Still riding a salmon “High”!

Despite, rising water levels and water temps, the kokanee salmon fishing has remained excellent!  The lake has risen significantly and is now only about 3′ below full pool.  There is some floating debris in certain parts of the lake so use caution.  Water temps have been hovering in the 65-67 degree range.  The Lake Fork, Elk Creek, Stevens, and Iola boat ramps are open from 5:30 to 9.  Ponderosa may have special hours.  There have been a lot of boats on the water taking advantage of the good fishing so remember to be aware and courteous of others!  This fishing report is brought to you courtesy of Robby Richardson, owner and guide for Sport Fish Colorado & Blue Mesa Fishing and his associates!

Rainbow & Brown Trout- fishing has been fair to slow.  We have been catching a few rainbow or brown trout while trolling for salmon, but overall the action is slower for these fish.  I have heard mixed reports from the shore as well.  Some areas have been producing good shore fishing and others seem pretty slow.  Powerbait and worms seem to be the best producers from shore.

Kokanee salmon- The kokanee salmon bite is still very very good!  Since our water temps hit the mid 50 degree range, the salmon have been on the feed and we have seen them put on inches in girth and length! We are even seeing a fair number of fish starting to hook jaw.  Whether it’s fishing pressure or just the time of year, it seems like they have gotten a little bit pickier over the last week, but they are still hitting a variety of Rocky Mountain Tackle squids and assassins as well as a lot of the Radical Glow spinners.  We have caught them fromt he surface to about 56′ feet in the last week.  If you see a lot of fish on your fish finder, fish the depths you see them.  If you don’t see a lot of fish on the fish finder, work the top 20 feet of the water column.  Every day has been different as far as where the bigger concentrations are holding and what they want to hit.  Pink and orange have been hot all year, but we are starting to see some action on greens, reds, and chartrueses.  This fishing report should remain accurate through the month of July!  **Remember, the daily bag limit is 5 fish with 10 in possession.  That means you can keep 5 a day for two days until you consume some of your catch to make room for additional fish.  Respecting the bag and possession limits will help ensure the future of this phenominal fishery!

Yellow Perch- We are just starting to see some concentrations move shallow, but with all of the newly flooded brush and vegetation the fish seem to be spread out.  We have located fish as shallow as 1 foot and as deep as 40′.  Cover lots of water and fish aggressively until you find an area they are holding.  A small jig with a piece of worm is a good bet!

Lake Trout- SLOW.  We are catching some small lake trout mixed in with our salmon at times, but overall the bite is slow and fairly inconsistent.  The smaller fish we have caught have been 45-80′ deep, but we are seeing some deeper.