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Four for the Money
By Ramon Vanden Brulle
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Blackstone Lake sits in the ancient floodplain terrace of the Yakima River
near Throp, at the northwestern edge of the picturesque Kittitas Valley. This is beef country, and Blackstone is on a ranch that raises beefalo cattle. Unfortunately, despite its setting and its proximity to one of Washington’s most scenic rivers, Blackstone is not the prettiest place you’ll ever fish. In fact, there’s no getting around it; it’s essentially a hole left in the ground from a gravel-mining operation |
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But this 13-acre hole was dug in exactly the right place to grow trout, and the groundwater-fed lake is incredibly rich in a wide variety of insects, leeches, and crustaceans, including big Gammarus scuds. Blackstone Lake may not be entirely scenic, but it has gained a well-deserved reputation for producing beautifully big trout. |
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The lake is planted with a mixture of triploid and Kamloops rainbows, to maintain a population of about 1,000 Kamloops and 250 to 300 triploids.
The Kamloops are planted as 1- to 2-pounders, and the triploids go in at 5 to 10 pounds. They grow quickly from there. Anglers generally land a lot of fish in the 18- to 22-inch range, with a few 24- to 28-inch fish mixed in.
The cafeteria of Chironomids, mayflies, damselflies, leeches, and scuds in Blackstone grows trout that are nearly as fat as they are long. A typical 24-inch trout at Blackstone will be about 5 to 6 pounds, while a 28-inch fish can range from 7 to 12 pounds.
Most anglers get to tangle with at least one of these brutes a day, and several fish over 12 pounds come to net every season. Blackstone is also known for producing high catch rates; 20-fish days are common and 60-fish bonanzas are not unusual. Fish come to a variety of techniques and flies, from deep leech presentations to sight-fishing with dry flies. |
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Blackstone Lake Rainbow |
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The early spring sees a wide variety of Chironomid hatches, from size-10 bloodworms to ultra-micros, and sight-casting Chironomid pupae to bank cruisers can provide entertaining action. Woolly Buggers, Thin-Mint Leeches, scuds, water boatmen, and San Juan Worms also produce early. The period from early to mid-May sees a thick damselfly nymph migration, and by mid-May and into June, good hatches of Callibaetis mayflies offer excellent dry-fly fishing nearly every morning. At the end of the spring season and again in the early fall, casting adult damselflies to the margins can provoke splashy rises. Fall will also bring a return to good leech, scud, and Chironomid fishing. |
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Blackstone Lake is open four days a week from March to early June, and again from late September through to freezing. The daily fee is $175.00, and pressure is limited to five rods per day. To book a day, contact Worley Bugger Fly Co. in Ellensburg at (888) 950-FISH (3474). Lodging, food, other services, and the Worley-Bugger fly shop, (888) 950-3474, are a few minutes away in Ellensburg. |
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Blackstone Lake: |
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Location: Near Thorp, WA (Kittitas County) |
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Size: 13 acres. |
Price: $175.00
per day-per person |
Rods per day: 5 |
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Spring Season: March-April-May-June and September–November; |
Days: 4 per week.
(3 rest days-no fishing) |
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Fall
Season: September–October-November; |
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Fish: Kamloops and triploid rainbows; average 2 to 6 lbs., up to 12 lbs |
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Contact: Worley Bugger Fly Co. 888-950-FISH (3474) |
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An text Excerpt from Spring 2002
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www.nwflyfishing.net |
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This article used with permission from Northwest Fly Fishing and the Author © |
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