07-24 REELLIFE print single digital - Flipbook - Page 8
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How to Catch a Cone Licker
Fishing Lake of the Woods in Southern Oregon.
By Gary Lewis
You know what a cone
licker is. You see them in
places like Seaside and on
the sand at Diamond Lake
and they have cone lickers
at Lake of the Woods in
southern Oregon too. These
are the poor folks whose
mommas and papas never
taught them how to fish.
They like to go to the lake
too, and they are the ones
who, if you bump into
them on their floaties, ask
"Didja catch anything?" Or,
"What kind of fish are in
this lake?" It's not a sin to
be a cone licker. It wasn't
their fault they were born in
Sacramento.
There's another kind of
cone licker. They are the
big trout that eat a steady
diet of midge larvae and
are particularly susceptible
to a pattern called the Ice
Cream Cone. Lake of the
Woods is a classic fishing
lodge destination for
rods and fly rods and a
selection of jar baits and
chironomids.
the whole family. It's got
something for everybody
- a well-stocked marina
store with boats and
paddleboards to rent, a
gift shop, cabins to rent,
campgrounds, a great
restaurant with a view of
the lake, and a bar on the
second floor with even
better views.
I set up the tent in the
back of the F-150, a roomy
two-man tent from Napier
(napieroutdoors.com),
specially made to the
Ford's dimensions. Then I
went down to the lakeside
to look at the boat I had
rented for the morning.
I knew exactly where I was
headed, remembering it
from the last time I had
fished Lake of the Woods,
which was too long ago.
We were going to still-fish,
having brought spinning
Soaking in the vacation
vibe at Lake of the Woods,
I could not help but smile.
A lot of people are looking
for exactly this kind of
American experience. They
just don't know where to
find it.
FISHING CHIRONOMIDS
Set up the rod with a
tapered leader down to 4X
tippet. Affix a Thingamabob
indicator well up the line
and tie on a No. 8-10 Ice
Cream Cone chironomid
pattern. With another 12
to 18 inches of tippet add
a second Ice Cream Cone
tied off the bend of top fly.
Casting a two-fly rig is not
an art form. The main thing
is to put the flies at the
depth of the feeders, keep
slack out of the line, and
watch for the indicator to
indicate.