Saturday, March 13, 2004

Foster Reservoir. Arrive at Sunnyside boat ramp at 7:15 am. We are 1st boat at the ramp. Water Level at 624 feet. High pool is 641 feet. Ramp OK except the dock is high and dry. Fishermen today are me and Richard. Boat started and ran fine. Started off by bending my troll plate so we couldn't troll as slow as I would like. Warmed the motor up by going half way down the lake and started fishing on the north side near the Gedney Creek boat ramp. Richard had a strike before I got my line in the water. I tied on a Pop Geer lake troll and a bronze Super Duper and caught a 12" fin clipped rainbow (last year's planter) within 20 minutes. We trolled down to the dam and back along south side of lake to South Santiam arm and back to Gedney Creek before Richard switched fishing poles and caught a 11 1/2" fin clipped rainbow. During our trip around the lake I tried a downrigger at 30 feet and 20 Feet. Tried a Dodger and lure and then a Ford Fender and lure but all to no avail. I never had another bite. We were back at the ramp at 1:00 pm with 2 fish. Quite a bit of floating debris had moved onto the ramp. Weather was Sunny and overcast, I got a little sun burn on the face. Saw a bald eagle to start the morning. Lots of pairs and singles of geese and ducks. 3 red tail hawks by the dam. When we pulled out Lots of people were just putting their boats in the water and at least 25 boat trailers were in the parking lot.

Green Peter Reservoir


March 20, 2004

Arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp at 7:00 am. Water level at 980 feet. High pool is 1010 feet. Surface water temperature 46 degrees gradually warming to 50 degrees when we pulled out. Upper ramp open but dock is still out of water. Boat started hard but after warming up ran great. Used a Ford Fender and a red Wedding Ring, factory hook, with a piece of worm. Trolling down 40 - 50 foot with an down rigger. Trolled along north shore past Whitcomb Creek and the cliffs and then went to the island and continued to the south shore and went up the middle fork arm. Caught 2 small kokanee just before the arm starts to narrow. Very close to shore. Fish finder showed few fish in the middle depths so I did not experiment much with terminal tackle. Occasionally saw a mass of fish on the bottom but my jigging ended in lost tackle. Richard, my fishing partner had no luck and got skunked. He used various setups and weights including a Pop Geer lake troll and a Super Duper. Weather was perfect, sunny and mild, about 35 degrees when we put in and 70 degrees when we quit. Wind never blew. No eagles and no Osprey today. The island was home to a bunch of loudly honking Canadian Geese. Quite a few boats out. There were probably 1 dozen boats in before us and probably 3 times that number when we quit at 1:00 pm. Central Valley Bass Club sponsored a fishing tournament so that added most of the early boats. Later in the day most of the boats were trolling though some were jigging. Lots of big and small debris in water. County sheriff boat patrol checked our fishing licenses. Fried the fish that evening in peanut oil with corn meal breading and they looked and tasted great.

Green Peter Reservoir

April 10, 2004

Arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp at 7:00 am. Water level at 989 feet. High pool is 1010 feet. Surface water temperature 50 degrees gradually warming to 53 degrees when we pulled out. Upper ramp open but dock is still out of water. Boat started and ran fine. Used a Ford Fender and a customized red Wedding Ring, double red kamatsu hooks, with a piece of worm and white corn. Trolling down 40 feet with an down rigger. Trolled along north shore past Thistle Creek about 1/4 way to the dam. Will Caught 1. Then turned around and trolled to the east and up the Whitcomb Creek arm to the bridge. 30 people were fishing (jigging) off the bridge but I didn't see anyone catching. Apparently fishing had been excellent earlier in the week. We picked up 2 kokanee above the bridge, 1 was on my line when we pulled up our gear. On our way back to the main lake we towed a broke down boat back to Thistle Creek then went across the lake to the floating bathroom and trolled the south shore up the middle fork arm. Fish finder showed few fish in the middle depths. I did not experiment with terminal tackle. Richard caught 1 fish. He used willow leaf troll and a Super Duper with a bananna weight. Weather was perfect, sunny and warm, low 40s when we put in and 70 degrees when we quit. Wind was light. Saw 2 Osprey today. Also 5 Sea Gulls (white with black wing tips). Quite a few boats out but the lake was not crowded. Parking lot was full when we quit at 1:00 pm. Fried the 4 fish Monday evening in peanut oil with corn meal breading and they looked and tasted great.


