Merwin

[Finaddict91]

Is the Merwin ramp still open?

[Splash]

Speelyai yes, Cresap no.

http://www.pacificorp.com/about/news...10nrl/rsc.html
(scroll to the bottom)

Lewis Reservoir Levels

[hookumhi]

Anyone been fishin??

[Finaddict91]

I might hit it tomorrow....

[Kokonuts]

I will be going out with a buddy Sat. or Sun. Just dont know which day yet.See you there!

Kokonuts

[jzell]

Don't give me an opening,

jz

[Splash]

Originally Posted by jzell

Don't give me an opening,

jz

[Kokonuts]

Originally Posted by jzell

Don't give me an opening,

jz

An opening?? Just come on out for FUNN!
I'll be out on Sunday!!!
Kokonuts

[9LetsRoll11]

New to this area and have only fished Merwin this spring and summer. What fish are you targeting? I think i will go tomorrow. Could use some advise on what method to you guys use(trolling,jigging,ect.) Any information will be greatly appreciated.

[Hawg-line-]

merwin is a Kokanee fishery unless your after the tiger muskey's.

[honker1]

I primarily troll. I have tried jigging a few times, but with no success. Would be curious to know if anyone has had success with jigging at Merwin?

[Mudinchev]

Kokonuts will be with me and my son, we will be leaving from LMCH launch shortly after daylight. Tried to post a pic of the boat but it wont let me, green Pro Sport (Duckworth) with green top. Lamiglas stickers on the side windows, plan on staying in the upper part of the lake somewhere. Swing along side and say hi!

[dancingbear]

Could you guys please let us know how you did up there? I'm trying to figure out where/what to fish tomorrow, given the not-so-good steelhead prospects at the moment. Thanks!

[9LetsRoll11]

Change in plans, did not make it today.

[Kokonuts]

My Daddy used to say, " You cant fish everyday Unless you fish on Jan. 1st." So I wont get to fish every day BUT we did fish on Jan 1st. at Lake Merwin!
We hit the water about 8:00 and the 1-2 ft waves the east wind was blowing up!! That was in the LMCH Marina! It was almost impossible to hold the boat on any sort of course with the bow was crashing thru the waves and water was flying OVER the top of the canopy as soon as we hit the main part of the lake. Scott did a great job of it while his son Shawn & I held on! First we tried the the North side thinking it would be a little better but that didnt happen so we came back up and over to the south side below LMCH that was a little better but still no fish although we were marking large schools on both sides. The fish seemed to be up near the surface and down to 30'. We tried using the Dr's but 8lb weights had too much blowback and no controll with them. We switched over to lead core line with 2 - 3 colors out and Shawn finally got a nice 13" koke in the boat! Scott said we should go old school with the lead core line and red wedding rings which did the job. We stayed out untill 1 or 1:30 but no more action!

We did see 1 other boat out , it was a 16ft Hewes with white sides but when we talked or was it yelling I didnt catch his name. He was by himself & so wasnt able to fish & control his boat at the sme time! He did give it a great try though!

It was a lot of funn & I got some great pictures of the water going over the boat & of course Shawns Fish. I still havt been able to post them But I will give it another try!
I will be going out again soon the fish are there and we just need a little better weather!

JZELL, I hope you had a good time in front of the TV!!

Kokonuts....

[Mudinchev]

It was definitely an experience! The other boat we talked to first thing in the AM was OneDogShort from KFF. Just imagine Deadliest Catch only smaller water and smaller boat! If we could have fished where we waned to I have a feeling we would have had better luck, but unfortunately it was just a little too much, when the bow started going underwater and the prop was out of the water I figured it was time to throw in the towel and find calmer waters. Those that didn't go......you didn't miss much!! Although we still had a good time.

[jzell]

"JZELL, I hope you had a good time in front of the TV!!"

Nope. Got back from a week in NOLA Saturday, so went into the office Sunday to catch up on emails and work on some year end accounting.....while you were fightin' the wind and waves.

jz

[dancingbear]

Great report Kokonuts, I feel like I was there!

