Local Trout Fishing Continues With Good Results

We have had good reports from many of our customers trout fishing our local lakes .

The still fishermen fishing from the WDFW access at Martha Lake (Alderwood Manor) and off the docks at the county park at the south end of the lake have been scoring well on rainbows.
Fishing floating baits such as Power Bait, Power Eggs, Gulp, marshmallows and egg/worm combinations have all done well.

Lake Goodwin has been turning out good rainbows in the 12 - 18 inch size categories for both the still fishermen as well as the trollers.

Lake McMurry has also been good for anglers fishing this Skagit County water and has been putting out some nice sized rainbows to 16 inches as well as an occasional cutthroat.

We should see some good trout fishing for some time to come with the cooler weather that we have been experiencing this year and perhaps it will be some time before we see the lakes go into their summer doldrums.

Mutiny Bay Halibut

Though we're right to the end of the line on the halibut season Mutiny Bay still continues to put out fish for those that are putting in the time. We had a couple of the regulars land a pair of fish today from this popular local spot one tipped the scale at 25 pounds, the other at 31. A couple of nice eater sized fish. Dat mentioned that there were only a couple of other boats fishing the bay today. The weather was a tad lumpy early this morning but flattened out fairly soon. They were plagued with rain all day, but I would rather deal with the rain than rough water.

Last Weekend For Inside Halibut

This is the last of the halibut season for Puget Sound and the eastern portion of the Straits. The season overall has been nothing short of outstanding. I cannot remember a season producing as many fish as we have seen in this one. Anyway, you have through Sunday 30th May to see if you can connect with a halibut on the inside fisheries. If you don't, there is still time to fish the Sekiu area with their fishery opening today May 29th and running through June 19 open this weekend through Sunday 30th May and then only open on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays through the season. We also have a couple more days of ocean fishing this next week.

Don't forget the Port Angeles Halibut Derby this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. We have been getting "Great" reports out of PA all season long and we should see some good catches this weekend for the derby.

We will have tickets on had until closing this evening.

Lake Cavanaugh - Kokanee & Cutthroat

We have been getting some reports out of Lake Cavanaugh this week both on some kokanne action as well as a few cutthroat. I wouldn't say that the fishing has been stellar, but at least there is a little fishing to be had. The cutthroat that I have heard of are going upwards of 17 inches. The kokanne on the other hand are smallish up to around 10 inches. This lake put out very nice kokanne this past year with lots of fish in the 14 -15 inch range. Perhaps it just needs to warm up just a little bit before things gets going. In past years this lake produced some really trophy sized cutthroat up into the low teens, though not as numerous as they once were we still hear reports of fish in the 5 - 7 pound class. Most of these are targeted by individuals that know what they are doing and fall to fishermen pulling small whole or plug cut herring as well as smaller 3 - 4 inch salmon plugs.

Shad Numbers Contine To Climb

Shad numbers over Bonneville Dam continue to climb the past couple of days with around 4,000 shad going over. Though the numbers are still not great, they are increasing with around 30,000 so far for the season. We have had a couple people down testing their luck and have had some success. Though I think you could go down this weekend and have some luck I would more than likely wait until this following weekend, when hopefully real numbers of fish will make their push up the river.

We still have good numbers of shad darts on hand, though the pile is going down!

More Eastern Washington Small Water Bass Photos

Here's a couple more of John's bass fishing photos from his trip a couple weekends back. Hope that it teases you just enough to give it a try.

Eastern Washington Small Water Bass Fishing

John , who is our resident bass guy spent a past weekend in eastern Washington fishing a number of small lakes and ponds in search of largemouth bass. John says that there are literally hundreds of small waters that are under fished by anglers and many have outstanding fishing. All it takes is a little time and energy to search them out. There are lots of these small water bass spots in Grant and Adams counties where there are virtually unlimited choices of these smaller seep lakes.

Stop by and John will be glad to help you out not only on where to look for these pieces of water but also on the tackle choices.

