I spent several awesome days, years ago, way up north in the Canadian granite, fishing for big Mackinaw trout in Great Slave Lake. A potbellied beauty from that trip, 30-plus pounds, has occupied a place of honor on my wall since that time, bringing back great memories every time I walk by.
But actually it was a much smaller fish that I remember most fondly — a little guy of 3 or 4 pounds which the guide filleted as the centerpiece of our shore lunch on my first day there.
He simply salted and peppered the fillets, placed them in foil with slices of onion and lemon, added ketchup and dollops of butter, wrapped them up and laid them on the coals of a wood fire. They poached in their own juices and came out steaming, tomatoey, buttery, delicious. The best fish I’ve ever eaten, hands down. Better than halibut or walleye or spring Chinook or lingcod, and that’s saying something.
Sure, the pristine wilderness, the smell of wood smoke, the ancient rock outcropping, and the crystal-clear water lapping at our feet had something to do with it. So did the wind, coming in warm and gentle from the west, scented with spruce. We told fishing stories, drank sweet tea brewed in a can with a handle, and ate trout until there was nothing left but crumbs.
It was a magnificent meal, and it came to mind as I talked with Anton Jones about fishing for Mackinaw (aka “lake” trout or “lakers”) in Lake Chelan. Jones runs Darrell &Dad’s Family Guide Service from his home in Manson, targeting several different waters and species in the upper Columbia Basin, but primarily Lake Chelan for Macs.
The question of Mackinaw table quality comes up regularly, in most discussions of the fishery. Catching Macs is a lot like mounting a trip to Neah Bay for chicken halibut — smallish halibut are not noted for putting up a tremendous battle, and it becomes a day’s work cranking them up from the depths at which they’re found. Unless you’re specifically targeting the big boys, most halibut fishing is — might as well be honest — for the table. For the opportunity to enjoy the experience and a meal of fresh, self-caught fish.
Lake trout fishing is similar, but there seems to be a difference of opinion on their worth as a food fish.
“It depends on who you talk to,” Jones said. “Some people love ‘em and others say they’re not worth bothering with. Personally, my family thinks a Mac is fine on the table. I simply fillet the fish, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and grill it three minutes on a side.”
Since most anglers on his guided trips go home with multiple fish, Jones said there are a couple other factors important in making sure you end up with a quality product. One is to scrape out the body fat when you clean the fish, and the other is to be prepared to put the fish on ice immediately after it’s in the boat, and all the way home.
Since lakers are an oily species, they don’t freeze well for extended periods of time. The upside of that is that they’re great smokers.
“I smoke a lot of fish for my customers,” Jones said, “and many of our local fishermen smoke their catch on a regular basis and feel the Macs are excellent that way. Chelan lakers feed primarily on mysis shrimp, so their meat is red and rich.”
Regardless of table preferences, the fishery is becoming an increasingly popular one. There aren’t too many places in the state where you stand a reasonable chance, every day on the water, of hooking a 10-plus-pound trout, and there are no seasons or limits on Mackinaw in Chelan.
“It’s still, really, an underutilized fishery,” Jones said.
Summer is the most popular time, not surprisingly, since the Chelan area is a destination for sun seekers, and a trip there makes a nice mini-vacation for a lot of people. Jones said the average Mackinaw taken on his trips will run 2 or 3 pounds, and his boats will come in with anywhere from 7 or 8 fish to 15 or 16 fish some 85 percent of the time on full-day trips.
“Action is pretty consistent year-around,” he said, “running one to two fish per hour into the net. If you want to target big fish, the last half of February and the month of March is the best time period. The incidence of lakers 10 pounds and larger goes up then to about one out of every five or six fish, as opposed to one out of 30, approximately, the rest of the year.”
The state record Mackinaw came out of Chelan in December of 2001, at 35.7 pounds. Jones said his biggest fish last year weighed 30 pounds, 15 ounces, caught in March, and his largest so far this year is a 23-pounder boated in June.
Going after big ‘Macs”
It’s not a particularly difficult fishery to learn, but you must be equipped with downriggers and a sounder in order to troll for Macs, the most effective way of catching them. For the angler interested in bringing a boat to the big lake and catching a few fish, Jones outlines Lake Trout 101, as follows:
WHERE: Launch at the nice, four-lane facility at Old Mill Park, six or seven miles uplake from Chelan, on Hwy 150 toward Manson. Look for the Mill Bay Casino on the right, and turn left. Head straight out, across the lake, and watch your sounder as Mill Bay, one of the few shallow bays on the lake, gradually drops off. When you have Wapato Point on your right, the bottom will start to come back up to a popular fishing spot called The Bar, a raised hump maybe 300 yards across by 800 yards long, at 120 to 140 feet deep. Fish will be found early in the morning sitting on top of the hump, Jones said.
TACKLE: Jones uses a 9-foot, light action rod — the Ugly Stik BWD 1101 — and a level wind reel (the Shimano Charter Special) capable of spooling 200 or 220 yards of 20-pound line. Most light salmon rods/reels would be suitable.
TERMINAL GEAR: Jones said Mackinaw are an aggressive predator species, and will take a wide range of baits and lures. Whole herring are popular with some anglers, on a two-hook tie with a treble trailer. Ace-Hi flies in green glow or orange glow, without flasher, work well. Jones prefers Flatfish, worked 40 or 50 feet behind his downrigger cable, in one of three sizes (F-7, the standard U-20, or the slightly larger T-4 for The Bar) and one of two colors: luminous chartreuse, or purple glow. Other wobbling plugs, such as the Wiggle Wart, are also used. “Whatever you feel comfortable with and have confidence in will probably work,” Jones said.
HOW: If you’re not fishing within 10 feet of bottom for these lakers, Jones said, then you’re not fishing. A relatively slow troll is also a critical factor, from 1.4 or 1.5 mph up to about 1.9 mph. If you’re moving over 2 mph, you’re going too fast, Jones said.
Those without downrigger equipment can still troll for Mackinaw, Jones said, but they’ll need a rod with a little more backbone and a large-capacity reel. The system is to use a wide-bodied spoon such as the Rushin’ Salmon wobblers by Critter Gitter, 125 feet behind a 20-ounce snap weight, with 450 to 650 feet of line out and the same slow troll. Tedious to retrieve, but effective.
Jigging for lake trout is a technique still in the developmental stage on Lake Chelan, Jones said, but it can be productive for those without downriggers. He would be glad to offer tips to anyone interested.
SAFETY: Lake Chelan is a very big body of water and even though small boats can be used effectively to fish Mackinaw, anglers must be aware of the weather and how far they are from the launch. The lake can get very rough in a short period of time.
Fish with a guide
Anton Jones runs Darrell &Dad’s Family Guide Service on Lake Chelan, 231 Division, Manson, WA 98831; phone toll-free 1-866-360-1523; e-mail antonj@aol.com; Web site www.darrellanddads.com.
Half-day guided fishing trips (4 hours) cost $130 plus tax per adult, minimum two people. Once the minimum is met, one youngster under 16 fishes free with each paying adult.
Full-day guided fishing trips (8 hours) cost $176 plus tax per adult, minimum two people. Once that minimum is met, one youngster under 16 fishes free with each paying adult.
Jones offers group discounts for family reunions and other gatherings.
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