Let's Go Fishing - Julibee Lake

Again today the temperature was bordering on HOT in Walla Walla at 94 °F.
Earlier this week club secretary Dale had sent an email to all club members that there would again this weekend be a Dutch-Treat fishing outing going to Jubilee Lake. Only Dale and Barbara replied to the announcement and so comprised today's gathering going to the Jubilee Lake.

Our leave time this week was around 9:00 am with plans to make a brunch stop at the Long Branch Cafe and Saloon in Weston, OR. Dale had been here many times for breakfast, and today was Barbara's first visit. Barbara says she will return.
Always good food and the leftover portions can be boxed up for a meal later in the day.


From Weston we hit Hwy 204 going east, through Tollgate, to Langdon Lake and the intersection with Skyline Rd / NF Road 64. The sign there showed 12 miles to Jubilee Lake. Arriving at Jubilee Lake we found there is a $3.00 day use-parking fee. It was about 11:15 getting to this area.

 
We found a parking space right next to the boat launch, so in short order we put our boats and fishing gear together and headed for the water.  The air temperature here was quite pleasant, not hot and the water surface temperature was cool very pleasant. Here we found quite a few people around the boat launch, on a boat docking pier, and playing in the lake. Only electric (no gasoline) motors allowed on the lake.
Jubilee Lake is 92 acres in size. The elevation of the lake is 4,761 feet.

Boat launch area with toolie beds on the right of this picture

From the boat launch area, Barbara went off to the right to fish the toolies, while Dale headed straight out towards the opposite lake shoreline.

Looking across the lake from the boat launch side.

 

This week it took about 30 minutes of casting practice before we found the hook-ups for our flies. During the afternoon Barbara used a Wolly Bugger, and a Copper John, Dale used an Elkhorn Lake Special, and an AP Emerger.

 
At sunset there was a very nice hatch of dun Callibaetis flies - size #16 - hatching, mating, and dropping their eggs back into the water. This made for some wonderful evening catching on a dry fly.

A nice Rainbow sitting in Barbara's lap

After sunset Barbara switched to an Adams, Dale started using a BWO. 

Working with an Adams - dry fly

Barbara told me that while she had hooked into about 10 nice rainbows, the young man fishing beside her, using hard tackle caught nothing. Maybe someday soon we will see that young man at a Walla² Fly Fishers' meeting, wanting to learn more about catching fish on the fly.

As the sun sinks slowly into the west - Dale's catch rate increases

During our afternoon at Jubilee Lake we ran into quite a few friends from Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater. This is a very busy place on a hot afternoon in the Walla Walla River Valley.

-CLICK- on this map to see it in Google Map mode, and find directions from Jubilee Lake to where you are sitting

Distance to Julibee Lake from south Walla Walla is 47 miles, driving time is about 1¼ -1½ hours.

Summer Diet for stillwater fish

Stillwater Hatches an article by Brian Chan with tips on stillwater fly fishing.
 

Respectfully submitted,
Dale McKain

Tight lines and good fishing.

Walla² Fly Fishers

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