Green Peter Reservoir

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp at 7:00 am. Water level at 984 feet. Surface water temperature 52 degrees gradually warming to 55 degrees. Upper ramp not useable but unloaded at the very top of the bottom ramp. Started trolling as soon as we were in the main lake. Trolled to the east and went up Whitcomb Creek arm past the bridge. 15 people were fishing (jigging) off the bridge. On the way back I saw several Kokanee caught. We picked up 1 Rainbow before the bridge and a 3 more Kokanee above the bridge. I used a Ford Fender and a customized red Wedding Ring, double red kamatsu hooks, with a piece of worm and yellow corn. Trolling down 50 feet before the bridge and on the surface above the bridge. Trolling on the surface I used a Shasta Tackle CripLure but no luck. Richard caught most of the fish with his willow leaf troll and a Super Duper with a bananna weight.

After we got back to the bridge we went back to the main lake and trolled to the east past the cliffs and up the Quartzville arm. Fish finder showed scattered fish. I experimented using a downrigger shuttle from Shasta Tackle, lets you keep your downrigger weight down, the shuttle holds the line and dives to the weight. I did not have much luck so went back to reeling in the downrigger weight each time I needed to reset. Richard caught 1 kokanee and I caught a Rainbow by the cliffs. We trolled up Quartzville arm with the downrigger at 40 feet using a Pop Geer Troll with a Green Wedding Ring, double red #4 Kamatsu hooks, each tipped with worm and corn. I started catching fish near the big rock outcropping on the south side where the 1020 elevation is clearly painted on 2 trees. Fish finder might show fish at any depth but I kept the downrigger at 40 feet and had good luck. Weather was cool, with occasional showers, low 40s when we put mid 50's when we quit. Wind was medium. 2 Osprey out on the lake fishing. Saw a goose sitting on a rock with 2 ducks on the bank 3 feet away. Up Whitcomb Creek saw a King Fisher, could hear a Pileated Woodpecker up in the timber. Couple Buzzards cruised by. Bass tournament going on so alot of speedy boats zooming around from fishing spot to fishing spot. Quit at 3:00 pm. Had 19 Kokanee and 3 Rainbow Trout. Lake supposedly planted with 10,000 fish but we saw little evidence of that.


Green Peter Reservoir

Saturday, April 23, 2004

Arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and have boat in water and running at 6:50 am. Water level at 986 feet. Surface water temperature 52 degrees at boat-in and 54 degrees at boat-out. Upper ramp in use. Alot of fish were surfacing so started trolling as soon as we were away from the ramp. Trolled to the the main lake and then headed east across the mouth of Whitcomb Creek arm and continued up Quartzville arm. I used a larger sized Pop Geer troll with a fluted design and a green Wedding Ring, double red kamatsu hooks, with a piece of worm and yellow corn on each hook. Trolling down 40 feet with the down rigger. Rachel Trolled on the surface with a Triple Teaser. Richard used a willow leaf troll and a Super Duper with a bananna weight.

Fish finder showed scattered fish. Richard caught a few. I caught a few. Rachel's got nothing so we pulled her line in and we shared the down rigger. I really started catching fish after a couple bends in the river. The further upstream we went the better the fishing. When the depth got to 65 feet I raised the down rigger to 30 feet and was catching a fish as soon as I could get the pole back in the water. When water depth was 40 feet I raised the down rigger to 20 feet and was still catching fish when we turned around. We fished back down to the main lake then called it quits. Made a run to the floating bathroom and then explored the inlets on either side. A sail boat was anchored up one. Weather was sunny but cool on the lake. low 42 degrees when I left the house and 62 degrees when I got home. Wind was medium. An Osprey flew right over us first thing. Saw numerous geese up the river. A few ducks including 4 flying in high formation. Up the Quartzville arm saw 2 Bald Eagles circling, then 3 Osprey. We were at ramp at 3:00 pm. Had 32 Kokanee and 1 Rainbow Trout. Richard caught the trout. Very fat. 11.5" but looked bigger. Kokanee were on the small side but all looked real good.



