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Arrived at Ft. Spokane at 9:30 with lines set in the water at 10:00. Today didn't disappoint with the first fish on within two or three minutes of setting the lines. My brother and I took a neighbor of mine that had been talking about going with us for quite some time. We started fishing right after the no wake zone past the casino. We had caught a lot of fish close to the shore so that is where we started out today. Sure enough that is where they were today as well. We made one pass along the shore coming out into the main lake and had seven on by the time we reached the mouth of the Spokane. Continued fishing on along Seven Bays for another 5 minutes or so and decided to turn around and fish the confluence some more. As we turned and started trolling back we discovered that trolling against the wind was a little different and a lot more difficult. After some thinking and deliberating we decided to shoot up to the no wake zone and fish back with the wind and waves. We didn't even have the second rod set when the first went down with a fish on. We ended up with two doubles coming back along the same stretch for the second time. It was a blast and the fishing was hot. Even though there were three of us we fished with two rods on the downriggers. We've found it eliminates a lot of the mess and tangles that we've had in the past. So between the two rods we had our three person limit in three passes along the north shore coming out of the confluence.

On the two rods we fished one with an orange Kekeda fly and a chartreuse and orange Kekeda fly on the other with both downriggers set at 7 feet. The orange Kekeda fly outfished the other by almost two to one. The speed was between 2.4 and 2.6 mph fishing with the wind. It was a really productive day with the big fish coming in at 19" and the rest at a healthy and chunky 17". I gave it a 5 because of the two doubles and the amount of time it took to catch three limits on two rods (a little over three hours), add that all of the fish were 17" and above and that makes a pretty good day. Once again Roosevelt lives up to it's reputation.

afk

12/30/2013 9:31:00 PM

I love the fish in the net 2 at a time! Great picture. Thanks for the report.

hewesfisher

12/31/2013 8:35:00 AM

Nice report Dave! You learned a new technique I call "drift trolling". I use it a lot, especially when running 4 rods. Another important reason to do so, keeps the peace between my fishing partner and me. Much easier to motor upwind, troll downwind, and leave the frustration out of our time on the water. ;-)

We're going again tomorrow and I will give your orange Kekeda a workout against my other favored brand, report to follow!

iwilfish

12/31/2013 10:50:00 AM

Too bad christmas is already done. that first photo looks like one to go on the christmas card; maybe next years'. Sounds like a great day. good job on the limits. Forgive my ignorance, but where can I get a look at a Kekeda fly? Are they something they sell near you? I don't live in eastern washington.

CharlieH

12/31/2013 11:26:00 AM

Dave, did you work in construction here in Spokane? Sounds like you have the river figured out pretty much. Thanks for sharing.

Kekedatackleco

12/31/2013 12:31:00 PM

Phil- I have to give you some credit for our decision to drift troll (love the name of that by the way). We have tried it before but with your recent post fresh in my mind it definitely was a topic of conversation while we were deciding so thank you. I hope the orange Kekeda fly preforms as well as it did for us that day. Good luck and looking forward to the report!

iwilfish- I would have to send out my own Christmas cards as I don't think my wife would let me replace her and my son with a fish. :) The Kekeda fly is a fly that I've been tying for some years now and it has gone through some changes over that last year or two. It's funny but the version I tie now looks very similar to the ones from about three years ago that are lying around the garage. If you pm me your address I can certainly send you a couple to try out.

CharlieH- I haven't worked construction at all but I think there are a few guys that look like me in Spokane because I get that often. We feel pretty comfortable fishing but we try to stay humble as we know how quickly a body of water can put you to shame. Good luck on the water!

downriggeral

1/1/2014 12:11:00 PM

Hi Dave - The lake can dose out a BIG case of humbleness! It's called skunked. It happened once last year after some "gloating" on my part. Won't soon forget that one. Friend Ron could tell all about it......but then?????

Kekedatackleco

1/1/2014 12:43:00 PM

Isn't it funny how it seems to happen that way. Our middle brother still thinks we buy our fish on the way home. It seems like a lot of the time he comes with us the fish turn off. We've even joked that he's cleaner than us and actually uses soap when he showers and the fish don't like it. :) Friends always seem to remember those kind of trips don't they?

iwilfish

1/1/2014 7:38:00 PM

I know I am showing my ignorance here but i don't know how to PM you, or anyone else for that matter. i tried to figure it out by myself but i have a low internet IQ. There, I said it. anyway it was nice of you to offer to send me the flies but if I could just see a picture of them that would be enough. So, a little direction on how to use the PM system, user control board etc. would be greatly appreciated. Just bear in mind, although I am not super old, I am barely forum site literate. often the terminology means nothing to me.

Kekedatackleco

1/1/2014 11:01:00 PM

If you click on my name in the comment section it should bring you to another page that gives you the option of sending me a pm.

hewesfisher

1/2/2014 6:33:00 AM

Just posted a report on our outing yesterday. You guys mention being humbled, well, it happens, and I thought it was going to happen to us yesterday. Perseverance and the orange Kekeda paid off. :-)

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