Pontoon trolling

[flying_soldier]

I fish from a Bucks Bags Pontoon and am just getting into flyfishing. I am told that trolling from a pontoon is productive but am not sure the right set up. I have sinking line but not sure about the patterns etc... I like to fish Blackman's lake in Snohomish. I live right next to the Kirkland side of Lake washington but that is an huge lake and I really dont want to paddle to the other side of it..haha

[Marc Martyn]

If you are fishing for trout, I would suggest that you use a leech pattern in wine, olive, black and brown. Of all my flies, that pattern has produced the most fish. Leeches when they swim, move in spurts. They will wiggle upward, pause, wiggle upward etc. I use a strip, strip, pause repeated retrieve. Also, if you can find a leech pattern that has krystal Flash or Angel Hair in it, that really helps. That imitates the shiney skin of the leech. Leeches are always in the water, year around. They are like steak to a trout.=p~
Another pattern that works well is a Carey Special. There are many varieties of the pattern. Generally, rainbows prefer red and olive, cutthroats like orange. Brooks seem to like black and yellow.
If Blackman's Lake is the same one in the topo maps, it is about 25 ft. deep. A fast sink line will get down to that depth.
As far as putting your boat on Lake Washington, that is iffy. I prefer to stay off of lakes with large fast boats. If one is coming at you at a high speed and they don't see you, you will not be able to avoid them and have no protection what so ever. Also if a strong wind comes up you could be in for a difficult situation.
I hope this helps some.......good luck!

[raffensg64]

Congrats on the Bucks Bags boat! I've got one, too. Trolling, kick-finning, call it what you want.....it's the easiest, most effective way to catch fish. But don't be content just to string out a bunch of line and kick around in a straight line. Experiment around. In time you'll learn how much line you need out, how fast/slow to move, and which kind of retrieve works best. One day you'll be getting fish deep on a given lake, and the very next day fish in the same lake are working the surface! And oh, by the way, all lakes fish differently than others!

Patterns are seasonal dependent. But for starters get your basic patterns: buggers, leeches, hares ears, pheasant tails, prince nymphs, damsels, etc. Check with other fishermen and fly shops as to what works best at certain times of the year.

Have fun and good luck!

[jmay]

As far as patterns, stop by Creekside is Issaquah it is a pretty nice fly shop, and the staff actually fish. They should at least point you in the right direction.

[The Quadfather]

For fly shops also check out The Avid Angler. They are located in Lake Forest Park. I know you are new to the area... so this would be Bothel Hwy. going around the North end of the lake through Kenmore, once you round the lake, it's the first traffic light and in the little mall.
The nicest people you could ask for, and it is a very full service shop, they know their stuff. Half the time they throw in extra flies.