Flaming Gorge

[Sollly]

Anyone been up recently? Headed up agian to try for some Macks and Kokanee. Any tips are welcome. Oh, does anyone know when they do the parade of lights?
[signature]

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Hi Solly![/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]We were up there last weekend and fished Linwood Bay, Antelope Flats, up by the pipeline, and Horseshoe Canyon. The fishing was better than the catchin'. We mainly jigged for macks but also trolled for macks and a few kokes too. Lots of fish on sonar but they weren't feeding heavy.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I had a friend up on Anvil that limited out on Kokes everyday and caught a few pup macks. Also heard about a guy on Antelope Flats that hit a 20# & 30# on Saturday trolling big pop gear and a swimbait.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Noticed you said you're heading up there this weekend. Come back with a good report and good luck![/size][/font]
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

Bow's - Lots and lots in the Canyons from Sheep Creek to Rainbow Canyon. Most very small.

Kokes - Scattered from Swim Beach to the north. There are schools near the pipeline suspended 30-50 feet. Dodgers seemed to be the ticket.

Macks - As BLM said, lots off the flat and in Linwood on the 80ft hump lines and ridges. Got very few to bite and the ones that did were small. I hear there are lots of pups along skunk cliffs, trolling wedding rings and pop-gear.

Lets us know how you do.
[signature]

[Sollly]

Where are the Skunk Cliffs? I will post a report when I return on Tuesday. My plan right now is to hit the Macks with jigs early and late hopefully when there is no wind. It is suppose to be kind of unsettled up there this weekend so I don't know if I'll be able to hold on the Macks. When not jigging for Macks I will check the cliffs at Squaw Hollow to see if the Kokes are schooled up yet. If not. the trolling will commence, probably around Anvil Draw. If that failes, I'll start filinging jigs at the smallies. Thanks for all your help!
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

Don't quote me directly, but I think they are half way between Buckboard and Anvil. I don't fish up that way much. It was pretty windy when we were up there and had to anchor on the Macks. We think we have a new way of jigging in the wind, but I'm not saying until we test it. Don't want to give out bad info you know. There is a very slight chance I will be up late Saturday or early Sunday - Monday. If you have a GRMS radio, give IFG a call on channel 1 sub 3.
[signature]

[Sollly]

Will do IFG. What kind of rig will you be in? I will try you several times each day, just in case.
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

19' White Smoker Craft, downriggers, 70hp main, 15hp kicker. Big Black diesel Ram with #40 and #22 car stickers in the back window. Won't know until Saturday if JMIG and I are going. Have to wait to see if we get Dan moved.
[signature]

[martymcfly]

If anyone makes it up there please let us know how it went. I am stuck in a chair due to recent surgery and I won't get to fish for at least another week. I'd like to head up there the second week in september and any reports would be greatly appreciated.
[signature]

[Sollly]

Got back from the Gorge yesterday. Fishing was slow. Caught a few Smallies, Couple of Rainbows and a couple of Kokes. Found the Macks, but couldn't get them to bite for anything. Watched them come up and take a look at my jigs and not hit them. Saw this on 10 or 12 different times. BIG arches!! Could have been the time of day. It was in the afternoon. Next time I will try late evening.
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

That sounds like our trip. Same deal, lots of marks, few fish. We will give the new moon on the 25th a try.
[signature]

[Sollly]

Looked for you IFG. To many boats and we were pretty mobile.
[signature]

[tightline]

I am glad to see it wasn't just me jigging to a bunch of marks on Sonar yet nothing in the boat. The most active fish I found were in Jarvies area but still it was far from typical. I spent a whole week and not one laker worth mentioning. I did finally figure out the pups. Caught a whole bunch on a small roadrunner from our good friend Tube Dude. They liked black and gold. Which I thought was a little strange. I guess it never hurts to try something new. I hope it get's better this fall. It sure seems like there are a bunch of Macks all over. I also caught tons of small to medium rainbows all around Jarvies and Sheep Creek area along the cliffs.
[signature]

[Sollly]

Maybe some of you Mack experts on the board can elighten us on how to make the big ones bite???
[signature]

[crestliner]

One thing I learned from BLM is pay attention to the little things and put in your time. I fished Flaming Gorge many times before I had lady luck shine upon me.
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

CL,

Did you get those this weekend? If you did you are a FG God. We did better than most and the biggest one was a little smaller than the smaller one in the picture.
[signature]

[IceFishingGod]

While I don't claim to be a Mack expert...O.K. I do...but...only when I've had a beer too many. Here's what I know and don't know. I know most of the big Macks stay on the 80' line when feeding. Most of them are around the Lucerne/Antelope flat area. They are of course scattered across the lake but this is where they are the most concentrated. I know (or surmise) the big ones don't feed on Koke's when they (Koke's) are spread across the lake, rather, I believe, they eat Carp. Here's why: Koke's are too fast for the big, fat Macks, I'm fat and don't try to run down Antelope when I can buy a Porterhouse. As we move into the next three weeks, their (Mack's) feeding habits will change. As the Koke's stack up and move to spawn, the Macks will follow. The Koke's will be more intreseted in spawning than staying alive. I remember a time in the 70's that happened to me. KEY POINT: Mack's spawn 3 weeks after the Koke's, they need the high protein and fat content the Koke's provide to carry then through the spawn. Think Bears and Salmon here. The easiest time to catch Mack's is during the spawn, but remember....YOU ARE CATCHING FISH THAT MAKE MORE FISH. During the spawn they strike out of a protection instict (like LM bass) more than hunger. Here's what I don't know: I've always had a hard time catching Mack's during the summer. I've nickeled and dimed the big ones, but not like the Fall-Spring. I get shut out more in the summer than any other time of year. I've also never caught a Mack deeper than 100', maybe that's why I don't think they're feeding then. I have of late devolped some new idea's and tactics that will have to wait until I get back to try. Or.....I might be full of the proverbial POOPOO. I forgot to mention, every big Mack I've ever caught came off a jig. Figure out what they want and your in there. As soon as I figure it out, I'll let you know. In 2 weeks I would use something with pink and white in it. Just a guess.
[signature]

[FlyFishingMoose]

crestliner - nice fish were these from this year? I've never had the opportunity for a MAC-ATTACK but I've been up the the gorge for some nice koke fishing and that was a lot of fun but it was about 8-10 years ago, no boat, no sense going up there anymore.
[signature]

[crestliner]

Those fish were from early summer/late spring this year. I haven't been back since then. I'm saving all my energy for Bear Lake coming up real soon. Can't wait for October to get here.
[signature]

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Why Wait? I'm going over this weekend! Got to try out some new stuff.[/size][/font]
[signature]

[Sollly]

The second picture looks like you were in the same damn spot I was. Straight out from the point, drops off from 40 to 80 feet. Sound familiar?
[signature]