There are some fun derbies going on at Rufus Woods Reservoir, plus the Columbia River at Crescent Bar and you can still get in on the action. Anglers are having fun catching smallmouth bass on some of the big reservoirs in the region, while walleye fishing continues to be slow.
Dennis Beich invited Rollie Schmitten and me to make a trip to upper Rufus Woods Reservoir, to see if we could get some triploid rainbow trout. I packed my jigging rods and a bag full of jigs that we have used in the past on Rufus. There was a very large release of triploid rainbow trout into the reservoir earlier this spring and we were looking for fish that were larger than those included in this plant. We were using jigs, and no bait, so we could release smaller fish, and we did very poorly this time. There were lots of trucks and trailers in the parking lot at the middle net pens, and I think this was due to the excitement generated by the Rufus Roundup Fishing Derby, being sponsored by the Colville Tribe and conducted by Anglers Atlas. The derby, which runs through July 31st has bi-week challenges for anglers and offers the chance to win some of the $5,000 that will be awarded to the participants. There is no entry fee and to submit your catch you need to download the MyCatch app on your phone. You will find the current challenge and the instructions on how to log it for the derby. This week’s photo is of a nice triploid being landed at the upper net pens on Rufus Woods.
The very popular Pike Minnow Derby conducted by the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce is coming up next week, and I wanted to give everyone a heads up so you can plan for it. For several years now the Quincy Chamber invites anglers to come down to the marina at Crescent Bar and head out to catch as many pike minnows as possible. This is a fun way to contribute to the effort to save as many salmon and steelhead smolts as possible to move downstream to the ocean. Pike minnows are deadly predators, and the derby catches hundreds of them every year. Thanks to Grand County PUD and many other local sponsors there is a very impressive number of prizes handed out, and I particularly like how they take care of the youngsters that participate in the derby. Everyone that registers for the derby also gets a free lunch at Tower Pizza. Don’t miss this one. It’s fun and helps our resource. Also, I am happy to announce that if you call the Holiday Inn Express in George you can get a ten percent discount on your stay when you attend the derby. Just be sure to mention the code: FISHINGMAGICIAN!
The Juvenile Fishing Ponds that are scattered across the state play a very important role in the future of fishing. These allow youth under the age of 15 to fish and offer these youngsters an excellent opportunity to catch a trout. For many of these kids they catch their first fish and begin a life-long pursuit of fishing as a part of their lives. I commend the families that take their kids to these ponds and the communities that often stage events around them. As some of you may know, the Juvenile Pond on Blackbird Island in Leavenworth was heavily damaged in the flooding and high winds that stuck here. There is an ambitious effort underway to restore the pond, which includes clearing debris, repair of the pumphouse and intake from the Wenatchee River. There has been some progress, thanks to local volunteers, and there remains much to be done. There is a GoFundMe page set up to help raise the funds needed to replace the pumps and other necessary work, and I encourage you to do what you can to move this project forward.
A few years ago, I got the chance to fish Lake Coeur d’ Alene. My wife and I had visited the town several times, but I had never been out on the water. My brother in law had arranged for a house on the lake with a dock, so I pulled my boat over for our time there. After getting settled in, we had time to jump in the boat before it got too dark, and I got everything rigged up for kokanee fishing. I didn’t even know where to start on the big lake, but when we pulled out of the bay we were staying in I saw a fleet of boats. I put out my tried and true Kokabow blades and spinners and we were into fish in no time. We had a blast landing big kokanee until it was time to head in for dinner. We went back the next year, and the kokanee were small, so we didn’t spend much time fishing for them. I plan to get back to Coeur d’Alene and several other lakes in the area this summer. You should check out my Facebook page and follow me, as I start posting what I learn about Western Idaho fishing.
Rufus Woods Reservoir is always popular for the opportunity to catch the triploid rainbow trout. Thanks to the Colville Tribe, there are annual plants of these fish to keep the number of fish available to freshwater anglers eager to make the trip to this 50 mile long reservoir on the Columbia River. Triploids have an amazing growth rate and fish weighing to 20 pounds and even larger can be caught. As I mentioned earlier, there is something new this derby season that is giving anglers another incentive to give Rufus Woods a try. I did a video a couple of years ago that is a guide to fishing upper Rufus Woods, and I show folks the boat launches and fishing accesses to the upper reservoir. I also explain in detail the necessary permits and licenses required to fish on the Colville Reservation and at the locations I mention in the video. I even describe the technique that I use to catch triploids from the shore. To watch this video, just log onto the Dave Graybill YouTube channel and search for the Guide to Upper Rufus Woods Reservoir.