May 27, 2004

Foster Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Sunnyside boat ramp at 3:15 pm. Water level is at full pool 637½. Water temperature 56 degrees. Lots of debris. I rig with no weights, a Pop Geer chrome troll, and a large bronze Super Duper and Richard has similar terminal tackle. We start catching planted Rainbow trout right off the dock. I turn the boat around before the bridge and start to troll up the river arm. We catch our limits and are out of the lake at 4:15 pm. Eight fat Rainbows 10" - 11" and one skinny Kokanee. The last trout jumped on the Super Duper when the line was hanging over the starboard side of the boat. Saw a young bald eagle eating roadkill on Quartzville road, ducks and ducklings on the water, Ospreys in the timber above the lake. Leaving the parking lot there were a dozen squirrels in the camping ground grass.


May 29, 2004

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard, Rachel, and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp at 6:20 am. Fog and rain. Water level is at 973 feet. Water temperature 59 degrees. I rig with no weights, a medium Pop Geer chrome troll, and a large bronze Super Duper. Rachel has a light Pop Geer and a red Wedding Ring. Richard has a medium lake troll and a small white Super Duper. We troll from the Thistle Creek arm (thank goodness the rain stops) around the point and under the Whitcomb Creek bridge (only 2 people jigging from the bridge). Rachel and I are fishing on the surface and we catch a few. Richard started with a 3 ounce banana then switched to a smaller weight and he caught a few. We turn around and troll up Quartzville arm and had the best luck at the 2ndbend at the 1020 rock. Rachel and I shared the downrigger at 40 feet (went down to 70 feet once and caught 1). We add small piece of worm and a corn kernel to the hook. Richard went back to the heavier weight setup. Both rods steadily produced Kokanee. We took a break and went across the lake to the floating bathroom then trolled east along the south shore. Caught 2 near the mouth of the big inlet near the bathroom but had no other bites. Went back to the Quartzville arm and fished till after 1. Total for the day was 30 Kokanee. Biggest were about 10½" and were caught early in the day. Later fish were 9½ -10". All the fish in good shape. A pair of ducks flew up and landed near the boat, the female came close and was rewarded with few pieces of corn, they then flew off to the next boat. Beggars. Saw a Bald Eagle being chased by 2 ospreys until the eagle dropped a fish. 14 honking geese flew in loose formation up the river. Weather remained overcast and cold but no rain after an early shower. Quite a few boats out but everyone was scattered over the lake.


May 31, 2004, Memorial Day

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard, Rachel, and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp at 7:00 am. Overcast. Water level is at 976 feet. Water temperature 60 degrees. I rig with no weights, a medium Pop Geer chrome troll, and a fluorescent orange Sockeye Slammer on an 18" leader. Rachel has a small Pop Geer and a red Wedding Ring. Richard has a medium lake troll and a small white Super Duper with a 3 ounce banana weight. We troll from the boat ramp around the point to Whitcomb Creek arm with only 1 strike. I bring in Rachel's pole and the lure was fouled. We pull out and go up the Quartzville arm and start fishing at the first bend. Rachel and I share the downrigger at 40 feet. We add a piece of worm and a piece of corn to the hook. We catch fish at the 2nd bend (1020 Rock) and around the 3rd bend. Further up the river produces little. We catch fish in the 2 spots but not much in between. Both poles do OK but we lose quite a few fish at the surface. We do not use a net for landing but that doesn't seem to be much of a problem. We turn around and the 3rd bend produces again. Generally getting strikes on both poles. We then take a break and go across the lake to the floating bathroom. Afterwards we troll from the bathroom to the island but only catch 1. Lot of boats around the island but I don't see much caught. We tie up to a stump and Rachel and I climb to the top of the island. Someone has a camp there with 3 scattered tents and a pirate flag flying from the top of the cliff. Nice view looking down on the boats from up high. Went back to the Quartzville arm and started fishing at the 1020 rock but did not catch anything until the 3rd bend. Fished till 1:30 pm. Total for the day was 24 Kokanee and 1 Rainbow. Biggest Kokanee were about 11" and the trout was 12". Average fish about 10". All the fish in good shape except 1 had a chunk missing from its' back (Osprey?). A butterfly came by the boat and wanted to land on Rachel. Lots of ducks flying up and down the river. Saw 2 ospreys roosting in the old growth timber. Weather was overcast till about noon and then the sun came out and burned my neck. A little windy but not bad. Most of the fishing boats were in the main lake while the recreation boats were up the river. Parking lot filled up.