[I-Builtit]

You can get a good indication of what the wind at Merwin will be by watching the forecast for the gorge, if it's blowing 20 mph there it most likely is at Merwin too.

[Hookachinook]

Originally Posted by Kokonuts

My Daddy used to say, " You cant fish everyday Unless you fish on Jan. 1st." So I wont get to fish every day BUT we did fish on Jan 1st. at Lake Merwin!
We hit the water about 8:00 and the 1-2 ft waves the east wind was blowing up!! That was in the LMCH Marina! It was almost impossible to hold the boat on any sort of course with the bow was crashing thru the waves and water was flying OVER the top of the canopy as soon as we hit the main part of the lake. Scott did a great job of it while his son Shawn & I held on! First we tried the the North side thinking it would be a little better but that didnt happen so we came back up and over to the south side below LMCH that was a little better but still no fish although we were marking large schools on both sides. The fish seemed to be up near the surface and down to 30'. We tried using the Dr's but 8lb weights had too much blowback and no controll with them. We switched over to lead core line with 2 - 3 colors out and Shawn finally got a nice 13" koke in the boat! Scott said we should go old school with the lead core line and red wedding rings which did the job. We stayed out untill 1 or 1:30 but no more action!

We did see 1 other boat out , it was a 16ft Hewes with white sides but when we talked or was it yelling I didnt catch his name. He was by himself & so wasnt able to fish & control his boat at the sme time! He did give it a great try though!

It was a lot of funn & I got some great pictures of the water going over the boat & of course Shawns Fish. I still havt been able to post them But I will give it another try!
I will be going out again soon the fish are there and we just need a little better weather!

JZELL, I hope you had a good time in front of the TV!!

Kokonuts....

Hi Kokonuts,
Just read your post about fishing at Merwin. I've met you before so I thought I might pump you for a little koke info. Buddy and myself are koke heads too so we're wanting to fish outsdide of Oregon and Washington for them. Have you any fist hand experience in fishing in California or at Faming Gorge? Thanks for the help buddy. Ron

[Kokonuts]

Originally Posted by Hookachinook

Hi Kokonuts,
Just read your post about fishing at Merwin. I've met you before so I thought I might pump you for a little koke info. Buddy and myself are koke heads too so we're wanting to fish outsdide of Oregon and Washington for them. Have you any fist hand experience in fishing in California or at Faming Gorge? Thanks for the help buddy. Ron

Ron, I havnt had a chance to fish either The Gorge or Ca. but I would really like to! I am busy with Kokanee Power of Oregon and now we are starting Kokanee Power of Washington. So we hope to hold 4 Derby's in each state! Anything I can do to help just give me a holler! I am fishing the derbys with Kent Cannon as Team Kokonuts. I really learned a lot from him last summer and we are looking forward to all the Derby's this year. If you havnt got a copy of his book you can get one at his web site. nwoutdoorwriter.com check it out he also has weekly tips & stories. Kokonuts

[Trike]

Fished Flaming Gorge for many years when we lived in Wyoming. They're jigging under the ice this time of year for them. That place will ruin you. Most fish run 3+ lbs. They'll rip the line from your downrigger and hit the surface before you get the slack out. July/August would be my time choice. They seem to run a bit bigger in the Wyo end of the res, but you can't beat Utah side for scenery.

[cosby]

Originally Posted by Finaddict91

Is the Merwin ramp still open?

Speelyia ramp open year round. I always check water level before going @

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/productview.php?pil=RVMPQR

[puffins crew]

Originally Posted by Finaddict91

Is the Merwin ramp still open?

Here is the ramp from Saturday at Speelyai

01-07-2012

[fishnbus]

Left the dock yesterday morning at 0900 and was the first boat on the lake. Two others were arriving as we were motoring out. Not a breath of wind, clear, sunny skies. Two of us had a combined 25 fish on (three doubles), half of them came off the hook, six made it to the cooler and the remainder set free due to small size. Our keepers were 12-13". Long lining small Sepps chrome or watermelon dodgers with small pink hootchies on 6" leaders with 75' of line out turned out to be the magic for the day. I've never fished for Kokes this early in the year but on such a spectacular weather day it worked well. Fresh kokes on the barbie!!

