The Fishing Magician: It Looks Like Wintery Weather is Here!

It looks like wintery weather is here to stay up in Leavenworth. For me it means a shift in strategy for fishing this time of year. I will be doing a lot more exploration of places to fish from the shore and going along with friends who still launch their boats in winter. Fortunately, there are a variety of great opportunities for fishing throughout the region even during the chilly months of the year.

I had wanted to try the perch fishing near the I-90 Bridge on Moses Lake for a while, and my buddy James Lebow agreed to take me out in his boat last Tuesday. I backed the boat down the ramp at Blue Heron Park, and he tried starting the big motor. No dice. James figured out that the big engine wasn’t getting fuel. No problem. He switched the fuel line from his kicker and with the assistance of my portable jump box, got the big engine running. We then motored down to the bridge. When the screen on his Humminbird lit up with fish he launched his Minn Kota, and we went to work. By now it had started to snow and all we were catching was tiny fish. We were watching an angler on the shore catching larger perch one after the other, so we knew there were bigger fish in the area, we just had to find them. We moved the boat a couple of times and finally found a school of bigger fish. We were finally catching “keeper” perch of at least 10 inches. James landed the big fish of the day, which was a 12 incher. The snow that had been falling had turned to rain, and we decided to give it up. Perch fishing is good now and will get even better here on Moses Lake. All you need is a simple set up, with a weight on the bottom and a bait hook about 18 inches above that. I like to use a large removeable split shot. If this rig hangs up, the split shot pulls off, and you get your hook back. Also, when I store my rods I remove the split shot, so it doesn’t wind around the other rods. I then pinch it back on when I am ready to start fishing again. If you go to the FishingMagician.com Facebook page you will be able to watch a video on our perch fishing adventure. Be sure to Follow my page so you won’t miss any future updates and videos!

I had arrived early to meet my friend James to take his boat out on the lake, so I had stopped by Blue Heron Park and walked out onto the bridge to visit with an angler I saw fishing there. He landed a keeper perch when I approached, and I said the fishing must be pretty good. He said that it was slow that morning. It was about 10:30 and he already had 18 perch in his bucket! He showed me one that measured 15 inches. He lives in Wenatchee and travels to fish from the I-90 Bridge often this time of year. He loves catching perch and likes eating them even more. He prefers fishing from the bridge to climbing down the rip rap bank. I do want to caution anglers that want to try fishing from the rip rap shore near the bridge. The broken concrete can be very slippery. Still, if you are careful, it is a very productive place to fish. This week’s photo is of the angler I met holding up the 15 inch perch he caught.

I was thinking about some places to go if you want to take a group out fishing this winter. There are some spots that can accommodate three or four anglers and some even more. I recently stopped by Medicare Beach on Potholes Reservoir. There is a long, black sand beach here and this is the time of year anglers set up along this shore to fish for the big rainbow in Potholes. The last time I was there the wind was howling, and there wasn’t anyone around. But on a calm day you will find people casting their favorite baits, setting their rods in a holder and waiting for a bite. I have found that anglers prefer just a few types of bait. The number one choice is Power Bait. Second to that is a marshmallow and nightcrawler, and I like to use a shrimp and marshmallow myself. There is a large park here with picnic tables above the beach and some vault toilets. A Discover Pass is required at this site. To get there take Road M SE off Highway 17 heading south from Moses Lake. Turn off Road M SE to Road 6 SE and it will take you to the park access road on Road J SE.

It was a sad day for me earlier this week, as I returned the Bob Feil Boats and Motors Smoker Craft Phantom to the dealership. They have been providing me with quality fishing boats for the past 15 years, and this one was very special. It’s the Smoker Craft Phantom 20 X2 OS, and it also features Gamin electronics and a Minn Kota Ulterra bow mount electric motor. It is powered by a 250 horsepower Mercury motor and has a 9.9 hp Mercury kicker. There are two Scotty electric downriggers mounted on the gunnels. It has a rigid aluminum frame with a canvas cover that can easily be snapped off. This was a real advantage when fishing in the high winds on Lake Wenatchee for sockeye. The rest of the time the top provided shade, and it comes with full side covers and a back curtain. I really like the offshore bracket on this boat, as it adds more space to the interior, and has a large, covered storage box and a small well at the back of the boat. There are two seats with storage and another storage box with a hydraulic lid that can be used as a fish box. It also has a live well just in front of the walk through windshield. It comes on a super deluxe, dual axel trailer, with a spare tire. There are even more features you can see if you get a chance to walk around inside it. The boat is officially now available for sale! I will certainly miss driving this boat and envy the new owner!