The photos are just a couple representing what the lakes look like and what you might expect fish wise from these waters.

Shad Numbers Continue To Rise at Bonneville Dam

For those of you that love the Columbia River shad fishing, the number of shad through the dam continues to increase. The past few days have shown 2-3 thousand fish per day and the numbers are on an upward trend. Though we may not have fish able numbers by the weekend, I am sure that we should by the following weekend. Compared to last year we are a tad higher in numbers year to date.

If you have never fished shad they are great little gamesters and fight quite well for their size. A good fishery for kids as when they are there the action can be non stop.

We have a "Great" supply of shad darts (jigs) on hand.

Port Angeles Halibut Derby - Saturday May 29th & Sunday May 30th

Don't forget the 10th Annual Port Angeles Halibut Derby this weekend! The derby will cover both Saturday and Sunday May 29th & 30th. Tickets run $40.00 for both days. Prizes range from $5,000.00 for first place down to $135.00 for the 30th place. Not Bad Money!

We have lots of tickets on hand through Friday evening!

Don't forget that this weekends halibut days are the 28th, 29th and 30th! Friday, Saturday & Sunday! Not the Thursday, Friday & Saturday of the prior weeks!

Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby Results

The Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby was a real success with not only great participation but also the fishing. There was a total of 285 adult tickets sold and 75 kids. The adults weighed in 80 individual kokanee into the largest fish category and a surprising 69 bag limits, and 7 trout. The youngsters weighed in 24 fish of all species.

Adults:
Largest Kokanee (in pounds)
1st Place Scott Sceeles 1.26 ($1,000.00) sponsored by Dick Nite Spoons
2nd Place Terry French 1.23 ($500.00) sponsored by Ted's Sports Center
3rd Place Brad Savinski 1.23 ($250.00) sponsored by John's Sporting Goods
4th Joe Hart 1.21 ($100.00) sponsored by Triangle Bait

Largest Bag Limit (up to 10 Kokanee)
1st Place Travis Welch 8.46 ($500.00) sponsored by 3 Rivers Marine & Tackle
2nd Place Brandon Doucet 8.25 ($250.00) sponsored by McDaniel's Do It Center

Largest Trout
Gene Rich 1.06 ($500.00) sponsored by Trout Lodge/Cooperative Trout Enhancement Program

Kid's Derby:
1st Place Mackenzie Ramsey 3.95 Bass ($100.00) sponsored by Greg's Custom Rods
2nd Place Rodney Badgett 2.30 Bass ($75.00) sponsored by Greg's Custom Rods
3rd Place Logan Tonsgard 2.08 Trout ($50.00) sponsored by Greg's Custom Rods

Thanks to everyone that supported and participated in this event and contributed to it's "Great" success!

Lake Goodwin - Trout Fishing

Here's a nice catch caught by Darius and his dad Derek caught yesterday still fishing mid day at Lake Goodwin. These were the largest of their limit catch pushing the 18 inch mark and the others which were landed were 12 -14 inch range. Nice catch guys!

We have been getting good reports all spring from this lake with surprisingly little effort for the size of the lake. Most of the folks we have spoke with have been still fishing with Power Bait, Power Eggs, Gulp or marshmallows and worm/egg combinations. Others that are trolling have been fishing lead core lines with wooley bugger fly or carey special, some tipping the offering with a piece of worm.

This fishery at Lake Goodwin typically lasts into the summer and then gets some "Great" fall fishing, which typically sees very little pressure.

Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby Off & Going Strong

Was up to Lake Stevens this AM to see how things were going at the derby. Looked to be 80 - 90 boats on the lake and surprisingly the lake was not crowded by any means. Looked as if everyone was getting along quite well. Reports were that fish were being caught and that John Thomas of Rotten Chum Guide Service already had 10 by 7:30. The launching and parking all went off flawlessly according to Marci at Greg's Custom Rods in Lake Stevens. Little sprinkle of rain but no downpours at least while I was there. Lake was flat as glass! Conditions looked good!