[steve-o]

Good reports guys. Makes me want to hook up the boat. Anyone fishing Yale at all?

[puffins crew]

WTG fishnbus. Great report. Sounds like it was as nice as last weekend. Good times having the lake all to your self and finding some biting fish.

[Pelican]

Launched from Speelyai on Saturday about 8:45 am. Four fisherman surface trolled Ford fenders and Gang o trolls with pink, orange, and green lures. Lures were tipped with shoepeg corn or Gulp maggots. No strikes. Not many hits on the Fish Finder either. Tried several locations all the down to the dam. Quit at 11:30 as cold rain came poring in. Talked with two other boaters who had about the same success as we did.

[Sammy Salmon]

Drove up there yesterday after an uneventful time on the kalama. Saw 4 trailers in the lot and a couple kayaks. Went up to Yale and swift didn't see a boat on the water! The water looked pretty good, can't wait to get back up there and try my luck! :-)

[WeldZilla]

Hello all I am new here to ifish. I have really enjoyed what I have read and seen here so far. I have only been on merwin once about 25 years ago. I plan on changing that soon. A good friend of mine fishes there quite often. he usually goes out later in spring but if we can make it we are going to head up there this weekend. I am eager to get out on the water, any water!! I plan my of my trips around My place at Ocean Park but Merwin is a whole lot closer to home. I live in Orchards area. I hope to see some of you up there soon. I am new to kokanee but I am a life time fisherman

Weldzilla

[marthagofish]

Originally Posted by WeldZilla

Hello all I am new here to ifish. I have really enjoyed what I have read and seen here so far. I have only been on merwin once about 25 years ago. I plan on changing that soon. A good friend of mine fishes there quite often. he usually goes out later in spring but if we can make it we are going to head up there this weekend. I am eager to get out on the water, any water!! I plan my of my trips around My place at Ocean Park but Merwin is a whole lot closer to home. I live in Orchards area. I hope to see some of you up there soon. I am new to kokanee but I am a life time fisherman

Weldzilla

Welcome Weldzilla! I look forward to reading your posts!

[Meister Jaeger]

Originally Posted by WeldZilla

Hello all I am new here to ifish. I have really enjoyed what I have read and seen here so far. I have only been on merwin once about 25 years ago. I plan on changing that soon. A good friend of mine fishes there quite often. he usually goes out later in spring but if we can make it we are going to head up there this weekend. I am eager to get out on the water, any water!! I plan my of my trips around My place at Ocean Park but Merwin is a whole lot closer to home. I live in Orchards area. I hope to see some of you up there soon. I am new to kokanee but I am a life time fisherman

Weldzilla

Welcome to iFish, Weldzilla!

It is customary to make an introductory post (separately, vs in an existing thread) to tell us about yourself and fishing/hunting habits. The 'traditional' thing to add is a fishing or hunting story of your choice. You'll likely get more responses and greetings with a standalone post.

Lots of great people here, and tons of helpful info as well. Enjoy!

MJ

[Sammy Salmon]

Prolly gonna head up there Sat. Even though I should be trying for the elusive spring chinook! But thinking it's still a little early for both but I would rather spend my gas this weekend putting around this magnificent lake! Plus I love catching these little sky dancers! I say that cause MAN they are so unpredictable! I had one jump across my boat last year. If my pole wasn't so long and I knew what it was gonna do, I could have slam dunked it in my ice bucket. Hahaha fun times

[WeldZilla]

If I don't have to work saturday i will be up there too. Springers can wait.

I just got to do this....

Which is the better way to go? Through Woodland and up the river Or since I live in Orchards head up through Battle Ground? Is the ramp on the upper or lower end of the lake? As you can see I am not a Merwin guy.....Yet....

WZ

[Got Fish?]

Can't wait.