From "Sweet Home: In the Oregon Cascades" by Carey & Hainline: "Whitcomb Cemetery is on an island in green Peter Reservoir, across from Whitcomb Creek Park. Before Green Peter Dam, this island was a butte located at the confluence of the Middle Fork of the Santiam River and Quartzville Creek.
The George Whitcomb family homsteaded on this butte in 1889, and in 1899 a diphtheria epidemic took the lives of three of their four children. Whitcomb buried them nearby where, according to one report, was already buried a man who had died in an accident."

June 6, 2004 - Sunday

Foster Reservoir

I arrive at Gedney Creek boat ramp at 1:30 pm. Water level is at full pool 637. Water temperature 60 degrees. Air temperature about the same. I rig with no weights, a Pop Geer chrome troll, and a fluorescent orange Sockeye Slammer. Fish from the boat ramp along the north shore to the dam and catch a Rainbow just past the cemetery. Only fish I catch. See very little on the fish finder. Troll across the dam, along the south shore, and up the Middle Fork arm. Have a few weak strikes. Try out a bronze Super Duper with the same results. Quit at 6:00 pm. Ospreys searching the lake but seemed to have the same fishing luck as me. 8 buzzards soaring up the Middle Fork. Weather was overcast with off and on rain. The heavy white and gray clouds mixing with the blue. Coming back to the ramp the sun light shafts onto Fern Ridge and Scott Mountain in the distance. I was the only boat in the parking lot.


June 12, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard, Rachel, and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are in water and trolling by 7:00 am. Overcast. Water level is at 986 feet. Water temperature 60 degrees. Air temperature low 50's. Water is clear and clean. Moderate floating debris. I rig with no weights, a medium Pop Geer chrome troll, and a large bronze Super Duper later switchng to a Sockeye Slammer. Rachel has a light Pop Geer and a home made lure with large treble hook, 5 green beads, a bronze French blade, and 1 more bead. After we catch a fish and when that lure is lost she tries a Shasta Tackle Crip Lure and catches 2. Richard has a medium lake troll and a small orange beaded kokanee Troll (similar to a wedding ring available at DanDee Sales). We troll from the Thistle Creek ramp across the mouth of Whitcomb Creek and proceed up the Quartzville arm to the Rocky Top bridge (2 people jigging from the bridge say they are catching fish). Rachel and I are fishing on the surface and we catch a few. Richard started with a 3 ounce banana then switched to a 1½ ounce weight. Takes 5 hours to make the run. We catch the first fish at Whitcomb creek and continue to pick up a few scattered Kokanee but nothing fantastic. Further up Quartzville I catch Rainbow Trout on the surface while Richard (weight) and Rachel (downrigger) catch little. We make the high speed run from Rocky Top bridge to the floating bathroom (south side of lake) then we dock on a muddy beach on the north side of Middle Fork arm and Rachel and I climb a hill. Moving through scattered old growth Douglas Fir up to 200' tall, big trees with fire scarred bark. Undergrowth sword fern in the shade and Oregon Grape in sunny areas. Ground scattered with old downed logs. Return to the boat is marked by Killdeers on the beach. We weave our way through the shallows and start to troll by southside of the island and Richard's setup does well for a few more Kokanee. I try the downrigger and a lure from Washington Bait (New Hamshire) and catch 1. The downrigger setup did not do as well as the weight setup today. Total for the day was 12 Kokanee and 6 Trout. Kokanee about 10" and Trout about 10½". All the fish in good shape. The beggar mallard duck came by. Saw a Osprey dive into the lake and catch a fish almost too heavy to carry. Weather remained overcast but cleared up enough to put on sun block about 11:00 am. Air temperature low 60's. Fewer boats out but the parking lot was 2/3rd full when we left.


June 27, 2004 - Sunday

Green Peter Reservoir

I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and I am fishing by 7:30 am. Sunny. Water level is at 990 feet. Water temperature 65 degrees. Water is clear and clean. I use 3 different setups and each catch 2 fish. 1) A Pop Geer large Flashlite and a Wedding Ring Pro, 2) 2 bronze flashers trailing a green Wedding Ring with dual hooks, and 3) a Ford Fender with a orange Wedding Ring with dual hooks. The dual hooks are red Kamatsu size 4. I use yellow corn and a piece of worm on each hook. Using a down rigger at 40 feet. I start on the south shore directly across from Thistle Creek and troll along shore then go to the island. Early in the day the fish seemed to be south and west of the island but after the wind came up I found quite a few to the east of the island. Total for the day was 6 Kokanee kept and 1 released. Lost a few. Kokanee 10-11". Fish in great shape. Saw 1 Osprey. Weather sunny and mild, calm until 9:30 am then the wind came up. Air temperature in the 60's.



