I had a very interesting week. I have been keeping track of the opening of the Icicle River spring salmon fishing, plus travelling to Clarkston, Washington to the Thunder Jet production facility. I got to see the Thunder Jet Luxor model that my new boat sponsor, Mark’s Marine in Hayden, Idaho, is having them build.
I travelled to Clarkston, Washington last week, to visit the Thunder Jet production facility. I had been invited to see the facility and the boat that my sponsor, Mark’s Marine in Hayden, Idaho is having built for me. John Calder, sales manager at Mark’s Marine, introduced me to Shawn Chrislock, the operations manager. I did a video as Shawn took me through the different stages of construction of the boats, from the formed hulls that were being welded, to the paint shop, to where the seats were being made, and finally the area where the final rigging was being done. There were several pages on the build sheet for this particular boat; they have specific instructions for each one. He even took the time to ask me where I wanted the downriggers and back rod holders mounted. He knows anglers have different preferences and I really appreciated the opportunity to show him where I wanted them. This is a busy shop. As many as 300 Thunder Jet boats are completed here every year. The attention to detail is what makes these boats the exceptional quality to last for a fishing lifetime. What a great experience. Thanks John and Shawn. From here the boat will go to the Mark’s Marine dealership for the installation of the electronics, bow mount motor and other accessories.
I was going to pass by the park and overlook of Palouse Falls on my way home from Clarkston. This would be the third time in about a week that I had driven by here, and this time I pulled off and viewed the falls. It is spectacular. It is certainly “out of the way” and I am surprised by how many people I mention it to that have heard of the falls but have never visited the site. The falls are at the head of a gorge on the Palouse River. I had the chance to fish on the Palouse River recently and was awestruck by the scenic vistas, wildlife and the variety of fish we caught on the river. Chalk this one up to “stop and smell the roses”.
Icicle River opening scheduled for May 31 was postponed. Effective date: Immediately, until further notice. Species affected: Chinook salmon. Locations: Icicle River (Chelan County): Reason for action: A Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery infrastructure failure has led to an inoperable fish ladder that is preventing broodstock collection at this time. Crews are working to correct the issue. Fishery managers will reassess the situation for a fishery opening beginning Monday, June 1. Fishery managers encourage anglers to sign up for Fishing Rule Change email notifications and to check for emergency rules on the WDFW website before fishing.
I just posted the latest Mission in the Rufus Woods Roundup fishing contest, sponsored by the Colville Tribe, on my Facebook page. This one is called the Species Sprint, and, in this case, it’s a race to be the first angler to enter a walleye and trout in the contest. All you need to do to qualify for the prize of a $50 gift certificate is to download the free MyCatch app to your phone. This is just one of the bi-weekly Missions in the series of challenges being rolled out during the Rufus Woods Roundup and this one ends on June 9th. There are prizes being offered to anglers who catch a range of species throughout the time the Roundup is being conducted. These include trout, bass, walleye and other species that can be caught in Rufus Woods Reservoir. Categories that have been included in the contest have been for the longest fish, photos of a catch and release and videos of catches and releases. There are numerous ways to win, and you can learn all about it by going to the website at www.AnglersAtlas.com/event/902.
The high winds and floods that occurred this past winter are resulting in some hazardous conditions for boaters on some of our area lakes. Most notable is Lake Chelan. Every spring boaters have to take care to avoid the debris that has come into the lower reaches of the big lake. Two things cause this. One is that when the lake fills the logs and other debris that had been on the shore when the water was drawn down are now being floated off and the current is bringing it into the most-used portions of the lake. This year there is even more debris with the blowout on the Stehekin River and other tributaries on the upper lake. I have had reports from folks that they are dodging much more debris than they expected for this time of year. Lake Chelan is still filling and won’t be at full pool until July 1st. So, go slow and keep any eye out. Also, although our area rivers have settled down there are still fluctuations in the current on the Columbia River. I suggest you get the free Currents App from the Chelan PUD that will give flows on the Columbia below certain dams.
The WDFW announced that it will transition away from accepting cash for license product purchases at its offices next month due to a new state law motivated by the national phase-out of the penny. The WDFW opted to eliminate in-person cash transactions for licensing products — such as hunting and fishing licenses and transport tags — purchased from WDFW offices rather than rounding the cost of transactions. The Department plans to stop accepting cash for license product purchases at WDFW offices on June 11, 2026. You can still buy licenses at local dealers, and they have the option to accept cash.
