just before i moved away from seattle 3 years ago i bought a boat and tried fishing lake washington. i was just rediscovering lake fishing and didn't have much luck. now i'm moving back(gladly) and would like to learn how best to approach this large, convenient, and somewhat overwhelming lake. i bought a downrigger and don't really understand how to use it in terms of how much line to let out before clipping it to the cable, what lures are smart choices ect. i suppose i should mention that i am mostly looking to fish for trout(hopefully if allowed salmon). by the way this site is truely awesome. thanks, any help is much appreciated.

Sushi,
Don't know the specifics about terminal tackle, but regarding you downrigger....the Scotty website has lots of useful info plus there is a book called "Downrigger Fishing Secrets" by Dick Pool (sponsored my Scotty) that has most the information on using your downrigger.
JMS

First off, buy yourself a stacker clip. You can find them anywhere. It will open the door to more options on the downrigger.

If you have a plain ole round ball i would use the stacker 3ft up from the ball and run the bait or whatever 30ft or more back from the ball. Round balls tend to wander and spin without you noticing and you end up with alot of twisted line and over time, broken cables. The stacker prevents this. This also prevents false bites cause by DR wobble. You also have the option of putting a flasher right on the ball and then your line through the stacker 10-15ft out. This way you don't have to fight the drag of the flasher if you hook up. Also a stacker lets you run multiple lines on one DR. And/or multiple flashers.

Torpedo "shaped" DR balls are much better. They run true and strait. They also aren't affected by current as much so they tend to run closer to the actual depth the DR says it's running at. They swim rather than being dragged.

But if you can find a shaped weight that is cromed or has a reflective skin, you'll be that much better off.

As for tackle, you can run anything you want. There is no set way. Even flys aren't out of the question. Good luck.

I would suggest walking in to any sporting goods/fishing store and ask them how to set one up and use one. They will probably draw you a diagram too. That is how I learned.

My lake Washington cutthroat downrigger setup: depth - start around 25-35 feet. Line back from the downrigger - around 75 feet I guess. I just give the lure a toss and run out some line. The point is don't have the lure too close to your boat (trout are more spooky than salmon when it comes to downriggers and boats). Gear - anything you wnat to try for trout. I like frog green thin blade spoons that are 2-3" long. Troll speed - 1- 11/2 mph, with occasional turns to trigger vary lure speed and make it flutter. Good luck!

thanks guys,
any ideas about different areas of the lake to start fishing. sometimes i feel like i'm draging my lure through empty water. i've read about trolling along 520 and I-90 but as i recall i didn't mark many fish in those areas. any suggestions?

I have yet to catch a trout along either of the bridges, but do OK around the south tip of Miisery Island,(Mercedes Island, Poverty Rock etc) and on the east side of the lake, just south of the Newcastle Beach park. No nead to use a downrigger here as the water is only 5-15 ft. deep 100 yards from shore. As the water gets warmer, just follow the weed line out as it gets progressively farther from shore later in the season.Troling just along the weed line is great for trout, and every once in awhile a smallmouth will really spice up the action. Good luck!