July 3, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard, Rachel, and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are trolling by 7:00 am. Overcast. Water level is at 989 feet. Water temperature 67-69 degrees. Air temperature 50's. Light wind is blowing enough to chop the surface. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a Ford Fender and a homemade bead spinner with a bronze blade and green beads with small flourescent green beads. Richard has a medium lake troll and a small orange beaded Kokanee Spinner from J&L Tackle (similar to a wedding ring). We start west of Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore towards the dam. Fish seem to be in deep water not too close to shore. I use the downrigger at 40 feet and start catching fish immediately. Catch 6 Kokanee in first hour. Then I lost my 'special lure' and never had much luck afterwards though I tried several outfits. Richard started slow but had a lot of bites and some catches later in the day. We quit fishing at 1:00 pm. Total for the day was 13 Kokanee and 2 Trout. Kokanee about 10" and Trout about 10½". Richard caught a 4" which is the smallest fish we ever caught. All the fish in good shape except 1 trout must have had a personal experience with the Osprey. The beggar mallard duck came by and got a worm and piece of corn. Weather remained overcast until 11:30 then cleared up. Parking lot already 90 percent full when we arrived but getting out was no problem. We also trolled from the floating bathroom along the south shore to the east and had luck near bathroom. Went up Middle Fork arm a mile or so and trolled along the north shore to the west and caught 1. We then tried along the south side of the island and caught a couple. The north shore west of Thistle Creek was by far the best spot today.


July 10, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are trolling by 7:15 am. Overcast. Water level is at 988 feet. Water temperature 68-70 degrees. Air temperature low 60's. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a Ford Fender and a homemade bead spinner with a bronze blade and green beads with small flourescent green beads. Richard has a medium lake troll and a small orange beaded Kokanee Spinner. We start west of Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore to the dam then back along the south shore to a point directly across from Thistle Creek. We then went to the floating bathroom and trolled along the south shore till the arm starts to narrow. I use a downrigger at 40 feet and I get bites right away but the fish are nibbling not striking. I also use a 4/0 dodger with homemade bead spinner. Then I try a Pop Geer troll with a KoKatcher by Roe Boat. All riggings seemed to work. Had to develop a new technique to hook light biting fish. When I detect a bite I would take the pole out of the holder and carefully release the downrigger catch keeping tension on the pole. If I was careful the fish would strike again and I could set the hook. I caught the first 4 Kokanee then Richard lands next 2 and we pretty much traded fish after that. We quit fishing at 1:20 pm. Total for the day was 13 Kokanee about 10-11". The beggar mallard duck was down at the dam. Osprey were out in force and I saw 1 dive but pull up short without a fish. Flock of 20 seagulls were floating in the middle of the lake Weather remained overcast until 10:30 then partially cleared. Wind remained light. Only a few vehicles in parking lot when we arrived but nearly full when we left. Our best fishing occurred along the south shore starting about 3/4 mile from the dam.


July 17, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard, Rachel, and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and Richard catches first fish by 7:15 am. Light overcast. Water level is at 987 feet. Water temperature 70-73 degrees. Air temperature 60 going in 80 getting out. Water is clear and clean with slight algae bloom beginning. I rig with a medium Pop Geer lake troll and a homemade bead spinner (bronze blade, green beads, small flourescent green beads, solid steel wire shaft, and two hooks). Richard has a medium lake troll and a small orange beaded Kokanee Spinner. We make a loop starting at mouth of Thistle Creek and trolling along the north shore toward dam then across the lake to the dead alders then head east down the south shore to the rock pit and finish the loop to the north shore near Thistle Creek. We then went to the floating bathroom and tried trolling but the wind came up and the white caps started breaking so we called it a day at noon. I use a downrigger at 40, 45, and 50 feet and I get bites at all depths. The fish bite well early until the overcast burns off then the fish are harder to catch. Fish are again nibbling not striking. I also use a Pop Geer troll with a KoKatcher by Roe Boat. Used my 'new' technique to hook light biting fish. We pretty much traded fish on the 2 poles. Total for the day was 1 small Kokanee released, 14 Kokanee about 9-11" kept, and 2 Rainbow trout, the largest trout was a beautiful 14", the biggest we have caught. Richard caught it after missing several bites he tied on a huge bright flourescent orange Super Duper. That was the trick and the fish really went for it including the big trout. The fish finder showed fish all day especially in deeper water. Fish were scattered from 30 feet to well over 100 feet. Osprey came by late but then flew right over the boat. Flight of 8 Canadian Geese flew tight formation up the lake. Wind was light and variable early and then strong from the west after 11:30. We were behind 5 boats putting in when we pulled out.