Hope to have a few photo's and results up in the next day or so.

Hope that everyone had a "Great" day on the water today! "Good Luck!"

Columbia River Shad Numbers Increasing

Took a look at the Bonneville Dam shad counts today to see if the numbers are increasing from last weeks glance. The numbers have come up substantially with a count as of yesterday at 8,283 ytd. Though not great total numbers totally the daily numbers have been increasing greatly with a couple thousand going through one day earlier this week. I would say the way things are going that there might be a good chance to have some fishable numbers there by next weekend for the long three day holiday. I will up date the numbers mid next week.

We have been selling good numbers of shad darts for the past couple of weeks to people anticipating this fishery. We should have enough on hand for at least a few more weeks.
We have them in Flame/Chartreuse, Lime Green/Chartreuse, Pink/Pearl, Flame/Pearl, Pink/Glow and Flame/Glow color combinations. Once they are gone that will be it until next year.

More updates on the shad next week!

Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby - Saturday May 22nd

Everything is in place for this Saturdays First Annual Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby! Hopefully the weather will cooperate and be conducive to good crowds and good fishing. At least the weather reports look toward a little milder conditions.

Ticket sales have been outstanding and the enthusiasm toward the derby has been overwhelming. Not only have all the tackle dealers in the area been extremely supportive as have all of the tackle manufactures. There will be "Lots" of prizes on the board over and beyond the cash prizes.

Fishing has been quite good for most everyone that we have spoken with in the past couple of weeks. We have seen an off day on the lake, but that has been the exception rather than the rule.

We wish everyone particpating in the derby a good day on the water and good luck with the catching.

Nice Rooster - Costa Rica

Here's a really nice roosterfish caught by my good friend Richard Shank in Costa Rica. The fish was caught on a five pound Bonita trolled on a rock pile.

One of these days I'll have to take some time and go down and fish with him. If he continues to send photos like this I am sure it will be sooner than later.

Nice Fish Richard!

Sitka Salmon Reports

For those of you that are on your way up to Sitka in the next few weeks to partake of a little king salmon fishing, here's a little update for you. I traded emails with Eddy Sisom of Scales and Tales and Tom Ohaus of Angling Unlimited to find out that the king salmon fishing out of Sitka has really turned on the past few days. Most of the fish are in the lower 20's with a few into the low 30's. Nice respective fish! This is typically the start of the king salmon season and will continue till the start of the commercial troll season the first of July.

Here's a couple of photos that were emailed to me from this AM's fishing by Eddy Sisom and Jim Ferro. Jim's fish (top photo) is a very typical king for this time of year in the low 20's. Eddy's fish (bottom photo) is a little nicer specimen just at the 30 mark. Looks like they had a "Great" day in the ocean by both the looks of the fish and the water conditions.

Mahi Mahi - Big Island

Uncle Tim is still doing well fishing the leeward side of the Big Island in Hawaii. Here's a nice Mahi that he landed while kayak fishing soaking a live bait. Tim has really got the kayak fishing down for the warm water gamesters in the Islands. Hopefully before he comes home to fish kings this summer we might possibly get a photo of a nice Ahi or two.

Ice Harbor Dam - Chinnok

Here's a really nice 28 pound spring Chinook caught by one of our customers Eric Esparza below Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake. The fish was taken on a corkie and shrimp combination. Though much of the lower Columbia has closed to Chinook fishing there is still lots to be had fishing the upper Columbia, Snake and the tributaries.

Nice fish Eric!

Smallmouth Bass Fishing

The smallmouth bass fishing on this side of the mountains has been good for just about everyone that I have spoken with. The fish are just coming off the spawn just about everywhere. With the mild winter the fish came through in prime shape. Here's Keith Yamaguchi with a very nice smallmouth caught Sunday from one of the westside smallmouth lakes. Sorry for the photo quality as it came off a cell phone photo.

