Henrys Lake

[bsflies]

Fishing was hot on Henrys Lake again this last Saturday at both the Hatchery and Hope Creek. I was able to land 8 fish in just over two hours of fishing with most of the fish being cutts, but two very big hybrids. It was snowing all day with a stiff east wind which had muddied up the water around Staley Springs - where I really wanted to fish. So I headed directly to the area off Hope Creek where I landed all eight of the fish. They were hitting the Christmas fly, Halloween and the Brown CB. I did not get there until 11 a.m. as I went chasing deer early in the morning.

Reports were that the area around Duck Creek was good on Friday, but the wind on Saturday had moved the fish. There were also a lot of boats and floating devices around the Hatchery, so I did not go there, but reports were that it was excellent fishing during the mid morning. On a day like Saturday, the fish will turn off and on at the drop of a snowflake and you just have to stick with it.

Only one week to go before Henrys closes for the season. Can anyone explain to me why everyone wants to fish when it is freezing cold and the fishing is slower that it has been all summer long? Actually those of us who fished the lake regularly during the summer caught larger and more fish than we are right now. It is very interesting to me. I think that I can anwer that question. In the fall when the fish move to the Cliffs, Staleys, the Hatchery and Duck Creek, most fishermen know where to find them and do not have to hunt for them. The fish are also less spooky about tubes than they are in the summer as the pelicans have left. Remember those of you who did not fish much this summer; the fish that are there now were there during the summer!!!!!!
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[BrianID]

Thanks for the report. I think most people don't fish Henry’s during July and August because of all of the weeds. It takes specific techniques to consistently catch fish out of the "jungle". I've had several big fish run me into weeds at Henry's that I wasn't able to pull out which can be extremely frustrating. When the weeds are off the average guy can catch more fish because they can use a wider variety of techniques and still be successful. Personally I like to fish Henry’s during June.

Did you have any luck deer hunting?
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How do you keep the big ones from getting tangled up in the weeds?
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[BrianID]

I have also found the best way to not loose a big fish is to use larger line. It just bugs me when I hook into a big fish that makes my reel scream and he gets away. This year I was able to crank in a 27" hybrid at Henry's without him even making one real run. He sure did pull hard but I was able to pull harder with my baitcasting rod and 17lb line. I still like to catch them on ultra lights though and still use 4lb line there but just not around weedy areas.
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