Paulina or Eastlake?

[fishnbus]

I'm using some vacation days next week and plan on pulling the boat behind the RV to Newberry Crater. First trip to the area and want to get my wife on some fish. Any recommendations for either lake, lakeside RV site with boat on the beach?, and fishing propects. Is this too early in the year to make this a destination fishing trip for four days?

[dlm]

I was planning the same trip next week, but I really doubt if any of the campgrounds will be open yet, with the exception MAYBE of the rv park at east lake, which is not along the water.

Both lakes have resorts with websites that you could call. I will probably end up at Wikiup.

[bwild]

Both are great fisheries. Depends on what you're going for. Both have browns, and some big ones at that (Paulina with the State Record). Try trolling the shallows with minnow imitating plugs (i.e. rapalas in black/silver, black/gold, rainbow patterns). Both have rainbows and kokanee. The avg kokes in both lakes typically will run larger when comparing them to kokes in Suttle and Wickiup, but then again, you can only keep five as opposed to 25 in those lakes. There are a lot of guys on this forum that know how to fish for these so I'd peruse thru some of the past threads and maybe send them a PM. East has a nice population of Atlantic Salmon that can run up to 20" and I guess are pretty fun to catch if you're fly fishing (Callibaetis are supposedly the ticket for them).

I don't know about RV's as we usually camp. Both have ample camping spots, although there still may be some snow. I'd just call both lodges if I were you to get the most recent fishing report and lodging/camping info.

Here's the links. A lot of other activities to do up there as well. have fun if you end up going up there.

http://www.eastlakeresort.com/
http://www.paulinalakelodge.com/

[high desert]

I took my kids up to Paulina last weekend. The campground appeared to be open but nobody was there except the camp host. It was very cold and the fish were not biting. The water surface temp was only 38 degrees. There were about a dozen boats on the water and I didn't see one fish caught. The reports that I heard this weekend were that East lake still has some ice on it, but I didn't drive up there. If I was going to spend four days over here next week I would spend it at Wickiup. Good Luck.

[Cast'n'Blast]

Agreed HighDesert. We fished Wickiup Sunday and caught Kokanee and trolled for 3-4 hours Monday a.m. in Paulina and did not see a fish caught. Decided LaPine for Breakfast sounded too good. Water temps were 38-40 in Paulina and 50-52 I believe in Wickiup. Supposedly the Camp Host did tell my friend that there was a limit or two jigging on Sunday I believe

[dlm]

You gotta watch those camphosts, they have nothing to do all day but sit around and think up lies, not like us fishermen.

[trouttroller]

No fish??? We were there over the weekend and had the best fishing we have ever had. campgrounds were good, snow was going away fast.







Pic 1 mess of kokes. Pic 2 18" rainbow returned Pic 3 my bro with 5.5 lbs Brown. We threw tons of fish back. great to be there when the ice gets off the lake.

[RiverJohn]

Nice pics ttroller !

We go around June 9th or so. What (if any) fish can be consumed out of East lake ?

Should we get the "eating fish" from Paulina ? ????

BTW I have no problem at all sending back to the lake and may only eat Koke's anyway. Love them !

[FallRiverGuy]

Nice pictures. It looks likes some good fishing for sure. What kind of size were the koknaee?

Personally, I would get all the eating fish from Paulina.

[dlm]

troller, I can't tell from the pics, was that Paulina or East?

[Davy]

great job Troller, and awesome pics! thanks, I wanna wanna go! really

[joemomma]

Wow, those koke's look huge! Very nice bow and brown! Thanks for the report! Be there in 3 weeks!

[raidersteve67]

I fished paulina sat, sun, mon, and got limits all three days jigging best fishing i ever had at paulina

[Dullhook]

Appreciate the reports. I have some friends who headed up there Monday and will be staying at a cabin at Paulina until Friday. Gotta make sure to pick their brains and report back here what is working best. Those are two of my favorite lakes and I'd like to get up there around the middle of June and fish each one. It's hard to choose between a rib steak and a Porterhouse so ya might as well have both!

[trouttroller]

Opps forgot to say we were at Paulina. Need a graph and find the fish. the kokes were balled up good. look at 35 feet. jigged for them and there was 4 of us and it didn't take too long to get your limit. Use those Nordics and Buzz bombs. You figure out what color One color was hot. The bows and Browns were caught on ******* Sorry can't give that secret out. paulina fish are fine to eat and yes East does have the mercury warning. The kokes went from 10" to 15" most around 12 or 13.

[SilverBullets]

Thanks for the great reports...hope to be up there in a couple weeks fishing, can't wait! Hey trouttroller, in your picture of the koks on the snow, is that a kokanee to the far left side of the picture?

[trouttroller]

yes, they are all kokes. The one on the left is buried in the snow a little bit.

[bwild]

Originally Posted by FallRiverGuy

Nice pictures. It looks likes some good fishing for sure. What kind of size were the koknaee?

Personally, I would get all the eating fish from Paulina.

Eaters are in Paulina, not in East (unless they're planters). I don't have a problem at all with people keeping fish, Lord knows I've kept my share in the past. But when there's a warning for very high mercury in fish over 16" in length out of East Lake, unless it's mortally wounded from being hooked bad or a monster trout you want to get mounted, I would just assume don't keep it. Anyway, just my . I'll get off my soap box.

Great job TroutTroller, you guys nailed 'em!