McLean Lake Rainbow Report

June 04, 2006 at 4:04 am

I took in McLean Lake this weekend with Dan Cook (see Fly Fishing Around the World). What a night, took off after the kids went to bed and hit the water. A bit buggy but very warm.

My fishing buddy Derek had already been there for two hours and was into about a half-dozen nice rainbow trolling bead head patterns in the shallows.

Dan showed me all of his gear for the expedition…amazing. He is sponsored by Sage, Rio, and a few other big names. They set him up with rods, reels, gear and flies. His fly box was packed full of flies I have never seen or heard of. He showed me a reel as big as my head with 600 yards of backing that we was going to fly-fish for Marlin.

Dan, Sandor and I hit the water and immediately went to work. Dan did what any expert would do…dry fly a little mosquito pattern and he was “fish on”. He had his first fish of the two year expedition at McLean lake. Dan caught a few more casting to shore with a nymph and reeling back in with a regular 18 inch stripping routine.

I started my usual nymph trolling routine and for some reason switched to a dry fly. I don’t know if I was star-struck and trying to keep up with the big guy, but I must have watched 15 rainbow ignore my dry fly. I went back to my regular routine and tolled the lake. I got into about five pesky little 7 inch rainbow and then finally a nice 18 inch rainbow near the end of our day.

The conditions are great. You could see dozens of them at any time cruising the shore-line. I found them a bit choosy as to what worked but once on they gave a good fight. Dan commented on how he can tell that they have not been caught before. Many trout waters he has fished, there are too many anglers and the fish just give up and come in.

McLean is catch and release so nothing but good memories to bring home.

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