Wilson 5/15-5/18

[rdebadts]

So every year, I see the Spring LOC board loaded with fish out of Wilson and lewiston.  So after years of talking about it, we finally just came down a few weeks early to see what's up.  This was primarily a LOC trip, and we were mostly in catch and release mode (unless I had a specific request for fish that day)

 

Wednesday- 

we ran down to the bar and set up on the shallow side, in 50 FOW.  we put out a random assortment of stuff, and pretty quickly caught a decent low teens king on a 10 color core with a spoon.  We did a few more, but it was slow picking so we worked our way west, and down the ledge.  The screens were absolutely, obnoxiously, absurdly loaded all day... but no takers out there.

 

after a few hours, we came back in to 50-70 and had decent action on a pick of lakers and kings, but nothing exciting... we ended up with like a dozen hits.

 

Thursday-

we set up out front of Wilson, and worked east to see what was there.  We found a nice class of mid teen kings in 60-80 FOW, though the pick was relatively slow still.  we had a hit every 20-30 minutes, basically.  There were a few lakers in the mix, but the bite was mostly kings.  I was impressed with how thick the 3 years olds are already.  we did mostly catch and release, but the handful we kept were jammed with bait.  again, not bad action, but also not great with about 15 bites total. We had a horrid catch rate (this would become a theme) landing only 6 of the dozen kings we had on.  We were fairly happy.... until we got back and heard it was a fire drill to the east of us by 5-10 miles, in the same depth of water.

 

 

 

 

 

Friday-

Based on the pattern from Thursday, we decided to work further east and again, we had a relatively slow bite.  we continued to work primarily 60-100, mostly a spoon program.  we did finally get a hit on a meat rig, but everything else was spoons in green, black and yellow.  10 color cores, 200-300 coppers were our studs.  By the time we finished, we were to the power plant, working 60-90 FOW.   The screens were gorgeous there, but the hits were ULTRA sporadic.  the mix of fish was a bit more heavy on lakers, though we did land a handful of kings (and lost another 7-8 I think).  It felt slow, but we had 18 bites, which I guess is good...

 

 

 

Saturday- 

we decided to run right to the microwave, and had 3 big kings on almost immediately in 70 FOW... unfortunately we got spooled on a 10 color core (a first for me) and broke another big'n off.  we worked the rest of the day in front of the plant, and ended up with 18 bites.  we landed a whopping THREE of the 11 kings we had on, but of course stuck all but one of the lakers we had on...  again, all spoon bite, though we ran meat and flies most of the day.

 

Overall, a good experience.  I have never fished Wilson, or the bar, so that was cool.  The fishing was strange- overall productive but wildly unpredictable and super sporadic.  I never did get these fish dialed in (or at least it felt that way).  Im sure that the wet cold spring has things all sorts of screwy, though Ive never been west this early so... I guess I don't really know.  Our catch percentage (roughly 50%) was by far the worst I have ever seen- and that was with experienced guys on the rods.  We will need to fix that soon!

 

On a positive note, the kings look to be in EXCELLENT health and there are a lot of three year olds around, just as we thought there would be.  There is nothing in freshwater like catching a spring king... they are wild!

 

 

[NymphO]

Glad you came out this way ! Awesome structure from the bar to the hill and east to wilson. Way to pick away at em ! Nothing more frustrating than a loaded screen and an empty box....

[zadvorney]

That's it! I'm trying this! 

[s072784]

Thanks, for the update...hopefully I'll have the boat ready by next weekend and get out to Olcott.

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[chowder]

Excellent post, full of honest, specific stuff. Great job out there. I've had the same screens and frustrations- you are not alone and you guys had a good go!

[line guy]

Just came back from a 4 day Wilson trip. I would say you had a awesome trip, compared to ours. My son and friend landed 2 small kings, fished the same waters except far east of plant. Lost 3 fish after 5 seconds.we fished sun up to dinner everyday. Changed speed, lures, depth we were doing everything. So 4 days 2 fish. I would take a 50  percent catch rate anyday. Congrats on a very good trip.

[Gill-T]

The summerset plant is no longer generating energy, but it sure has been pumping out Kings!!  My GPS tracks near the area look as if Justice Barr got out his redaction marker. 

[rdebadts]

The summerset plant is no longer generating energy, but it sure has been pumping out Kings!!  My GPS tracks near the area look as if Justice Barr got out his redaction marker. 

Lol, ours too after this weekend. The screens there were awesome, but the bite was super sporadic for us


The Fishin’ Physician Assistant

[Chinook Rookie]

I fished out of Olcott this weekend.   Saturday we fished from the power plant east all day from 35fow out.  I even ran out to 400fow just for the heck of it, had a nice king on right away out there but lost it 15ft from the side of the boat.  Sunday got a tip to try the bar so we ran down there.  I have never seen so many huge bait balls in my life!!  All morning my screen was covered in bait with nice arcs all around.  110 to 130fow had 3 quick hookups and then things just shut down.  Managed a nice Laker at about 1:30 PM  but that was it.  

All total in 2 days we could only muster 4 kings, 1 lake trout and 5 misses.  I'll be back up next weekend to try again.  

I'm still learning this craft as this is only my 2nd year fishing for salmon but I am addicted.  What a rush when that rod goes off!!  I'll just keep trying, learning from successes and mistakes.  The experience is what it's all about...

 

Edited May 20, 2019 by Chinook Rookie

[zadvorney]

I went out east of the bar. Got one jack salmon. I'll take it as a win! 

[geoice]

We went east of olcott on Sunday and started in front of the radio tower going towards the power plant..set up in 80 Dow and got all of the ten color leadcore and was just about to clip it to the board and off it went-15# king...set it back out and dipsey went off with a 14# king and by 7:30 we had 8 bites and all kings all off just two poles because we couldn’t get our full spread out...finally slowed down enough so I could get the other dipsey out and then it took off...then by 11 it just died...I mean couldn’t even find a mark dead... but we had 11bites and all kings and never dropped one...biggest was 17 pounds...back out this morning to the same spot...dead...no marks no bait no boats...been out to 150 and back in to 60 and nothing....it is what it is I guess, why it’s called fishing


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