July 24, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are fishing by 6:15 am. Clear and Sunny. Water level is at 984 feet. Bottom ramp in use. Water temperature 73-76 degrees. Air temperature 66 going in 90 getting out. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a medium Pop Geer lake troll and a homemade bead spinner (small blade, green beads, small flourescent green beads, solid steel wire shaft, and two #6 green hooks). Richard has a medium lake troll and a small green bead spinner. We start at Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore toward dam then make a run across the lake then back to north shore then back to the south shore and then troll east to the floating bathroom. Best spots were along the north shore and along the south shore at the mouth of Rumbaugh Creek. I use a downrigger at 40 feet early and later at 50 feet. Fish still nibbling not striking. I also use a Pop Geer troll with a KoKatcher by Roe Boat and catch 2. I tried a Flashlite with no luck. A dodger did not produce either. Mainly used homemade green bead spinners but did try a red bead spinner and a orange spoon. Used my 'new' technique to hook light biting fish. We pretty much traded fish on the 2 poles early but later the downrigger was much better. Total for the day was 18 Kokanee all in excellent condition. Richard tried his big orange Super Duper but no luck. The fish finder showed fish all day and the best depth for fishing were from 80-180 feet. Osprey came by late but then flew right over the boat. Flight of 6 Canadian Geese flew tight formation down the lake. Several groups of floating sea gulls. Wind was light and variable early and then strong from the west after 11:30 then quieted down again. We tried to pull out at 12:30 but the line was at least 10 boats so we went back out till 1:30 pm (caught 3 more fish) and best of all saw a bald eagle land in a tree on the top of the island, then sail away with the wind to be replaced by an Osprey. When we returned to the ramp we were only behind 3 boats. The ramp was extremely crowded with rigs parked out to Quartzville road. The top ramp was unusable due to water level so everyone needed to use the bottom ramp but not everyone is aware of the correct procedure - a real zoo.
August 7, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are trolling by 6:35 am. Overcast. Water level is at 980 feet. Water temperature 72-74 degrees. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a Pop Geer Troll and a homemade bead spinner with a bronze or silver blade and green beads with small flourescent green beads and 2 green size 6 Kamatzu hooks. Richard rigs with a 3 ounce banana weight, a medium lake troll, and a small orange beaded Kokanee Spinner. He also caught 1 on the orange Super Duper. I tried a Kokanut with no luck. We both use corn on the hook and I sometimes use a piece of worm. We start at Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore to the dam. Fish show up on the depth finder. I use the downrigger at 50 feet and catch fish until we get to the point where you can see the dam then nothing until the dam. Catch 1 at dam. We then tried the south shore but did not catch many until the Rockpit, from the Rockpit to the point across from Thistle Creek was real good. We then took a floating bathroom break and trolled from there to the island and had good luck though we seemed to be in the skiing and tubing lane. We quit fishing at 1:15 pm. Total for the day was 31 Kokanee and 2 Trout. Kokanee about 10-11". Richard caught a 4" and I caught an 8" that we released. All the fish in good shape. The beggar mallard duck was at the dam hitting up the boats jigging. 3 Osprey were sailing above us early in the day. Weather was overcast early but cleared up and temperature climbed to high 70s'. Wind was very quiet today. Lake was less busy and we got in and got out quick. The bottom ramp is in use but the mud was not too bad. Parking was no problem in the upper lots but some idiots park at the top of the bottom ramp. So to summarize - The best fishing was - north shore from mouth of Thistle Creek west to the point, the south shore across from Thistle Creek by the Rockpit, and south of the island in deep water. The downrigger caught twice as many as the weight setup. The fish were biting very light and you had to concentrate on hooking them.


