Fishing Magician: March 6, 2026

It was great to see so many people out and about when several lakes in the region opened to fishing on Sunday. The parking areas were packed with vehicles and the shores were lined with folks eager to make their first casts of the season in hopes of getting a bite from a hungry rainbow.

I made my usual sweep through the Columbia Basin to check on the turnout for the March 1st opening of several lakes. Clear skies and calm water greeted anglers, and I think there were more anglers trying their luck on the lakes that I visited than in past openers. The parking lots were packed and the banks lined with folks eager to land their first trout of the season. Burke and Quincy lakes had the large crowds, and I was surprised to see more boats out on Quincy than Burke. That makes sense actually, as Quincy Lake has limited bank access and was planted with the same number of fish prior to the opener as Burke. Another surprise was that fishing at both of these lakes was very slow, and few of the 1 pound trout that were planted were being caught. Success was much higher at Martha Lake, where I saw the first limit of the day. These trout were mostly 11 inches long. I don’t think that I have ever seen as many people at Martha than Sunday. The same was true at Caliche Lake. People were catching fish here and both parking areas were packed. By the way, the water is very high at Caliche, so the usual path to the west shore was flooded. This week’s photo was taken at Martha Lake, which is near the town of George.

A lot of anglers dusted off their tackle boxes to take advantage of the opening of many lakes for trout fishing. In addition to the lakes that I have mentioned that opened to trout fishing on March 1st, there are many other lakes in Eastern Washington that shared that opening date. In Columbia County, the five Tucannon River off-channel lakes — Blue, Deer, Rainbow, Spring, and Watson — open March 1. These lakes are stocked with rainbow trout weighing up to 1.5 pounds. In Spokane County, Liberty Lake opened March 1 and received 4,000 catchable-size rainbow trout and 350 jumbo rainbow trout in 2026. Trout at Liberty Lake can range from 12 to 16 inches. Amber and Medical lakes also open March 1; both lakes are managed under selective gear rules and are expected to fish well this spring. In Lincoln County, Coffeepot Lake also opened on March 1 and is scheduled to receive 5,000 put-grow-take rainbow trout in spring 2026. In Whitman County, Pampa Pond opened March 1 for rainbow trout fishing.

I have spent many winter mornings on the Colville Indian Reservation fishing from the shore at the net pen site. It had been a while since my friends and I have had a chance to give this a try, and the opportunity came up a few days ago. As we pulled into the site, I only saw two boat trailers, and we had the beach at the boat launch to ourselves. We found the river current running fast, and the water was so high that we were restricted to a small area near the boat ramp. James Lebow and I cast out our favorite chartreuse color of Power Bait. Our other fishing buddy, Ryan Harris, did the same, but added a Power Bait Mouse Tail to his hook. James and I had laughed at Ryan when he first used one of these on a trip to the net pens a couple years ago but then had to borrow some when he had success with them. We spent just a couple of hours fishing, as the day became colder and threatened to snow on us. Guess what, the only bite the three of us got was on Ryan’s rod, with the Mouse Tail.

While many of us anglers waited for the March 1st opening of many lakes throughout the region, I was out checking on a couple of places people fish in the winter. One of the spots that I always find anglers fishing from the shore is at Crescent Bay on Lake Roosevelt, just below the town of Grand Coulee Dam. Earlier this year the water level was very high, and it has been dropping only recently. When I stopped by the other day I saw just one angler on the beach. The water level had dropped significantly, and I understand the plan is for it to drop even more this late winter and early spring for maintenance on Grand Coulee Dam. Fishing has not been particularly great this winter, and maybe the drop in the water level will change things. I also stopped by Billy Clapp Lake to check on the water level there. It is still low and I could tell that there has been some shore fishing activity, but from what I hear, fishing success has been slow this winter. I have had terrific days in the spring on Billy Clapp, but not so much the past two seasons.

Although there are many lakes that are open year round in the region, the March 1st opening of many lakes is often the first fishing trip of the season. To make the most of these first outings there are some things I hope you remember before you leave home. Be sure you have your fishing license. It is surprising how many people forget to put their license in their jacket pocket, tackle box or wallet. Not having your license can really spoil your day. Make sure your reel is in working order. You may want to add fresh line.

Monofilament does deteriorate over time. Check that you have what you need, like extra hooks, sinkers, dough bait or eggs and marshmallows. If you are fishing from shore, it’s a good idea to have rod holders. If you are fishing from a boat, make sure the motor starts. I am amazed at how many times I have seen folks launch their boat only to find their battery is dead or the fuel has gone bad. Also, remember that youngsters under the age of twelve must wear lifejackets on boats under nineteen feet in length. Take a cooler and ice to keep your catch fresh.