Medical Lake Ice Out?

[Lotech Joe]

Has anyone heard if the hard water is gone from Medical Lake yet?

[kutthroatkilla]

Bumpidity...bumpidity...I want to know the same thing Joe concerning Medical...might have to venture out there. I am not sure on Amber's status...I heard it's progressing. We'll need to get together and fish together coming up in the next couple months...it'd be fun to meet Marc too...just got my new Fish 4 Deluxe...I need to get some more water time :bounce:

[Marc Martyn]

I have a job up at Loon Lake and up there the ice is still on the entire lake. Haven't been out by Medical or Amber yet.

[deepbuzzer]

Was there on Sunday, edges slowly clearing,, more to go. Silver lake ice free near the road,, caught 2 nice crappie and 6 perch with small buzzers under a fly suspension device.

[raffensg64]

Walked it again this A.M. with my pups....still iced up from edge to edge. The ice has that soft, milky appearance that signals some progress but there's very little serious melting going on. If memory serves, the first open water appeared in the NE corner last year. Will keep y'all posted as things progress. We're supposed to get some warmer temps this weekend.

Anybody been out to Amber yet? I've got to work these next four days but am hoping to get out there next week when I have a few days off.

Global warming my a**!!! Two years ago I launched on Amber on March 7th. Last year it was March 15th. Today is March 19th and counting!

P.S. I scored a small victory with my wife....I was actually able to talk her into trying fly fishing this year! I guess she's figuring that if she can't beat me then she may as well join me! She's now the proud owner of a Water Skeeter Lake Guide pontoon boat, a Cortland Endurance 9' 6-weight w/Ross #3 Flywater reel and associated wader, fins, etc. All "starter" equipment to be sure but fully functional...thank god for Sierra Trading Post. I have to be smart about this, though....I can't take her out too early, cause if she gets cold it's game over, end of story!!! Probably won't take her out until late April or May.

[Lotech Joe]

Thanks Raff,
That's the report I was looking for. I'll not waste my gas for a while yet. Pretty soon though. I can't stand the wait any more. Maybe this Saturday I'll go take a look see.

[raffensg64]

3-20-09. Some break-up around the edges, 2-3 feet of water here and there, nothing major yet. Stay tuned, fellas, I'll try to update daily.

[kutthroatkilla]

3-20-09. Some break-up around the edges, 2-3 feet of water here and there, nothing major yet. Stay tuned, fellas, I'll try to update daily.

Awesome to have these updates. I'm nearly 40 miles one way to Amber so it's good to know ahead of time. Temps have been good today...high of 57 at GEG today and lows around 35...glanced at next weeks forecast doesn't look too appealing, and that's at least the take the NWS has on it out of their Seattle office...winter will hold-on.

[raffensg64]

3-21-2009. South end still socked in except for some breakup around the beach area. North end is showing 10-20 feet of water along the banks where Fourth St. parallels the lake near the houses.....just like last year. If this weather holds, this area will be fishable by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. It had the first open water last year, too.

[deepbuzzer]

A picture is worth a thousand words,, here is the lake on Saturday,, and you will see there was still someone ice fishing on it.

[deepbuzzer]

So Joe is waiting for the ice out on Medical..
Now my question is the lake that good or is everyone just dying to go fishing?
If the lake is hot,, clue me in on some patterns and general locatios of the fish and the selection of flys used.

[raffensg64]

3-23-2009. Absolutelyinfreakingcredible (you won't find that one in Webster's!). I should not have expected warmer temps to hang around too long, thus hastening the melt. This cold blast that just moved in will slow things down for a few days. But, if you're not an incredibly brave (or stupid) ice fishermen, there is enough open water to launch and fish in the northeast corner. One could access it by parking on the road (Fourth St.). A few of us did this last year when most of the lake was still iced up.

