Fishing Magician: Popular Regional Lakes

There are many popular lakes in the region that will be closing until next spring. I visited a few to see if they looked “fishy”. I hope to get out and try some of them myself as they are known to produce large trout in the late fall.

I had a business meeting in Moses Lake recently, so I decided to make swing by several popular fishing locations in Grant County. I wanted to check conditions on two lakes that will be closing at the end of the month, and I encourage anglers to give them a try. The first one was Lake Lenore. This is a popular lake for fly fishers, as it is under selective fishing rules, meaning no bait and barbless hooks, so it also allows for casting with spinners and other lures, too. Anglers are targeting the big Lahontan cutthroat that inhabit the lake. There is good shore access to Lenore. I didn’t see any fly fishers when I stopped by but there was a group of anglers casting lures at the top end of the lake. The next stop was at Dry Falls Lake. This is also a selective fishery lake and known to produce big rainbow, brown and tiger trout. There isn’t any shore access to Dry Falls so fly fishers fish this one from a pontoon boat, float tube or kayak. I found fishing conditions very good at both of these lakes, so give them a try before they close! I visited some other popular fishing destinations, and you will want to visit the FishingMagician.com Facebook page and Follow me to get all my updates.

I like to fish Rufus Woods Reservoir this time of year, and there is a place that I have had good success over the years. Brandts Landing is a Federal Park not far from the town of Bridgeport. It is located about six miles past the boat launch above Chief Joseph Dam. There are several accesses to the water and some of them have fireboxes so you can keep warm in the fall and winter months. There is a pit toilet at one end of the park. When I want to know if it’s worth a trip, I contact my buddy Dave, who is a fish checker for the Colville Tribe. He patrols the areas that anglers like to fish from above the dam and at Brandts Landing. He has given me disappointing reports on the fishing above the dam and at Brandts Landing so far, but his last report was more encouraging. He said that fishing is still slow for this time of year, but there are triploids ranging in size from 3 to 6 pounds being caught. I might make a trip up there next week. This week’s photo is of my fishing buddy Keith Hiatt with one of the fish he caught at Brandts Landing.

In the late fall and winter, you can often find me fishing from the shore. The Grand Coulee Dam area offers a few very good opportunities nearby. One is right at the edge of town. You can see Crescent Lake as you head down the hill toward the dam, and separated by a dike, is Crescent Bay. There is a gravel road that will take you right down to the water. There is a long beach here, that gets longer as the water recedes on Lake Roosevelt. There is a vault toilet here and a couple of picnic tables. There is always room for more anglers to cast from the shore here. You can also take the road to the left that leads to the boat launch. There is a dock here that can be used by boaters who want to fish Lake Roosevelt just above the dam. There are some good spots for shore fishing in this area as well. People will bring a lawn chair to settle in to watch their rods, after they have cast their favorite baits out into the water. Don’t be surprised if you get a rainbow over 20 inches!

Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, isn’t too far from my home in Leavenworth. It can offer very good fishing for perch in the fall, and I have had some terrific days trolling flies for trout here, too. Last Friday was the first sunny day in a while, so I thought it would be a good idea to drive up there. It is a beautiful spot in the late fall, with the fall colors in full bloom. When I arrived, I saw that there was a breeze blowing, but nothing that would make it uncomfortable if I wanted to launch the Bob Feil Boats and Motors Smoker Craft. The rental boats were stacked against the trees near the store and all but a couple of the pontoon boats had been pulled up on the shore. There was one angler on the dock, and I went out to visit with him. He said he was getting plenty of bites but hadn’t hooked anything yet. He was a big fan of fishing here at Fish Lake. He and his wife rent a cabin occasionally or bring a camper. He said they spend as many as 30 days a year at Fish Lake.

I recently sent out my free Quarterly E-Letter for Fall. In this issue I talk about my favorite places to fish this time of year and details about how I go about catching fish at these different destinations. Fishing for triploid rainbow trout on Rufus Woods Reservoir, perch fishing at Moses Lake, and trout fishing at a couple of our year-round lakes are included. I also shared a list of what I consider to be the Top Prospects for the Fall. I have been delivering these free E-Letters to those who have signed up to receive them for over a decade. If you want to be added to the list to receive the four Quarterly E-Letters, which are free, go to my website at www.FishingMagician.com, click on the Contact button on the Home Page and I will get your e-mail address and add you to the list. Earlier this month I sent out the Monthly Update to paying subscribers. These subscribers receive the four Quarterly E-Letters and 12 Monthly Updates. For pricing and to sign up, click the E-Letter button on my website.

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