Any eastside guys wet a line in this lake yet, and catch fish? The WDFW Weekender Report and Chris Donelly (sp), our local biologist, claim that 1 or 2 fish per hour are being caught. Funny, I live by and drive by it 5-6 times a week, often times twice a day, and have yet to see anybody fish it. Except for me. I went 3 times, could not get a strike let alone a fish. They claim they're going to stock it again this year, within a week. It's an admirable thought, but my personal opinion is that by September most, if not all, will be dead, just like the past few years. Why condemn 2500 trout to a slow, agonizing death as levels drop and the water boils (again) when they could easily grow to LARGE proportions in Medical Lake (not West Medical Lake)? Anyways....did someone actually catch a trout or two out of North Silver this spring? Thanks.

Well, wouldn't you know it, at least 1 fish survived the last summer or two. I didn't feel like driving out to Amber today so stayed in town and tried North Silver. Figured I'd at least see how big the catchables are that the WDFW stocked last week. None of them caught, just several light "short strikes". After 2 fishless hours I began kicking to the access area and that's when it happened. BAM!!! Something absolutely clobbered my leech and the fight was on! I was stunned when it made it's first of several jumps...damn, I thought, this is a 3 year fish! 10 minutes later I eased that football 20" rainbow into the net. He was fatter than anything I've caught at Amber or Coffeepot and twice as ornery, no kidding. Maybe he was the only survivor which would explain why he was so fat...the only carryover fish in the lake and he had it all to himself. It was awesome! I had flashbacks of the 2003 and 2004 seasons when I'd catch 6 or so like him per trip. Oh yeah, help me out here, guys. Last year I was catching 12-13" fish in April. This guy was 20". Is it possible for a rainbow to put on 7-8" in one year? My experience thus far is about 4" per year. Your thoughts?

I'd guess that it depends upon whether it's a diploid or triploid. Triploids get outrageously fat; on Rufous Woods the locals call them "fatfish".