Time: 3:30PM – 5:00PM

Location: Cove next to the boat ramp.

Wallowa Lake 05/30/2019 Photo Album

As mentioned in my previous post on Day 4, the knowledge of a recent trout stocking and the vision of rising fish in the cove next to the boat ramp increased my enthusiasm for another fly fishing venture in Oregon. Jane and I returned to the campground, and I immediately geared up for another attempt at successful stillwater fishing. In order to save time I drove the Santa Fe to the parking lot by the marina. For this venture on Wallowa Lake I rigged my Sage four weight.

Wallowa Lake Boat Ramp

Fish rose very sporadically during my 1.5 hours at the cove on Wallowa Lake. I began my attempt to fool the lake dwellers with a size 16 gray deer hair caddis, but the usually productive dry fly generated no interest. In an effort to produce some action I switched to a yellow fat Albert trailing a beadhead hares ear nymph and ultra zug bug, but this combination also failed to entice trout. After twenty minutes of futile casting the fish ended their sporadic feeding on the surface, so I converted to a slumpbuster streamer trailing a bright green sparkle pupa. This pair of flies was similar to those employed on Kinney Lake, and I hoped that their effectiveness would extend to this nearby body of water.

I Fished This Cover for 1.5 Hours

I stripped the streamer and trailing pupa for thirty minutes to no avail. Are stocked fish supposed to be easy targets? For the last thirty minutes I stood or sat and observed. A burst of rises followed several gusts of wind, but not every air disturbance yielded surface feeding. The flurry of surface activity motivated me to switch back to an olive-brown deer hair caddis, and I combined it with a griffiths gnat on a six inch dropper. I cast the tandem to the vicinity of the random rises, but all my efforts were fruitless.

From the Side Opposite the Boat Ramp

At five o’clock I stripped in my line and hooked my flies to the rod guide and returned to the car. 1.5 hours of fishing in Wallowa Lake was disappointing, and I registered a rare skunking. The frustrating experience also dampened my enthusiasm for additional forays on to Wallowa Lake. I wish I never heard that 10,000 fish were stocked in the lake.

Fish Landed: 0