Hey Idaho, to answer your question, it's both....we've all got "cabin fever" and it is a good lake to fish. It will provide a rewarding experience for those looking for a quiet body of water, devoid of throngs of fishermen and power boats. It doesn't get stocked nearly as heavily as other lakes but those you'll catch are fat and healthy. Brownies usually run 14-18" and the rainbows push and occasionally exceed 24". These bows are incredibly strong, fast and airborne qualified once the water warms a bit! It's also been planted with some tigers that have to be getting upwards of 24" also (I've caught a few in the 18-21" range). The tigers are often hard to come by, though. It's the only lake in WA where I've caught all three in one outing.

All the basic patterns will work. Blood worms and other chironomid patterns fished in the shallows can be extremely effective. Leeches, buggers, still water nymphs, careys, doc spratleys, hares ear, PT nymphs and a dozen other patterns have all had their days. The key, I'm convinced, is knowing at what level they are suspended and feeding at. It is a deep lake. Keep your offering at their level and you'll do just fine. And, both the north and south ends fish well so take your pick!

Hopefully Marc Martyn will read this and offer some insight, too. He knows this lake as good as anyone and usually does quite well. Your thoughts, Marc, and anybody else with some valuable insight? Thanks.

P.S. Almost forgot...you can get them on dries in the evenings, especially on the north end after the sun drops behind the hills. Yellow humpys, tent wing caddis and parachute adams are patterns that I use when the browns move into the shallows at the end of the day, lazily porpoising and slurping the remnants of the days hatch.

-Raff

[deepbuzzer]

Kewl,,, thank you for the 411,, cannot wait then.. the guy on the ice was on the south side of the lake by the boat ramp...

[Marc Martyn]

Here is the Report that Mike Carey posted after he and I fished it last year under the same conditions:

Name: Mike Carey Date: March 19, 2008 Rating:
Time: Morning Bait: None Tackle: Sinking Fly Line
Color: Green Species: Trout Method: Trolling with Fly

Got to fish for a few hours wth Eastside Video Editor Marc Martyn. We had a great morning on the water/ice fishing for Medical's trout. I wll confess I'm not much of an early season trout guy and the ice on 3/4 of the lake was discouraging (not to mention the leak in my right wader foot!).

None the less, hooking into a nice 14" brown early on and seeing all the suspended fish on the fishfinder kept me warm. The brown came on a slow troll, deep, with a green flo wooly bugger. Marc added a couple on a black leech, but by 12:15 my toes had had enough.

Thanks to Dave H for the use of the pontoon!

[raffensg64]

3-25-09. South end still socked in with only 4-7 feet of water around the edges....and that had a thin sheet of ice on it this A.M. The NE corner off Fourth St. is slowly opening up, approximately 30-50 feet of open water. It's a slow melt this year, fellas.


Am driving out to Amber this morning. It usually becomes fishable a few days earlier than Medical. Will post an update later today.

Raff

[Lotech Joe]

3-25-09. South end still socked in with only 4-7 feet of water around the edges....and that had a thin sheet of ice on it this A.M. The NE corner off Fourth St. is slowly opening up, approximately 30-50 feet of open water. It's a slow melt this year, fellas.


Am driving out to Amber this morning. It usually becomes fishable a few days earlier than Medical. Will post an update later today.

Raff

Anxious to hear about Amber. Too steep of a walk for me, but it shows when Medical might be open.

[raffensg64]

Amber's open, fellas. Unlike last year, when I got caught short without my gear, I took it all on my recon today. Arrived to find one of my partners catching those "squatter" fish that hang out around the launch. Open water extended about 30-40 feet off the launch and bank. This same strip of water gradually widens as it heads south, where the shallows are wide open. So I launched, headed south, banged off the ice a couple times due to rusty navigations skills and proceeded to get schooled by Amber's fish! My first four hook-ups resulted in lost fish as I worked off the rust. It was a blast...the winds were mild (incredible) and the sun was a blessing. 15 hook-ups resulted in only 4 rainbows and 1 cutt to net but I have no right to complain....it was awesome just to be out again!!!!

Medical's north end should be fishable by this weekend but I have my doubts about the south end.

[kutthroatkilla]

Amber's open, fellas. and proceeded to get schooled by Amber's fish! My first four hook-ups resulted in lost fish as I worked off the rust. It was a blast...

Sweet!!! Awesome!!! Thanks for the update raffensg64!!