Trouble with mature kings

[orangediablo]

We are having no trouble catching coho, a steelie here and there and small kings (<20") but can't seem to catch a mature. we have all the necessary equipment and ability to do so, just can't and is REALLY startin to get to me. any tips/pointers?

[GAMBLER]

In the summer, fishing temp you will find lots of smaller kings, coho and steelies in that slot. Fishing cold water (42* is the magic number) out offshore will produce bigger kings (matures). This time of the year, fish the pier heads with spoons and plugs and you will find majors.

[orangediablo]

thanks. We fish spoons most of the time and now really starting to use flasher/fly and plugs. another question, where is "the wall" I keep hearing about (till new tho the lake. all I really know for locations are power plant, microwave, and red barn)

[Tim Bromund]

The posts referring to the "wall" are probably referring to Oak Orchard. There is a breakwall in front of the piers/mouth in front of Oak Orchard Creek that the fish stage in front of.

At Olcott, there is no "Wall" so to speak, just the pier heads and adjacent shorelines.

FWIW, finding and catching mature kings at Olcott after the big blow in mid July has been a challenge. That's why most of us ran offshore and fished steelhead and lucked into the occasional mature out in the deep water. The winds really tore the lake up this year and scattered the fish at Olcott. Last time I had the boat out a couple weeks ago, we fished inside for 3 hrs without moving a rod and then pulled and ran offshore and had a good day out deep. Found out later that the few matures that were taken that day were caught 130-160 feet down, which is almost unheard of on our end of the lake.

Tim

[K Gonefishin]

FAR from an expert but I do catch big fish every trip I make up to Olcott and I only fish out of Olcott. If you fish offshore in July and August 26-31 line (where I fish if I go offshore) Fish cold water for matures 42-47 seem to be where they are at. When fishing is real hot for steelies in the 50-55 degree water either move out of your pocket of fish or just fish below them in the colder water. Fish early and fish late seems to be when the big fish bite the best. I run alot of flasher fly's off of wire as well and less is better everytime I run 4 wires I seen to get slower action expecially on kings. I like running 2 divers on a 2 setting (one on each side) and try to keep flasher fly's running on them at all times, don't worry about steelies and coho they will bite them too to keep rods moving expecially big steelies. As far as riggers go first thing in the morning and late in the day I always run a flasher fly's on a short leash 8 back off the ball seems to get hit. Play with running cheaters, somedays they like them some days they don't, fixed or free they both work.

When all else fails fish the bait and the marks. And run the hammer fly's, glow, shredded and regular. Spin docs account for most of my mature fish.

[orangediablo]

Went up last week and finally caught a few. Nothing huge but a 23 pounder and a few smaller kept us pretty happy for the time being