Blackman's lake

Blackman's Lake

It’s been many weeks since we’vehad a weekend without typhoons pouring down on us, so we decided to takeadvantage of the first sunny weekend by going to Blackmans Lake out inSnohomish.  We have been searching forplaces closer to home to go fishing. Blackmans Lake is only about a fifteenminute drive from our home in Everett. However, once we arrived at the lake wealso learned that it is very close to about 800 other people that also decidedto go fishing that day.

                Wearrived to the boat launch about noon to be welcomed by a flooded parking lot.The entire lot was flooded with lake water, boat trailers, and several shadyindividuals who seemed just be looking for a place to spend a sunny day withtheir friends Jack Daniels and Anheuser Busch (so lock your car after youlaunch the boat). Being that the regular lake season does not begin until nextmonth, Blackmans Lake is one of a few local lakes that is open all year. Thiscauses for some heavy fishing pressure. I have read reviews about rainbow troutranging in the 15” – 18” range, and I have also heard of largemouth bass beingcaught.

After launching the boat in theparking lot, we decided to start by trolling some flies. We were trollingslowly with green leaches. After covering a good portion of the lake with noluck, we decided to move a bit closer to shore where I would continue to trollflies and Katie could cast a rapala for bass. This too was unsuccessful.

Since I have started to take fly fishing moreseriously, I have grown to greatly dislike the idea of fishing with power bait.  If a six year old girl with a hello kittyfishing pole can do it, then I want nothing to with it. There seems to be nochallenge or skill to fishing this way. However, on days like today, thehypocrites that we are, we decided to stop and flip out some power bait.Apparently, this too takes a skill that we do not possess because we came upempty using power bait as well (maybe it’s the hello kitty pole that I ammissing).

From watching the other boats thatwere on the lake, everyone was coming up empty. We did not get a bite, didn’t seea single fish be caught by any of the other hundred boats out on the lake and muchto our dismay, didn’t even see a fish jump. When it comes down to it, yes, thislake is close to home and readily accessible, but it is fished by an odd crowd,highly overfished, and for us, not very productive. It will likely be some timebefore we head back to Blackmans Lake.