The Fishing Magician: Fishing the Leavenworth Area

I made a trip to one of the lakes not far from me here in Leavenworth and had a great time. There can be excellent trout fishing at many destinations in the region. You can check the Statewide Planting Report on the WDFW website to find lakes that were planted this fall. Many of them are open year-round or have a winter season.

I reported earlier that the WDFW planted trout in many lakes across the state before the Thanksgiving holiday. This would give families and friends an opportunity to fish over the long weekend with excellent chances of catching some. In our area, Roses Lake near Manson at Lake Chelan was one of them. I had also heard that the trout fishing was very good at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee. So, I ran up there the other morning to see for myself. The reports were accurate. Not only was the fishing very good, but the trout were larger than I expected. The smallest fish I caught was 13 inches. Scott West, owner of the Cove Resort on Fish Lake, happened to be fishing from the dock when I arrived, and he showed me one on his stringer that was 17 inches long. He and his friend Joe were nice enough to share their bait with me, which was dried shrimp, and the trout loved it. Put a weight on the end of your line and a bait hook or two above it and you’re in business. I will be posting a video of my experience on the Fishing Magician Facebook page, so check it out and be sure to Follow me. This week’s photo is of one of the trout I landed at Fish Lake.

Obviously, people are excited about the perch fishing available right now on Moses Lake. My reports, photos and video made quite a splash on my Facebook page. It looks like they are all going to set records for the attention they received. The focus of the information was on the area on or near the I-90 Bridge. The fishing is really good here, both from a boat or from the shore. There is even more good news for fans of fishing for perch on Moses Lake this early winter. It should get even better if the trend holds to what happed last season. I wanted to point out that this isn’t the only place on Moses Lake where good numbers of perch can be found. The area of the lake near the outlets at the southern end is also a place where good catches can be made. There is some shore access near the outlets and a large parking area with toilets. It would be easy to launch a kayak or pontoon boat here, too. To reach the outlets by vehicle, follow the signs to the ORV Park. The outlets are found on this road.

When one of my followers mentioned that he was catching bluegill while fishing for perch on Moses Lake that reminded me that I had a couple of them in my freezer. We often catch bluegill when fishing on Potholes Reservoir, and a fishing friend of mine said he loved fried bluegill. I thought of what he had told me this fall and saved a couple of them to give it a try. I have a selection of tools that I can use for scaling fish that made it quick and easy. I removed the heads and guts, and vacuum sealed them for the future. So, the other night I set out the thawed fish, and made an egg wash with an egg and some milk. I also added some lemon pepper. I dipped the fish in the egg wash and then coated them with Panko. I put them in a pan of hot olive oil and added some butter. When the fish were thoroughly cooked and a nice color, I let it cool a bit and then dug in. It was easy to flake the meat off the bones, and it tasted great. I may use flour next time for a crispier result.

An app that allows Washington hunters and anglers to keep and display digital licenses is now live. Called MyWDFW, the app became available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores last week, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife news release. The app’s arrival coincides with 2026 licenses becoming available for sale, though none of them would be valid until April 1. All 2025 licenses are still on paper, and WDFW’s release said hunters and anglers will need to continue to hold onto the paper copies of their current licenses. WDFW had been working on the mobile app for a couple of years, starting after a rule change allowed the department to go forward with electronic licenses and tags. It’s part of the agency’s long-term plan to phase out licenses sold on durable, waterproof paper and shift toward digital licensing. An option for printing licenses on regular paper will remain available, according to the release. The mobile app brings Washington in line with most other states in the West, where electronic licensing has been available for years. It gives hunters and anglers the option of holding electronic copies of their licenses and tags instead of paper copies. It will also be a place for them to submit harvest reports for a number of species. Catch record cards for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon will also be available through the app. Customers must choose between paper licenses and mobile licenses for the upcoming 2026 license year. Customers may switch from paper to mobile at any time between now and the start of the license year. However, once a customer selects mobile licensing, they are locked in for the entire season and cannot return to paper until the following license year. Customers may switch until the start of the license year by calling customer service at 360-902-2464.