that slow steady sink is a must for anyone who fly fishes our local lakes here in the northern part of Idaho. However, I don't know if I will find the time to fish Cocolalla again this year with elk, deer and duck season in full swing. It's tough being a sportsman in Northern Idaho.
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Thanks for reaching out to us. I see that you were in our neck of the woods this past weekend. Bummer that I just heard back from Dillon over the weekend so hopefully you were able to get the scoop from the Fly Shop on your visit. I figured I would add Dillon's reply onto the blog in case anyone else reading is looking for the same information. Here is what Dillon had to say:
<em> There is a sportsman's access site on the north side of the lake. To reach the boat launch, all you have to do is turn onto Sportman Access Road, and when it forks, take a left. I have had my best luck for trout on the North
and South side of the lake. I normally like to start fishing 50-75 yards straight out from the boat launch. Here I will strip woolly buggers with a slow sinking line, and let the wind drift me around. If you are looking to
troll, you will want copper/bronze colored lures or flies. Thomas Fighting Fish, Panther Martin, Mepps, Kastmaster, and Rapala #3 Countdown Perch are all great lures to troll or cast. My favorite flies are #6 Olive and Brown
woolly buggers, Baby Gonga Rust, and our Olive Egg Sucking Sculpin.
Cocolalla is a fun lake to explore. There are some incredible points along the east and west shoreline that seasonally stack up with fish.</em>
I hope you had a nice weekend on the water over in Idaho. The trout were pretty hungry and agressive here on the Missouri River. My coworker and I caught some really nice rainbows over the weekend. Please let us know the next time you are heading our way and we can get you pointed in the right direction.
Thanks again,