The Mack’s of Lake Chelan Leave a reply
When you spend 250 days a year for ten plus years on any body of water it’s pretty safe to say you know it well. Anton Jones of Darrell and Dads Guide Service in Chelan has done just that and doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon. With a lake full of kokanee and lake trout in his back yard, why go anywhere else?
The deep water of Lake Chelan is home to some darned big lakers too. Anton’s personal best was a slab that hit the scales just over 30 pounds. That, my friends, is one helluva big lake trout!
Anton really likes Mack Island and Mack Bar for the big macks, as well as Minneapolis Beach, trolling 120 to 140 feet of water in both areas with the gear within five to ten feet of the bottom. 
During the early summer Anton will look to areas like the lower basin, on either side of Rocky Point, and around Minneapolis Beach for bigger numbers of fish. Working in 200 to 250 feet of water where schools of bait collect scores the most fish and he also recommends working the trench in the middle of the bay in front of Minneapolis Beach.
The U20 and T4 Flatfish in luminous chartreuse and purple glow see plenty of action on Anton's boat, as do wide bodied spoons like the Critter Git’r from Macks Lures in nearby Wenatchee. “The mackinaw’s primary food base in the lake is the Mysis shrimp, but they also feed heavily on peamouth chubs, cutthroat, northern pikeminnows, and kokanee. If an easy meal of any these items comes along they’re sure not going to pass it up. That’s what we’re trying to emulate with the lures,” says Jones of his lure choice.
In addition to excellent lake trout numbers Chelan can also have some great kokanee fishing with fish ranging from nine to as large as fifteen inches. Kokanee are known for their superb eating quality and even though the numbers of “kokes” in the lake fluctuates wildly from year to year it’s still possible to catch them just about any time.
Anton will usually run a couple of rods up shallow near the surface with Kokanee Pro spoons or mylar blade Wedding Ring spinners for the kokes. The key to getting strikes, according to Anton, is to add some Pautzke Fire Corn to the hooks of the lure. “The addition of the Fire Corn drives the kokes crazy,” says Anton. He’ll also run a Hot Wings as an attractor instead of a flasher when trolling for kokanee, allowing for a more sporting fight on light tackle.
At this time there is no limit on lake trout on Lake Chelan. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife instituted the new policy several years ago to reduce the numbers of mackinaw in the lake. Anton agrees with the policy, as it will likely produce some whopper lake trout in the years to come. The daily limit on kokanee has also been increased to ten per day, up from a previous five fish limit. Before heading to Lake Chelan be sure to check the most recent regulations on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website though.
Holding excellent numbers of both lake trout and kokanee Lake Chelan is definitely worth a look for both the traveling angler and the vacationer who just wants to get out for a day on this beautiful lake while the wife and kids kick it in the sun by the pool. With over 300 days of sunny-sun-sunshine this Eastern Washington fishing gem is worth some serious consideration.
Anton can be reached by either logging onto www.darrellanddads.com or at 866-360-1523. Hooked on Toys (509-663-0740) in Wenatchee is another great source of information and is fully stocked with tackle for this fishery.
Rob Endsley
The Outdoor Line
710 ESPN Seattle
www.theoutdoorline.com