09-23 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 14
Riffe Lake
By Hannah
Pennebaker
While there are so many
lakes with amazing fishing
opportunities in Washington
State that I love, Riffe Lake may
just be my favorite. Located just 60
miles south of Tacoma, Riffe Lake
is a 13-mile long reservoir that’s
famous for its landlocked salmon
fishing. Tacoma Power not only
raises and lowers the water levels
of this lake, but they also stock it
with thousands of coho salmon
every year. They also throw in
some steelhead and chinook as
well, which you may hook into
while targeting the coho. Once
they meet their quota of fish, they
put the excess fish in Riffe Lake to
give sportsmen an opportunity
to target them there. It’s usually
well worth the drive, Riffe Lake is a
consistently good fishery. I cut my
teeth learning how to troll on this
lake. The fish are eager biters and
they fight hard. Landlocked coho
taste amazing on the grill and the
smoker. I like to make coho candyI put them in a quick dry brine
and then sprinkle some brown
sugar and maple syrup on them
before smoking them. They also
fit perfectly on cedar planks, great
for summer barbeques! Riffe Lake
is a very forgiving fishery for new
anglers and kids. The action is
14 | NWFISHING.net
typically hot and fast. Let’s go over
how to have a successful day at
Riffe Lake!
Trolling is by far the most popular
way to fish Riffe Lake. There is
some shore access, but the lake
is extremely deep and wide, so it’s
better to fish by boat if you’re able.
This lake is popular with kayakers
and those with small boats. You
don’t need to run all the way
across the lake to catch fish; you
can start trolling right after you
launch. You can use your kokanee
setups- the coho here are about
the same size. Coho in Riffe Lake
love the color pink! You’ll want to
use small pink dodgers and pink
lures. Some popular lures include
Mack’s Wedding Rings, Brad’s
Kokanee Cut Plugs, small spoons,
and small hoochie spinners.
Don’t forget to tip your lure with
a small chunk of shrimp or some
corn. The coho are usually willing,
aggressive biters. If you get some
hits but no fish, reel up and check
your bait. You’ll want to keep your
boat moving just a hair faster
than usual kokanee speeds. Do
S-turns and vary up your speed
to see what the fish are wanting
that day. You’ll probably lose some
fish, they’re surprisingly acrobatic
and capable of spitting the hook
if there’s any slack in the line. This
trait also makes them a great way
to teach kids how to reel in bigger
fish. Before taking your kids out to
the Sound to target the big boys,
let them practice reeling in these
feisty Riffe Lake coho!
During this time of year, the
heat will have pushed the coho
down in the water column.
Salmonids do not tolerate warm
water temperatures as well as
other species. They will also travel
deeper during the heat of the
day to escape the sun. During
sunset, sunrise, and on cloudy
days, you won’t have to fish quite
as deep. A good fish finder is
essential to find out how deep to
run your downriggers. Riffe Lake
is extremely deep and large. With
13 miles of 200 feet deep water,
there’s a lot of room for fish to
spread out. Keep a close eye on
your fish finder, it’s easy to get
lulled into a false sense of security
when trolling in such deep water.
The lake shallows up surprisingly
quickly, especially near islands.
Some days the fish can be 90
feet deep. The fish school up very
tightly, so they will be easy to find
on your fish finder. Be ready to
adjust the settings on your fish
finder, especially if you’re used to
fishing shallow lakes.