Jzell doesn't know what he's missing.... Sunshine, Cold fresh air, and kokes. Springers will be here and I will kill plenty of em, but I do love the relaxed atmosphere of Merwin.

Bring it!

[Hunter56787]

Originally Posted by Got Fish?

Can't wait.

Jzell doesn't know what he's missing.... Sunshine, Cold fresh air, and kokes. Springers will be here and I will kill plenty of em, but I do love the relaxed atmosphere of Merwin.

Bring it!

You mean to tell me I drive past your place on my way up . geeezz have I been missing something... Gr8 place to fish (as long as the wind is nice to ya).

WZ,
You'll need to go down river (left) if you go threw Battle Ground. If your not to far off I-5, I think its a bit better road going to Woodland and up? You can always go up threw Woodland and back the other way and then you'll know...

Good luck fishin! My boat not ready yet or I'd be out fishin!

[fishnbus]

Originally Posted by WeldZilla

If I don't have to work saturday i will be up there too. Springers can wait.

I just got to do this....

Which is the better way to go? Through Woodland and up the river Or since I live in Orchards head up through Battle Ground? Is the ramp on the upper or lower end of the lake? As you can see I am not a Merwin guy.....Yet....

WZ

I live in Orchards and prefer to take I-5 north to Woodland, then Lewis Rivewr Hwy up to Speelyai(sp?) A half hour to Woodland and a half hour to the launch.

[classicriverrunner]

plan on going up this next week -- what would be a good depth this early ?

[Splash]

1 to 12 feet on a sunny afternoon.

[jzell]

"Can't wait. Jzell doesn't know what he's missing...."

Oh I know exactly what I'm missing. Better things to chase this time of year. The weather and surroundings can be just as wonderful at the river(s) I'm fishing.

jz

[Kokonuts]

Working on my boat tomorrow & hope to be on the lake Sat., Sun., Mon., Tue......Sure is nice being Retired!!

Jzell....I got plenty of room on the Boat!!

Kokonuts

[drifterdon]

We will be patiently waiting for the outcome.

Yes, retirement is awesome.

[AV8R]

Hey Kokonuts, I'll look for you Saturday. Gonna try and get up there at some point during the day.

[dancingbear]

Sounds like an iFish party at Merwin on Saturday!

I'll probably be there Saturday as well, taking my new-to-me boat which I'm picking up tomorrow after work, out for it's inaugural run. 17' alumaweld with a green top and a couple mercs on the back. Swing by and say hello if you see me, or steer well clear of the crazy newbie boat owner.. either is acceptable I'd probably go with the latter if i were you actually

[Got Fish?]

The wind is ripping here in Woodland, going to be rough today, hopefully tomorrow the forecast is wrong....

[Sammy Salmon]

Originally Posted by Got Fish?

The wind is ripping here in Woodland, going to be rough today, hopefully tomorrow the forecast is wrong....

Yeah well it straight blew us off the water! No fish although I bet there were some caught. It started out ok water wasn't too bad, looked promising. Usually right out the gate fish on not this time. Made a good troll, and the WIND came, now I'm just a lil 12 footer! It's not fun in those swelly conditions:-) but we had fun! The water looked good, and the sun was nice.

[VancouverTechie]

We knew the forecast would be iffy with the wind, but we had to give it a try.

Plus I wanted to try out the hoochies that I have been tying up.

Anyway back to the report. The wind wasn't too bad at 8:30 we managed one good troll with one bite. About 15 minutes later we had a double going, and after one of them came unbuttoned my second rod had a fish on. We were able to land two nice kokanee, and then the wind really started to pick up. We tried one more pass with the wind at our backs but couldn't get the speed down. The wind was blowing us 2.1 knots over the area I wanted to fish.

We decided to pickup and find a quieter spot bot not luck. It was a good day out with no issues to speak of. If mother nature would have cooperated perhaps we could have stayed out longer, but I was happy to get out.

We ended with with 6-7 good bites and two fish aboard. Got back to the ramp and there were quite a few vehicles in the lot. When we arrived we were the only ones there.

John

[Sammy Salmon]

Good job Couve techie! We were like the second there third to launch. It was nice early but then the wind picked up and got hairy! We were running fords with WR tipped with corn and maggs. 2-3 oz. No down rigger. It has been effective. Just not this time. Any suggestions? Honestly it was probably just a location issue. But I was definately not gonna explore in those conditions. Hahaha! I found if we reeled up and jetted it "as fast as my 8 carried me" it wasn't so bad just got the cold COLD cold spray from choppin the swells!

[Got Fish?]

We got up there and got 5 nice sized kokes and a little nook. Was a bit of a battle keeping speed down and fishing only where you could effectively.

Hopefully the wind will give us a break tomorrow....

[Cicoflies]

I was told some time ago that there are Tigermusky in Merwin, I'm a skeptic. Can anyone clear this up for me please.

Tony
cicoflies

[Got Fish?]

There are Tiger Musky in Merwin.

Wait till the water warms up and go on a hunt.

[steve-o]

They hold tiger Muskie tournaments at Merwin in the fall I think. Couple years ago I saw a boat being loaded and they had 2 tiger muskies.

[Sakana]

Some days you can see the muskies swimming around the dock

[VancouverTechie]

Originally Posted by Sammy Salmon

Good job Couve techie! We were like the second there third to launch. It was nice early but then the wind picked up and got hairy! We were running fords with WR tipped with corn and maggs. 2-3 oz. No down rigger. It has been effective. Just not this time. Any suggestions? Honestly it was probably just a location issue. But I was definately not gonna explore in those conditions. Hahaha! I found if we reeled up and jetted it "as fast as my 8 carried me" it wasn't so bad just got the cold COLD cold spray from choppin the swells!

Thanks! We should have gotten a couple more to the boat, but the darn wind. It was hard to keep them on with the wind. We were in the Arima. I switch over to hoochies awhile back and have not turned back since. Location is key and being at the right depth and speed.

Can't wait to get back out there.

VT

[Hawg-line-]

there are tiger muskeys, had one shred my koke while reeling it in one day... what a shock!!! gnarly teeth mark down the sides, pretty much scaled it for us.

[steelers]

yes there are tiger muskey there, seen plenty under the docks! have had cabin up there for years! wiat till water warms

[SGIndigo]

I helped WDFW plant a few thousand more Tiger Muskies last fall.

[Kokonuts]

I fished Merwin on Sunday the 5th, it was windy until about noon & then started to slow down, by 3 it wasnt to bad. In the morning we went near the dam to get into less wind. We ran 4 poles all day and ended up with 10, the largest going 12". It was like fishing Yale Lake but much slower! I talked with a few people in other boats and it was about the same for them.
It was a fun day fishing with good friends, Joel, Paul & Doug!

Kokonuts

[Chesapeake]

We fished Saturday and Sunday. 16 foot maroon Weldcraft with a maroon top. We saw "Pappa Smurf" and another boat or two that looked familiar, but dont really know anyone so just waved.

We fished Saturday from about 10:30 to 4:30 for 8 fish.
Started up above the launch not wanting to buck the wind but at about noon we gave up and ran down the lake to the sort of bay on the south side with the road down to the water and the rope swing. Caught all our fish there.

Sunday we hit the water at the same time and fished till 2:30 for 11 fish. Same area.

Wind was fun at times. Had to troll with the wind and this weekend was the first time I had to run the trolling motor in reverse to slow the boat.

Pretty well all the fish came on pink UV hoochies behind SEPS Dodgers. 40 feet behind the cable and 10 to 12 feet down on the riggers. Using my own flavor of corn (I'll do a tutorial).

The fish were schooled up nice about from the surface to 20 feet down but you couldnt stay with them. We'd drag through and catch a few and then try and pick up and run back up for another drag. Sometimes we'd hit again, most times not.

[Merganser99]

The kids and I were there from 12:30 - 3:00 today. We got one and lost a couple others. Fish seemed to be pretty scattered. Only marked one school, but got a double hookup out of it. On the turnaround, we couldn't find them again. Weather was beautiful!!!