Big Lake fishing?

[TAM]

Ok, so it's not a hunting question, it's a fishing question. I'm going fishing at big lake this weekend 7/11 and 7/12. I'm a novice fisherman at BEST. What kind of tackle should I bring for this time of year? Corn, cheese, power bait, spinners, salmon eggs, flies, worms, or something else???? What size hooks? What pound test line?

 

I need to catch some fish or I'll get bored and quit after 20 minutes and go looking for elk! What should I be using to at least keep myself busy?

 

The following weekend my family is going to Yellowstone and will be staying in Island Park. Generally speaking, will the same types bait/tackle work up there as down here?

 

Thanks!

[DesertBull]

If you get bored while fishing, I would suggest small spinners and spoons. Soaking powerbait can be boring unless they are biting really well.

 

Cast out as far as you can and let it sink. The brighter the sun, the deeper you should let it fall. Vary your retrieve speed and depth until you start getting some strikes. Then hone in on what they are wanting and what depth they are holding.

 

Mepps, Rooster Tails, Panther Martin, Kastmasters. Get a few of each in different colors. Black, White, Green and Yellow usually work well most of the time.

 

The smaller the line, the smaller the lure you can cast and the more fish you will catch.

 

I would say 4-6lb test line is best for trout with small spinners and spoons. You can also tip the hook with a small worm to add a little more attraction to the lure.

 

If you will have a boat, trolling works great with a kastmaster attatched with a 3' leader and a small weight, just ahead of a barrel swivel. The swivel keeps the weight above the lure and also keeps your main line from twisting.

[skyhawkbowhunter]

i beleave the dates u posted were last weeked. i also will be goin there soon. 10 lb test should be good up there. As for the bait i would use powerbait or flies. My dads friend went up there last weekend and caught a lot of fish using green and white powerbait.

[mr.smith]

Trout tend to be line shy. I would bet if you scaled down to 6lb test(4 is even better) and got rid of the 10 you would catch more fish. Or use a lighter line on your leader, however you will be able to cast A LOT further with the lighter line.

 

Personally I would fish spinners (black/gold) in the early mornng and mid-morning I would switch to a small jig like a trout magnet or tiny sassy shad. Kastmasters also work for fishing a little deeper. If fishing bait, yeah powerbait works, but I prefer worms. Put a small sliding sinker on your line,tie on a swivel and tie on an 18 inch leader with a size 6 baitholder hook. Thread the worm onto the hook head first and inflate it's butt. (get a worm blower at the lake store) To thread the worm onto the hook imagine your hook is a little foot and the worm is a little sock. Put the sock onto the foot and slide it up past the hook eye.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

[firstcoueswas80]

What I usually do is get a two pole stamp. I will have one pole set up for power bait, 6 lb test with about a 3 foot leader with a bell. If there is room, with the other pole I will walk around a little and try and catch a fish that are a little more active.

 

I personally havent had much luck at Big Lake, but have done well at Cresent, Sunrise, Drift Fence, and Reservation lake. A friend and I caught a limit of 2-4 lbers using this technique at Cresent a couple of summers ago.

[jeepers creepers]

Last year I went to Big Lake and caught nithing but crawdads!

 

So good luck.

 

Make sure you pack away your food at night, there always seems to be bears in the campgound. And not Yogy bear.

[Red Rabbit]

Consider renting a boat at Big Lake. I would use 4# fluorocarbon line on a spinning reel. Use some good ball bearing swivels (not the brass barrel swivels) to reduce line twist from a spinner.

 

As a bait fishing kid, I would tie on a 10' length of 2# fly tippet, add a #18 or 16 single salmon egg hook, put on one egg so the hook does not show, and let it drift down naturally without any weight next to the anchored boat. The downside of using bait is that they tend to swallow the hook deeply and are difficult to release unharmed, especially the little stocker boogers.

 

You can also tie a fly, like a black woolly bugger on the 2# tippet, put a split shot 3' above, and very slowly troll with an occasional dip of the oars. Twitch the line with 2" hand jerks.

 

With a spoon like a Daredevil, I like to retrieve slow so it just barely wobbles, stop for a second or two and resume reeling. The hits seem to come right as I start reeling again. Works with spinners too.

 

 

[Snapshot]

I have good success with 4# flourocarbon tied to a 1/4 oz. rainbow colored kastmaster. You can really fling it out into the deeper holes if you are on shore, or troll with a boat. Vary the retrieve and depth until you find fish. Flyfishing is my favorite late in the day.

[25-06]

4# test green power bait on the bottom or 4# with a black & gold panter martin...These always work for me.

[TAM]

Thanks everyone! Hopefully we'll catch a few. As noted my dates are wrong, I'll be going this weekend 7/18 and 7/19, and then to Yellowstone the following weekend.

 

Do you think the same techniques will work for trout at the lakes at Island Park near Yellowstone?

[luvcoues]

i was just at big lake this past friday. we rented a boat and trolled crawdad lures did pretty good. anchord boat and did better with worms. fished crescent saturday from shore worms and red powerbait . caught more at crescent. if you fish crescent park at pulloff on main rd and walk down to rocky point. we each had a limit in 2 hours. and we always use 4 lb line.

[firstcoueswas80]

I have had good luck with Pink Lemonade, and Rainbow colors/flavors of power bait

[SunDevil]

Luv - what were the size of the fish at crescent? they had a 99% kill last winter and all the fish in there this summer are stockers.

 

Going up to Pinetop on Wed evening for 4 days and will be taking the 3 year old fishing for the first time. Mom will be going to assist - hope she is not to grumpy when I wake her up at 5:00 to hit the road.

 

do not know where we will be going yet. probably Hawley, Greer or maybe Big Lake.

[luvcoues]

sundevil crescent fish were all 12 in or smaller. i practice catch and release when all possible. i stayed in greer and fished river resevoir sunday from 9 to 11 and me and wife had 10 fish with a 17 inch brown t o boot. if you need info on where at river let me know.

[TwoGuns]

sundevil crescent fish were all 12 in or smaller. i practice catch and release when all possible. i stayed in greer and fished river resevoir sunday from 9 to 11 and me and wife had 10 fish with a 17 inch brown t o boot. if you need info on where at river let me know.

 

 

 

I was just fishing at river res. a few hours ago. The family and I are on vacation and staying at a cabin in greer this week. we will be going to big lake later in the week, hopefully, if the rain ever stops.. So, I would like to know where are river you went since we didnt catch a thing today.

 

 

we did talk to a local that swears he catches tons of fish at big lake or any of the lakes using grasshoppers. he catches the big brown ones and i guess the bigger the better. he uses a bobber and a grasshopper and says he always catches fish. We cant seem to get our hands on any grasshoppers just yet, but hopefully before we get to big lake we can find some to try out his idea.

 

It sure is nice up here these days, the high tomorrow is supposed to be 71.