NO BULL!!!

Typical Double Digit Bull (click image for detail)

 
NO BULL!!!

 

     "No Respect, No Respect."  I think most of us over the age of 20 can remember seeing at least one of Rodney Dangerfield's movies in our lifetime.  Rodney's movies were never gonna be Oscar contenders, but you were pretty sure they were gonna make you laugh or at least put a smile on your face.      

     Living in Central Oregon,  I am thankful that we have many activities that can put smiles on our faces.   As fishermen,  we are truly blessed with all the opportunities that are available to us year round.  Not only can we fish year round, we have the unique chance to pursue many different species of fish all within a few hours drive. One can be steelheading on the Deschutes, Santiam or Umpqua.  Dry fly enthusiasts can be casting their favorite patterns on lakes like East, Davis, Lava or Hosmer as well as the Fall, Deschutes, Crooked and Metolius Rivers.  Bass fisherman can chase lunkers on Crane, Davis, Billy Chinook, Prineville and Haystack Reservoir.  Monster Browns and Rainbows, easily exceeding 10, 20 and 30lbs, can be had at Wickiup, Crane, Paulina, East and Klamath Lake.

     Every fisherman enjoys certain aspects of fishing more than others.  Personally, I enjoy spending the majority of my fishing time on stillwaters chasing Big fish.   I have found that to be my strongest passion within the sport of fishing.  I think its safe to say I have been bitten by that bug BIG TIME!!!  Fortunately,  I also live in an area that allows for the consistent opportunities to land Big double digit size fish.     

     As Winter winds down and Spring draws near, my stillwater adrenaline begins reving up.  I know that some of Central Oregon's finest Trophy fishing is just around the corner.  Curiously, one of the better Lunker fishing opportunities is often overlooked or given little to "No Respect".  Central Oregon has one of the top Bull Trout Fisheries in the world, Lake Billy Chinook.  World record Bull Trout (30+lbs) are swimming in its waters and thats NO BULL!!!


     Why, then you ask, doesn't it get any respect?  Thats a good question.  Strangely, throughout the history of the Bull Trout, it hasn't been very well respected.  In fact, it was considered at one time to be a trash fish.  We know now that the Bull Trout is a great barometer for the quality of water in a water system.  Bull Trout require expectional water quality in order to survive.

     From a sportfishing stance,  Bull Trout are often referred to as poor battling fish.  I believe that they get a bad wrap because the majority of Bull Trout that are caught by anglers, are likely landed in rivers and tend to be on the sleeker, more slender side.  While I spend most of my time on stillwaters,  I have caught Bull Trout on the Metolius River in the winter time.  Honestly, I have found that the Bulls I landed in the river were not exceptional fighters, BUT I also found them to be about half the girth as well.

     When I was watching the Superbowl today, it reminded me of this girth issue.   Those defensive ends and linebackers are some big dudes!!  Not only are they big, they are fast and strong.  You take the avg 6ft guy against those 6ft guys, who do you think is gonna be more powerful?  Why?  I think fish aren't much different.  For example, take two wild Bulls both 28 inchs long.  Bull A has a 20 inch girth.  Bull B has a 14 inch girth.  In my experience, Bull A, the heavier fish, will have more raw power which will allow it to battle harder.  This seems especially true with fish that like to fight vertically like Bull and Brown Trout.  These fish like to pull DOWN. They wanna get back to the bottom where they feel safe.  The larger girth, "shoulders" on the fish, help them generate that pulling power.  However, on fish that like to fight horizontally, such as a Rainbow or Steelhead-a fish that likes to jump and make runs, I don't find the girth to be as critical a factor.     

     Why fish late Winter thru Early Spring?  I love the presentation aspect of fishing!!  I love, not only fooling Big fish, I love watching them get fooled.  For me, it's sort of like the equivalent of skating dry flies for Steelhead or chugging poppers for Bass.  I truly enjoy the quality and way I present the offering to the Big beast that gets them to take it.  In fact, I think more than half the enjoyment of fishing comes thru this presentation process.  I guess I truly enjoy fishing for them.  Bull Trout will move into the shallow part of the water column chasing their bait during the Winter and early Spring, allowing for opportunities to pursue them.  Truth be told, with downriggers, Bulls could be targeted anytime of year at hundreds of feet.  For my personal enjoyment, I need to be handling the rod and actively engaged in the presentation process for these wild predators.

     Bull Trout are PREADATORS!!!!  I liken them to Barracuda.  Most fisherman interested in Bull Trout have heard a story about some fisherman in a river bringing in a small trout when a monster from the deep reared up and swallowed the trout.  On a lake, it happens daily!!  They swim together in packs hunting their prey.  Last year, a few spots on the lake always had freshly slashed Kokanee thrashing on the surface upon arrival.  One day I watched in amazement as some Bulls actually forced Kokanee to jump onto the shore or be eaten.  Its as close to a wide open Tuna or Dorado bite as I can recall in freshwater, with Big brute Bulls chasing Kokanee around and under the boat. AWESOME!!!

      Lets get this straight. An angler can pursue an aggressive predatory fish, a virtual eating machine, while utilizing their presentation skills in shallow water, where many times one can actually see the bite.  What's not to like about that??  Let's not forget the current healthy population of Bull Trout in Lake Billy Chinook.  The redd counts from their spawning habitat in the Metolius River have skyrocketed in the last few years.  The latest redd count has exceeded 1000 redds. 

     Lake Billy Chinook's Bull Trout fishery is indeed incredible.  The abundance of double digit Bull Trout is truly astounding.  Its not uncommon to land and release multiple fish in a single trip that exceed 10lbs and that's NO BULL!!  Even better, the current angling regulations help to encourage catch and release fishing by only allowing the harvest of 1 fish over 24inches.  As long as the food source for the Bulls, Kokanee, remains stable and healthy, the health of the Bull Trout size and population should remain intact.

     I can feel the stillwater adrenaline kicking in. Spring is coming!!Spring is coming!!  Many fisherman, maybe, haven't tried stillwater fishing or may even be fearful of it.  Don't let all that water scare you.  Let what's swimming underneath it scare you. Scare you into getting out there and gettin' after them.  I can guarantee if you hook, battle, land and release one of those Big Bad Bulls, it will put a smile on your face just like one of Ole Rodneys movies!!!!