Steelheader needs Trout advice???

[DidIPutThePlugIn]

I'm shifting gears this summer, less Steelhead and more Trout. I have a 2 and 4 year old, took them out to Detroit and Suttle last summer and they loved fishing. I'm an avid fisherman, but that was my first experience trolling for trout. I had a blast watching the excitement in the kids eyes. Steelhead will have to wait till the kids get a little older.

Here's my plea for help. Size of fish isn't nearly as important as frequent action for the kids. Where would you guys recommend as good family camping/fishing lakes with descent action?

Also anyone here who has tried launching a boat with a wife that has no experience pulling a trailer or operating a boat knows, boat launches that aren't crowded are a definite plus.

Any advice much appreciated.

[Cliff D.]

You've come to the right place. When they wake up you will get a lot of good advice from the guys on here. Right off the top of my head ,( at the right time of the year),you can't go wrong with Green Peter or Odell. Lots of action,scenery,sunshine to keep the misses and the little ones happy. Plus both are pretty stress free to launch & recover at.

[joemomma]

You already got some good advice, I would throw in Hagg lake also, there's swift, merwin and yale up in Washington not to far and the kids don't need a license of course. And we have a resident expert here on that area or anywhere he decide's to drop his lure (T4T) Paulina, east, wickiup are some of my favorites!

[Two Fister]

Two questions to start with. 1) Which area are you in? 2) Downriggers on your boat?

My kids (5 and 7) really like trolling for kokanee and trout off of downriggers. They get to play and run around inside the boat while the gear is working. When we hit fish they get to reel them in and then go back to playing. Makes for a really fun day. When we are still fishing they get kind of bored and start reeling in because they like to reel. If we are still fishing I'll typically set them up with spinners that I'll cast out a mile for them so that they have some time to crank them in. I've let them pick out their own lures as a reward for completed chores and dang it if they don't catch big trout on their choices! Stuff I'd never pick in a million years (bright green rapalas, thunder stick bass lures, etc). We bring lots of action figures, swords (can you tell I have two boys), coloring books, and such, but no electronics.

As far as lakes, we really like fishing at Lava Lake for fish to take home. East has a problem with mercury which is really a problem for little kids. We fish there a lot, but have termed the fish as "stinky" so they all get thrown back. Better safe than sorry. Wickiup and Paulina can be fun for for Kokanee if the fish are on.

I was hoping to get the kids on the river this year, but I think we may still be a couple of years away as Momma isn't entirely comfortable with the idea.

Don't forget the shad fishery on the Willamette! That's a great way to get the kids into as many fish as they can stand while stocking up on crab/sturgeon bait.

Most of all, make sure it's fun for the kids. When mine get bored or tired we head for shore, Momma takes over looking for frogs, bugs, treasure chests, etc. and I head back out for a couple of hours of serious fishing.

TF

[DidIPutThePlugIn]

Good info so far keep it coming.

No down riggers at this time.

I noticed people like to run dodgers, in my limited action last year we ran the beu mac mylar 3 winged flashers and did pretty well.

How necessary is it to run down riggers?

[Got One!]

Personally, I'd say its more important to have a good fish finder. You can always park over the top of them and jig or what have you. Trolling is good when you can't get them to bite in a location, but its a hit and miss approach. I've caught plenty trolling, dont get me wrong, and I've also caught a lot without downriggers, using weights to bring me down, but you have to let out a lot of line to get down where a downrigger gets you troll straight down under the boat a lot more accurately as far as depth goes.

As far as fishing for trout goes, most rainbows wont be deep so trolling anywhere from 1' - 20' is all you'll need. Troll weedlines and overhangs close to shore. You can always pick them off in the middle, rainbows specifically can be just about anywhere but focus on the spots I mentioned above. Slow is good, but change up until you find the right speed.

[moknots]

Your wife will go with you? Woa, that's a trophy you have on there, give it some line, keep your tip up, don't horse it, easy boy, don't screw it up.... the way most of us have! I like your idea of going where there's no pressure, but we (ok, "I") could always use a little reminder that there shouldn't be ANY pressure trout and koke fishing. I wish I could take back all the times I relied on my wife to help -- I'd have been much better off treating her like royalty:)

Suttle is great for non-stop action. Just be ready to downsize your terminal gear years the kokanee are small. Trout -- almost exclusively browns; if you want lots of action, skip those and stick with the kokanee.

[Salmonslayer2]

I think Downroggers are important. I had my grandaughter fishing last year she was 5 years old and she had a blast catching fish. Not having to drag weight in and fighting the fish was fun. When we took her fishing she was afraid of going fast but after awile she liked it. If she was a little board she want to go fast in the boat so we went to another fishing spot to please her. It is important to make kids have fun. They will love to go fishing again. Let the kids catch most of the fish. I hope this helps.
Larry

[DidIPutThePlugIn]

Friendly group in here, thanks for the replies so far. To answer a few questions.

I do have a really good fish finder and it helped a ton last summer. Once we found a school of Kokes on the screen 30 seconds later it was fish on. Kept circling that area and got a lot of hook ups.

Yes my wife goes along. Our first date many moons ago was an afternoon fishing trip, I caught more than fish that day.:D

My kids discovered the fun of going fast in the boat last year and after a while they didn't want to fish they just wanted to go fast.

I looked at them and said hold on, away we went to another spot, smiles all around.:meme:

[trollin4trout]

Santiam Arm of Detroit would be my first choice for kids to catch fish. If you stay close to the cool water coming in from the river you can catch trout all summer without downriggers. You can anchor up and fish bait with the kids or troll the whole area almost anything shiny(as long as it's a Needlefish!) and they'll have a blast! It's the MOST heavily stocked lake in OR, so there's alway plenty of fish.

[JigMast]

I go to Diamond Lake every year with my son, father-in-law and my wifes grandpa in late may or june. Lots of rainbows to be caught, my son loves it. Lots of scenery and a great camping experience or rent the cabins, which are ok. easy put-ins too.

[DidIPutThePlugIn]

Trollin4trout,

I know exactly what you mean. We fished that area last spring before all the skiers showed up. Lots of fish. White rooster tail, wedding ring, flatfish, they all worked. Thanks. We're East of Salem so that's right in our backyard. Soon as the weathers nice we'll be going I hope.

JigMast,

I fished Diamond when I was a kid. Used to be a ton of fish in there. I heard they killed it a few years back is it fishing good again? Last time we just dropped our stuff over the side and let it sit on bottom, caught some nice fish that way. Is trolling the way to go down there?

[SilverFly]

Good thread. I'll be switching gears this year too, since I recently acquired 3 step daughters who have never fished but want to learn. Keep the info coming!

[Bandy76]

hear diamond has been great, looking forward to goin this spring.
detroit is good any time if it is cold slow down.
when I troll a fender & worm will adjust the leader length to the water conditions. I have used 8" to 6' in the same lake the same day.
When fishing for kokes I use a rubber band for a snubber & if I get to many bites without hooking up will shorten the leader as they are hitting the rubber band & not the worm.
:thisbig: