Silver Lake 8/20 to 27 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Saba Slayer · 08-28-2018, 12:36 PM

PART II

The crawdads were pretty slow on the crawl for our first drop...I tried using only cat food without bait...and this is all we picked up with the first overnight soak...
Poor by our usual standards...

We eventually almost filled up two of those wire fish holders...

That "Lion's Fire" on the other side of Mammoth really mucked up the sky on a few afternoons...the morning would start like this...

...and end the day like this...

Reverse Creek has always been my "go-to" place when it's windy...and it didn't disappoint once again this year....I got limits of stocker size trout each time...and one big zing-pow that lasted about two second till the big one found a branch. I had to use a short little 4' rod in order to even make a cast in that jungle...I did a lot of bush and tree trimming...LOL...!

And we had a string of about 5 days were it was beautiful in the morning then blew like hell all afternoon and evening...

We added some yellowtail cut-offs and some trout heads and guts to the traps for the next two night soak...

Adding bait with the cat food and a two night soak was the ticket for some good numbers on the crawl...we each brought home about 100 crawfish for a couple of boils in our neighborhoods...and had a few really delicious meals...Louisiana boil and some Japanese Udon and leftover Crawdad in quesadillas for lunch.

Adventure in Camping had a 1/2 price sale on the rental of their trailers on Black Friday of last year so "I jumped on it like a bum on a pork chop"...
It was so nice to have a heater and a big bed for one of the two weeks we were up there...

I got lucky and scored on another nice fish on the Hookup Baits again...4.3 lbs
Caught at Grant Lake near the inlet at Rush Creek.

Then...I got really lucky on a very special fish...a 3.1lbs Brown Trout...my biggest of that species yet...

On the Hookup Bait again...

Sunrise on Carson Peak...I shot a time lapse of the sunrise that came out pretty cool...

Rush Creek below Silver Lake is my other "go-to" place during the windy days...

...on the ride back home over-looking beautiful Long Valley....??????????????

This guy...well at least part of him...hung on for the whole ride home across the Mojave...

What a great trip...14 days in Heaven with 5.7 and 4.3 Rainbows and a PB Big Brown...all on the 1/32 oz black gold Hookup Baits.... with lots of stocker size trout released and a few kept for the Treager smoker and plenty of delicious big clean Crawdads...

I'm thinking about a late September trip...

Who's ready...?

ProfessorLongArms · 08-28-2018, 01:04 PM

Thanks again for such an awesome share! Inspired by your posts, I’m meeting my dad up there with my wife from the 24th to the 26th of sep. will keep and eye out for you if you’re up.

goldenglory18 · 08-28-2018, 02:11 PM

Crazy how well those light hookup baits are tricking the trout. Makes for a great meal, I'm sure.

Thanks for sharing!

summers in kuwait · 08-28-2018, 04:09 PM

Nice writeup and pictures as usual. Such a great area.
I can vicariously live through you as I didn't get up there this year. We did Lassen this year with the kids.

Really nice images and that brown is beautiful!

Cheers!

Todd

Iceman · 08-28-2018, 04:16 PM

Gets me pumped up for some mountain air! Sept Sierras is a great tradition! Going up next Thursday with wife and daughter.

FISH11 · 08-28-2018, 05:11 PM

Again another awesome post Jim. I've been thinking for the last few weeks, how much I wish I was up at Silver Lake with all this heat. I love it up there and want to go and stay at the RV resort across the street. I've stayed there 3 times before and it so nice to have full hook ups on the trailer and in the morning just wheel the kayak across the street and to the launch ramp. I hope next summer I can go and stay there for a month. Silver Lake is truly like Heaven. Last year I went in middle of May and it was snowing when we drove up there and this was the next day out on the lake. I was wearing my wader because it was so cold. I almost never wear them, but that day it was like fishing in Alaska. Thanks for sharing your trip, love all your photos.

Yellfever11 · 09-05-2018, 08:58 PM

Hi Jim-
Great report!! I’ve been to silver lake a bunch of times love that place. As for crawdads never had any luck. Traps are set and soak overnight, I’m lucky if I get a few. Where do u typically set them at also at what feet.

I’ve had success at Gull but I rather fish and stay at silver.

Thx
Mike

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Saba Slayer · 09-06-2018, 06:02 AM

I usually use 25’ to 30’ ropes and I do best wherever the deeper water dropoffs are.
A can of cat food with a bunch of holes poked in the can along with some bait...usually freezer burned chicken pieces. Use the Promar nets that you see in the photos as they have the best catch retention.
Good Luck

08-28-2018, 12:36 PM	#1
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,855	Silver Lake 8/20 to 27 PART II The crawdads were pretty slow on the crawl for our first drop...I tried using only cat food without bait...and this is all we picked up with the first overnight soak... Poor by our usual standards... We eventually almost filled up two of those wire fish holders... That "Lion's Fire" on the other side of Mammoth really mucked up the sky on a few afternoons...the morning would start like this... ...and end the day like this... Reverse Creek has always been my "go-to" place when it's windy...and it didn't disappoint once again this year....I got limits of stocker size trout each time...and one big zing-pow that lasted about two second till the big one found a branch. I had to use a short little 4' rod in order to even make a cast in that jungle...I did a lot of bush and tree trimming...LOL...! And we had a string of about 5 days were it was beautiful in the morning then blew like hell all afternoon and evening... We added some yellowtail cut-offs and some trout heads and guts to the traps for the next two night soak... Adding bait with the cat food and a two night soak was the ticket for some good numbers on the crawl...we each brought home about 100 crawfish for a couple of boils in our neighborhoods...and had a few really delicious meals...Louisiana boil and some Japanese Udon and leftover Crawdad in quesadillas for lunch. Adventure in Camping had a 1/2 price sale on the rental of their trailers on Black Friday of last year so "I jumped on it like a bum on a pork chop"... It was so nice to have a heater and a big bed for one of the two weeks we were up there... I got lucky and scored on another nice fish on the Hookup Baits again...4.3 lbs Caught at Grant Lake near the inlet at Rush Creek. Then...I got really lucky on a very special fish...a 3.1lbs Brown Trout...my biggest of that species yet... On the Hookup Bait again... Sunrise on Carson Peak...I shot a time lapse of the sunrise that came out pretty cool... Rush Creek below Silver Lake is my other "go-to" place during the windy days... ...on the ride back home over-looking beautiful Long Valley....?????????????? This guy...well at least part of him...hung on for the whole ride home across the Mojave... What a great trip...14 days in Heaven with 5.7 and 4.3 Rainbows and a PB Big Brown...all on the 1/32 oz black gold Hookup Baits.... with lots of stocker size trout released and a few kept for the Treager smoker and plenty of delicious big clean Crawdads... I'm thinking about a late September trip... Who's ready...? __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer Last edited by Saba Slayer; 08-28-2018 at 06:55 PM.

08-28-2018, 04:16 PM	#5
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,943	Gets me pumped up for some mountain air! Sept Sierras is a great tradition! Going up next Thursday with wife and daughter. __________________

08-28-2018, 05:11 PM	#6
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,641	Again another awesome post Jim. I've been thinking for the last few weeks, how much I wish I was up at Silver Lake with all this heat. I love it up there and want to go and stay at the RV resort across the street. I've stayed there 3 times before and it so nice to have full hook ups on the trailer and in the morning just wheel the kayak across the street and to the launch ramp. I hope next summer I can go and stay there for a month. Silver Lake is truly like Heaven. Last year I went in middle of May and it was snowing when we drove up there and this was the next day out on the lake. I was wearing my wader because it was so cold. I almost never wear them, but that day it was like fishing in Alaska. Thanks for sharing your trip, love all your photos. Attached Images __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids )

09-05-2018, 08:58 PM	#7
Yellfever11 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 135	Silver Lake 8/20 to 27 Hi Jim- Great report!! I’ve been to silver lake a bunch of times love that place. As for crawdads never had any luck. Traps are set and soak overnight, I’m lucky if I get a few. Where do u typically set them at also at what feet. I’ve had success at Gull but I rather fish and stay at silver. Thx Mike Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

09-06-2018, 06:02 AM	#8
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,855	Crawdads I usually use 25’ to 30’ ropes and I do best wherever the deeper water dropoffs are. A can of cat food with a bunch of holes poked in the can along with some bait...usually freezer burned chicken pieces. Use the Promar nets that you see in the photos as they have the best catch retention. Good Luck __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

08-28-2018, 01:04 PM	#2
ProfessorLongArms Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 401	Thanks again for such an awesome share! Inspired by your posts, I’m meeting my dad up there with my wife from the 24th to the 26th of sep. will keep and eye out for you if you’re up.

08-28-2018, 02:11 PM	#3
goldenglory18 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Seattle Area Posts: 861	Crazy how well those light hookup baits are tricking the trout. Makes for a great meal, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing!

08-28-2018, 04:09 PM	#4
summers in kuwait Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: East County San Diego Posts: 657	Nice writeup and pictures as usual. Such a great area. I can vicariously live through you as I didn't get up there this year. We did Lassen this year with the kids. Really nice images and that brown is beautiful! Cheers! Todd