In one of last year's issues of Fishing and Hunting News, I saw a photo of a woman holding a huge smallmouth bass with a caption stating that the fish was one of two caught at Island Lake. That was all the motivation I needed. The small lake (108 acres) was perfect for my 12-foot Lund and Minn Kota electric motors for a day of fishing. During the whole season that I fished Island Lake, I hardly ever experienced considerable boat traffic. Sure, there was the occasional power boater and jet skiers, but all in all, traffic was pretty light. Because of the size of the lake most of the boats that do put-in are of the smaller size. I spent quite a few weekends fishing Island Lake with my newest fishing partner David. David, an avid bass angler and at the time, a new member of the Gamefishin.com community and was looking for bass angling information. One weekend we made arrangements to meet and fish Island Lake and we've both been hooked ever since. David's enthusiasm and fishing ability made for a memorable summer while fishing Island Lake. One caveat that we had was that neither of us caught larger fish of the 4 to 5 + lb. class. We've only been able to bag the 2 to 3-lb class fish. However, the quantity we caught more than made up for the lack of bigger fish. Don't get me wrong, Island Lake has a few "hawgs." We just haven't figured out how to catch them. I've personally seen one bass pushing 8-lbs chasing a rainbow trout! At another section of the lake I saw one of the biggest smallmouth bass in my life. Seeing is easy, catching these rare trophies is another issue, especially at this super clear lake. Since David and I had never fished Island Lake, we both had the same learning curve. Our first few trips were much more of a probing nature than anything. We uncovered some good holes and established some areas where bass gathered and sheltered. The patterns we established are typical of a bass lake in the summer months. This is one of those lakes where you can try the standby bass lures and techniques and experience success. We've experienced some good top water bites early in the morning. I've personally had some great fun using a Torpedo and a Snag Proof Frog while casting parallel to the shoreline. We also had some mild success with crank baits. On one occasion, David managed to stick what we both believed was a big bass with one of his Rapala Tail Dancers no more than 50 feet away from the launch. Unfortunately, the fish got the best of David. The fish managed to break the line during the heat of the battle. We both stood still in disbelief and the thought of that fish haunted us for the rest of the day. The best producer of Island Lake bass for me was a Carolina rigged 4 or 5-inch plastic lizard. Unlike in the east where they use heavy lines and large egg sinkers, I modified my rig for an ultra-light presentation. I used a 6 ½ foot light spinning rod paired with a Shimano spinning reel spooled with 8-lb test line. I prefer using cylindrical lead weights with small swivels and small glass bead to reduce the chance of getting tangled with bottom structure and vegetation. I also prefer using a size 1/0 to 2/0 Gamakatsu G-Lock hooks for the Zoom plastic lizards. For leader, I used 8-lb test fluorocarbon material. The trick was keying on submerged structure and vegetation up to 15 feet. Since Island Lake is generally a super clear body of water, I relied on visibility to pinpoint the various structures. Polarized sunglasses are a must. And of course, bright sunny days were necessary to make notes of the structure locations. Of the catches that I made using this set-up, the most memorable were the two bass that I caught in front of homeowners. One incident was a 2-lber I yanked from the banks of one homeowner while he was mowing his lawn. He caught a glimpse of my struggle to subdue the fish and quickly dismounted his riding mower to take a look. "That's a good one!" he yelled. I agreed and smiled while showing him the bass. The other incident was another 2-lber that I stuck in front of a dock. The fish was an obvious bruiser as I struggled to end the fight with my light set-up. The homeowner directly in front from where we were, rushed from inside of the house and asked to see the fish. He was surprised that there was fish of that size to be caught. Right on his docks no less. I released the fish and got the thumbs up of approval from the homeowner. Let's face it, we live in the northwest, rainy gray days are ever present. When fishing Island Lake I actually looked forward to the windy, rainy, and dark days. Why? Those were the days that represented the best spinnerbait bites. Again, this lake is super clear. The bass in this lake are able to quickly determine if your lure is real or not. Therefore, the only chance for a lure like a spinnerbait to get bit is during these dark, windy, choppy days when bass are more on a reactionary bite. Also, don't be surprised if a trout or two attacks your spinner bait. In conjunction with the spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs, and crankbaits, we also threw jigs and Senkos and experienced some success. On one of my solo trips on the lake I was surprised to hook a trout on a jig. I was definitely dumbfounded. As for the smallmouth, I did manage to stick a few small ones. Despite my unsuccessful attempt to catch one of the larger versions, I did gain valuable knowledge of this particular body of water. I can't wait to give it another shot this coming summer for one of those wall hanger bronzebacks. By the way, this lake isn't all about bass. Trout fishing can be very good during Spring and Fall. We were able to catch limits throughout the fall season by trolling small Rapalas, Flatfish, and other various trout lures and I suspect during the Spring season, it can be just as good. Sometimes the bite was wide open that it was quite productive to just drift and cast small spinners at every direction or better yet at trout feeding on the top water column. It's quite easy to tell, just look for the dimples they leave on the water. I've also had a chance to fish this lake during the winter and had some success with the trout fishing. I didn't catch the kind of numbers I was catching a few months ago. I'd be lucky to pick up one fish in a span of 3 hours. Catching two was a big day. Still, it beats seating at home. Directions: From Shelton, N on US 101 3 mi; R on Shelton-Springs Rd, go .5 mi; L on Island Lake Drive, go .5 mi; L on W side of lake; go .4 mi; R to access site.