Lake Cocolalla Report 11.23.16
Words By: North 40 Outfitters
Posted: November 30, 2016

There are many things I am thankful for in life, but having a passion for fish is what I most grateful for. There is no place in the world where my worries melt away faster than on the water in pursuit of fish. Normally I am not all that thankful for the inaccuracy of meteorological forecasts, but the predicted winter storm and its associated winds never materialized. Temperatures hovered around 36 F as I slipped the kayak in the water and strapped in two of glass rod setups, including my Echo 5 wt glass combo and an old 4 wt Eagle Claw Featherlight with a old 45 D.A.M Quick reel made in West Germany and gifted to me.

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Slow stripping and trolling streamers produced very little action in the morning for the first couple hours, but once the sun broke out, the fishing heated up quickly. In quick succession, I boated several Brook Trout in the 10-12" range. I moved out in to deeper water and working the points found two fat and healthy Rainbow Trout in the 16-20" range.

Switching up strategies, I did some exploratory trolling and had several failed grabs in 15-20" of water. I slowed down my presentation and I quickly connected with several 15-20" Westslope Cutties, a fish I've quickly come to love and appreciate since moving here.

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Interestingly, all but one fish was caught using the 5 wt rod which I attributed to the slow sink of the Rio Sub Surface Lake Series line versus the faster drop of the full sink 4 wt line on the Eagle Claw setup. In hindsight, this makes sense as the cold water and slowing metabolisms of these fish probably lends favor to a slower presentation.

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As 2 p.m. rolled around, my toes were getting pretty cold and I needed to get the bird in the oven and stoke the stove. I had landed 9 beautiful fish and missed or lost several more. I quickly loaded the kayak and headed home grateful for another great day on the water in beautiful northern Idaho.