Salvelinus Confluentus

[Abalone]

Ok so I am sitting here reading an Article in Local Fisherman News about fishing for Bull Trout in Lake Billy Chinook and like any half decent fly fisherman I am wondering. Fly fishing lake Billy Chinook for Bull Trout ?

Why not ?

So standard tackle is Downrigger, Ten pounds of lead and heavy enough rod to handle potentially a Ten pound Dolly.

But in the winter it says the fish to come to the top of the water Column and you don't need to fish deep.

So I am thinking maybe Windrifting a 6 wt. with a intermediate line and some Clouser ??????

Anyone ever try this ? Sounds like fun to me.

[AndyK]

I am not trying to hijack your thread Tony, but I wonder about the ethics and lack of consistency (by ODFW) when fishing for Bull Trout in the Deschutes system.

If you fish Lake Billy Chinook, bait is allowed and one Bull Trout (over 24 inches) can be kept. In the Deschutes (above Billy Chinook), it is artificial lure only and one Bull Trout (over 24 inches) can be kept. In the Metolius, all Bull Trout must be released. The Crooked River is closed to fishing for Bull Trout. These are all (potentially) the same fish!

Why are the Bait Monkeys allowed to target and keep Bull Trout in Lake Billy Chinook :noway:?

As for me, if I am going to target Bull Trout, it will be in the Metolius or the (middle) Deschutes.

[Abalone]

This is a link to the article I just read.

http://www.trophytroutguide.com/articles/winter_bulls.htm
By Rick Arnold

Please read.

Rick says in the Winter he primarily fishes the Crooked arm.

So getting back on track here: What techniques would work ?

[AndyK]

I lost a huge Bull Trout on the Metolius last May on a #16 Caddis Emerger. But that is an exception because Bull Trout are predators and eat other fish. They frequently chase rainbows and whitefish you hook on the Metolius.

The article you refer to talks about the Bull Trout feeding on schools of Kokanee. If that is the case, then the most effective method would be to locate the Kokanee and use large streamers to target the Bulls.

I don’t know a good Kokanee imitation! I am sure it would need to be huge. Effective streamers on the Metolius for Bulls are huge. Weighted/unweighted and sink rate of your fly line would vary depending on the depth of the water where the fish are located.

Also, the author of the article you reference says he uses a downrigger for Bull Trout. That might make using a fly rod more of a challenge!

[Abalone]

He also says that in the winter the Bull trout come to the top of the water column. I don't exactly know what he means by that but I assume he means the surface. I would imagine that Bulls are opportunistic feeders and it wouldn't take a lot of imagination to come up with a fly. Clousers would probably work. If the water is really clear and if you can find them in the top Twenty feet of water then I would think there might be a fair chance at hooking a large fish.

Wind drifting would seem like a great way to cover water so the next thing would be to figure out how to contol the depth. I have winded drifted large lakes before in my toon and it works great. But I don't think I would want to be on Lake Billy Chinook in a pontoon boat in the middle of winter though.

It just seems to me with things going on this time of year that a the potential for playing a Ten Pound Dolly in Still water would be a rather sporting prospect.

I just wonder if anyone does it ?

[PTS]

Go to Westfly and do a search for posts by Royal3. He catches lots of Bull Trout on the flyrod in Lake Billy Chinook. I remember some excellent pictures. He also mentioned going this week. He catches more big trout in Central OR than anyone.

I just did a search and used LBC as my search reference. Just search Oregon. Lots of information and pictures. Great fishery for those that have a boat. From the dates it looks like early Spring is the time.

Let me know if you want company. :smile:

[Abalone]

Teeny mini tip and a white articulated bunny leech 6" to 7" long seems to be the ticket.

Thank you PTS.

[waterman]

Is the Bull Char considered the same as the Dolly Varden? I know this topic keeps going back and forth among icthyologists, but does anyone have the latest scoop? To me, the dolly varden is like the coastal, migratory verison of the bull. Similiar to the rainbow / steelhead dilema.

[Abalone]

Salvelinus Confluentus is not a trout it is a Char. and they are oily and don't taste good enough to fry. But I hear the are good smoked ?

[Steelie Mike]

Bull trout are Salvelinus Confluentus while Dolly Varden are Salvelinus Malma. They are two seperate species of fish. Bull trout are found more in the south and interior US, while Dollies are found more near the northern coast range. From what I have read the species do overlap in areas like the Sauk and Skagit.The Bahavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout by Thomas Quinn is a great read. It has a lot of nerdy facts that you may like to check out. It is a textbook designed for fisheries biology.

PTS is right about the posts on Westfly about fishing the LBC in the spring for bulls.
Check out this link. These guys know the stuff on the LBC.

http://www.centraloregonfishing.com/gallery.php?fmSearch=1&fmCategory=230

[Abalone]

Well what about right now ? That article I was referring to by Rich Arnold is saying to fish right now. He's a guide looking for clients.

I still haven't found much about what tactics they are using. It's a possility that I will be going there very shortly ?

This is all theory on my part but I am assuming the Kokes have spawned, the eqqs have hatched and the Alvons or fries or fingerlings are on the surface of LBC getting acquanted with their new sorroundings and fattening up for summer while the Bull trout are having feast. The little food that is available to the fry would keep them near the surface so that's where I would be working my white articulated bunny leach. BTW I have heard midging will work for Kokes.

[Steelie Mike]

This is the best that I could find regarding flies. I know he fishes the shoals in the late winter and spring. You might want to contact Royal of the Shop in the above link for details. Here is at least a few pics of flies.
http://www.westfly.com/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=013104#000000

[Abalone]

I sent him an email yesterday but I have received a reply yet. He definatly seems like the right guy to talk with.

That you for the help.