August 14, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are trolling by 6:20 am. Thunder storm with rain on the drive to Green Peter but all had blown over when we put the boat in. Water level is at 978 feet. Water temperature 74-76 degrees. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a Pop Geer Troll and a homemade steel shaft bead spinner with a red #4 Kamatzu hook on shaft trailing a green #6 Kamatzu hook. Richard rigs with a 5 ounce banana weight, a medium lake troll, and a small wedding ring. We both use corn on the hook and I use a small piece of worm. We start at the mouth of Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore toward the dam. Fish show up on the depth finder. I use the downrigger at 45 feet and get nibbles. Richards weight setup produces fish. We then try the south shore starting at the Rockpit and troll east clear to the floating bathroom. Near the Rockpit was real good, the rest of the troll had some real slow areas. We then trolled from the bathroom to the east along the south shore and had good luck especially on the downrigger. A cabin cruiser was a little to east of us making loops in a small area so they must have been having good luck. We then tried to troll to the island but the wind came up and made trolling into the wind and landing the fish difficult without getting the boat turned sideways. We quit fishing at 1:10 pm. Total for the day was 33 Kokanee. Fish caught later in the day were bigger than the early fish. All the fish in great shape. Single Osprey were out all day. Saw 1 bald eagle fly by and the sea gulls were out and about. Weather was overcast early but cleared up and temperature climbed to high 70s'. Wind was very quiet early but came up pretty good after 11:00. The bottom ramp is in use but the mud was manageable. Another idiot parked at the top of the bottom ramp. To summarize - The best fishing was - north shore from mouth of Thistle Creek west to the point, the south shore across from Thistle Creek by the Rockpit, and to the south shore east of the floating bathroom. The downrigger caught twice as many as the weight setup. Wedding ring type bead spinners were the best. The fish were biting very light and you had to be patient and concentrate on hooking them.


August 21, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and start fishing by 6:30 am. Mixed overcast of high clouds. Water level is at 976 feet. Water temperature 74-76 degrees. Water is clear and clean. I rig with a Pop Geer Troll and a homemade steel shaft bead spinner with a red #4 Kamatzu hook on shaft trailing a green #6 Kamatzu hook. Richard rigs with a 6 ounce banana weight, a medium lake troll, and a light green bead spinner. We both use corn on the hook. We start at the mouth of Thistle Creek and troll along the north shore toward the dam. Few fish show up on the depth finder. Catch my first fish at 6:45 and 2nd at 6:50 then have an 1½ hour wait for my 3rd. Fishing is slow so we try by the Rockpit and get nothing. We then trolled from the floating bathroom to the east along the south shore and catch a few. We then trolled from the bathroom to the island and caught none and saw few on the fish finder. We then tried the cliffs on the north shore at the mouth of Quartzville arm, we each caught 1. At 11:00 am we went up Quartzville arm to the 1020 Rock and finally got some good solid fishing. We quit fishing at 1:10 pm. Total for the day was 26 Kokanee. Fish caught later in the day were much bigger than the early fish. Only 5 of the fish were mature females (usually a 50/50 male/female split). 8 Osprey were out soaring in the middle of the reservoir. Weather was overcast early but cleared up to high contrails and temperature became quite warm. Wind was very quiet early and stayed fairly mild. A idiot parked his boat trailer in the ramp staging area. To summarize - Tough going in the main lake, good fishing right at the 1020 rock (1st turn of Quartzville arm). The downrigger and weight setup stayed even until fishing at 1020 rock then the downrigger produced steadily and the weight setup got 1. Solid shaft wedding ring type bead spinners with 2 hooks were the best. The fish were biting very light. I tried a 4/0 Dodger trailing a red bead spinner and got 1. Tried a bead spinner with no blade and got 1. Tried a double bronze troll trailing a wedding ring and got none. Finally went back to my homemade spinner and caught fish. Tried depths from 45-60 feet but 50 feet seemed best.


August 28, 2004 - Saturday

Green Peter Reservoir

Richard and I arrive at Thistle Creek boat ramp and are in the water by 6:30 am. Low cloud overcast. Water level is at 977 feet. Water temperature 72-73 degrees. Water is clear and clean.