It is great to see so many people out enjoying the spring weather. There are families fishing the year-round lakes and boaters looking for trout and walleye on the big reservoirs in the region. Many anglers consider this their favorite time of year; however, I should have known better than go walleye fishing during a full moon. The moon plus the warming temperatures on Banks Lake combined to make things difficult. I was just so eager to go that I ignored the conditions. Nate Stull, of Stully’s Guide Service, still put Kelly Byran and me on some walleye last Tuesday. Nate found the docks in at Steamboat Rock State Park, so we used this launch and headed from there to Barker Flats. This is an area on Banks Lake where Nate will look for pre-spawn walleye in the spring. We found some, too. Nate had warned us that the bite was very light right now, and although we did hook some fish, we missed a bunch of bites. Just couldn’t get to the rods in time to set a hook. We spent a good amount of time in the morning here and then explored a few other likely locations. Looking back, Nate said we probably should have ground it out on Barker, but you never know. Second guessing is easy. The day turned out to be flat calm, and the water temperature rose almost five degrees. These conditions didn’t help. We had a great time, though! This week’s photo is of Nate with one of the walleye we landed.
I chose to drive up through Soap Lake on my way to Grand Coulee Dam the other day. It is a little longer drive than going on Highway 2 through Waterville, but this gives me the chance to check out what’s going on at Lake Lenore and Dry Falls lakes. Both of these lakes opened on March 1st. These are quality lakes with selective gear rules, which means no bait and a one fish limit, and the trout must be at least 18 inches. They are popular with the fly fishing crowd, and I haven’t seen much activity on them so far this season. However, when I drove by last weekend there were a lot of float tubes, kayaks and other floating craft on the water at both of these lakes. The majority of the fishing on Lenore was at the very top end of the lake, which is not unusual for this time of year. The lake is inhabited by Lahontan cutthroat, and they often cruise close to the shore in the spring. At Dry Falls, which is just up the road, I could see at least a dozen anglers from the overlook on the highway.
I hope you remembered what time of year it is. It’s the time to renew your fishing licenses and all that can come with it. I am sure you are aware that the WDFW has a new app, the MyWDFW, that allows you to get your licenses, catch record cards, etc., all online. Your information is then available on your phone. There are a lot of questions about just how this new system works, especially in areas where cell service isn’t available. I opted to get mine the old fashioned way this year, which may be the last time I can do so. I got my license, two pole endorsement and my Columbia River Endorsement, all for under $25, as I am a senior. I won’t need my Washington State Parks Natural Investment sticker for my truck until June. It looks like the cost for this one has doubled, so I may reconsider getting the annual license this year. I still consider the state fishing license a bargain for all the pleasure I get fishing here in Washington.
While in Grand Coulee Dam recently, I took the time to check out one of the popular fishing areas. The level of Lake Roosevelt is dramatically low right now, and that often can mean good fishing out of Spring Canyon. Boaters will launch here and fish from right above the dam to the Swawilla Basin for trout and big kokanee this time of year. It can also be the best time to fish from shore. I stopped to see what was going on at Crescent Beach. It is quite a sight to see how far down the water is and how far anglers walk down to set up to do their fishing. I was lucky enough to run into a fish checker when I stopped to make a few casts from the shore near the boat launch at Cresent Bay. She gave me a report on how the anglers were doing. She said that the group that arrived at six that morning had six very nice rainbow. The other groups she talked to had arrived later in the morning and hadn’t done very well. Only one fish among them.
It is getting to be walleye time here in Central Washington on the big reservoirs in the region. Soon, there will be anglers packing the parking lots at the launches on Banks Lake, Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir. Thinking about the popularity of walleye fishing, I arranged some interviews with some area guides that are experts on these waters. I first contacted Austin Moser, of Austins Northwest Adventures Guide Service, and after doing a video segment on fishing for kokanee and trout on Lake Roosevelt we did another version on walleye fishing on Banks Lake and Moses Lake. These are available to the subscribers to the FishingMagician.com Facebook page. I recently fished Banks Lake with Nate Stully of Stully’s Guide Service. You can see a video of our day on the Dave Graybill YouTube channel. I also did a short video of important tips for early season walleye fishing that is also available to subscribers. I plan to get out soon with Shelby Ross, of Ross Outdoor Adventures Guide Service, to shoot a video on early season walleye fishing. Later this month I will be fishing for spring salmon with Shane Magnuson and Buzz Ramsey. If you don’t want to miss any of these informative videos with real experts, be sure to Follow me on Facebook and subscribe to get exclusive videos and other tips on fishing in the region. Help me pay the gas money it takes to get this great information!
