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Squalicum Lake has got my number...

1K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  kevinjc 
#1 ·
Any of you stillwater experts out there have any advice for Squalicum Lake. It has been years since I put alot of time into this lake, but I had some epic days back in Highschool (all smaller cutt's, but lots of them). Lately, a skunking is the norm, even when those little cutt's seem to be jumping everywhere.

Squalicum is a fairly shallow lake around 10 feet and has a muddy bottom. There are lots of weeds and the lake is a dark tea brown color.

Any advice on fly choice?

I know the lake has leaches. Found out the hard way at 14 when I borrowed a float tube w/out waders. Still trolling a wooly bugger just hasnt produced lately.

Thanks for any help,

Josh
 
#2 ·
I fished it last Friday, got one nice RB and lost one nice one. But that was about it for five hours of fishing. I got several hits on a black micro leech and caught the one on a black nymph emerger. I was the only one on the lake on Friday except for one local who fished about two hours and only caught a couple of dinks. That would make me think it is not fishing very well.

Last year I fished it a little earlier and did great......everything worked, leeches, scuds, chironomids.....sometimes it's hot and sometimes not.....that's fishin'
 
#3 ·
I have fished it quite a few times this year and have caught a few browns and rainbows and probably about 2 hundred cutthroat. Small leach and bait fish patters, damslefly nymphs, scuds and chironomids all work real well. I am usually casting into the shore and most of the strikes are within 10 feet of the shoreline.
 
#4 ·
I haven't fished it this year yet, but last year I had very very good success with damselfly nymphs, in fact, I used a damselfly nymph almost exclusively. Mostly casting towards shore but also trolling or casting towards rising fish. I've also done best in the late afternoon into the evening, I usually would be getting off the lake near dark. Thinking of fishing it here in the next week or two. Last year I was catching quite a few of the 8-12" cutts and a couple of triploids 16-18". Have never caught a brown in there yet though.
 
#5 ·
I haven't had too much success on this lake. The success I have had has come in the weeds trolling a mini-leech or damsel fly type thing, or throwing something big in front of fish I see cruising near the shoreline. I've been told going deep in the middle and paddling in real slow s type shape works for the big rainbows, but it's never worked for me. Well, I hope you have better luck than me.
 
#6 ·
I fished squalicum a dozen times or so when I went to school at Western. For the cutts, try throwing a para adams. Even when there wasnt much of a hatch they seemed to always strike my adams. Usually my success was on the far side of the lake straight across from the boat launch.
 
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