Palmer Lake - Kokanee

If you want to take a few days and go to a really picturesque place to fish then Palmer Lake in the north central portion of the state just might be the place you want to go. This is a lake that is off the beaten path that has some really outstanding kokanee fishing going on at the present time. The fish have been averaging in the 15 - 16 inch range and are really plump! One of the customers stopped by and showed me some pictures from this past weekend of the fish he caught and I must say I was impressed. Besides the kokanee there is some good rainbow fishing with fish caught up to ten pounds every year. The smallmouth bass fishing is also quite good and many bass anglers travel a good distance just to fish them. Throw in some largemouth, perch, crappie and burbot (freshwater ling) and you round out the list.

Though its is quite a drive, I am sure you will enjoy not only the fishing but the great scenery.

Icicle River - Spring Chinook

I called over to my customer that has a home on the Icicle River to see how the king fishing has been the past couple of days. The reports that he gave me definitely indicated that the fishing was not too bad to say the least. He said the fishing had been good and the fish they had were in the mid teens to low twenties. He mentioned that the fish were in good shape though they were showing some color. As far as tackle went they caught them both on eggs as well as red sized herring. The river has come up a couple of feet since the first of the week with the warmer weather and the snow melt at higher elevations.

We have lots of good eggs on hand as well as red sized herring.

Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby Parking - May 22

There will be lots of parking available at the Lake Stevens Kokanee Derby on May 22. The Lion's Club will have lots of help on hand starting at 4:00 a.m.. They not only will be able to direct you to various parking areas but will also provide shuttles. We have copies of the parking areas here at the shop for you.

The list of prizes is continuing to get larger every day.

The fishing has been good for just about everyone that has an idea of what is going on. We'll post a little more on the set-ups etc. over the weekend.

Lake Chelan - Lake Trout - Kokanee

Jeff Witkowski of Big Dog Fishing Guide Service sent me this photo of a couple of nice Lake Chelan lake trout.These fish were the result of a couple of hours of evening fishing for Keith and Kevin Stennes. The fish weighed in at 10 and 12 pounds respectively.

Jeff mentioned that so far this season they have not been able to find any decent kokanees yet. Everything they have found so far has been 7" or smaller. Hopefully they just have not found this years class of fish. Chelan has had it's ups and downs on these fish over the years. Last year the fish were very nice. In years past the fish were in that small size. Hopefully that is not the case!

If you would like to fish any of this areas waters you can contact Jeff below for a guid trip.

Jeff Witkowski
Big Dog Fishing Guide Service
(509) 960-7345

Billy Clapp Lake - Kokanee

We have been getting some outstanding reports from this Central Washington Reservoir for some outstanding sized kokanee up to 20 inches and weighing in at 2 1/2 pounds. This is not a very widely known fishery and many folks have not even heard of the place. The lake is located east of Soap Lake on Highway 26 just northeast of Stratford. Besides good kokanee fishing the lake produces good rainbow fishing as well as some outstanding walleye fishing. If you are a bass fisherman there is good fishing for smallmouth and largemouth bass. Throw in a little crappie and yellow perch fishing and you have a little of everything to please most any fisherman.

New! Shimano Clarus 13'0" Center Pin Rod

Shimano has come out with a "New" addition to its popular line of Clarus rods. This newest addition is a really nice 13'0" Center Pin Rod that is reasonably priced at $119.99. The rod has a cork handle with sliding rings that allows one to position your reel wherever you desire to balance the rod appropriately. It is a medium action rod that has a line rating of 4 - 8 lbs and a lure weight of 1/8 - 3/8oz. This rod can also be used with a spinning reel that would make it a good light steelhead rod with floats and jigs in mind.

This rod would be ideally suited for the Cowlitz River Barrier Dam salmon fishery where fishermen are casting weightless globs of salmon eggs for spring chinook. A perfect choice without going broke on a Loomis Float Rod!

Icicle River Opens for Salmon Fishing - May 13

The Icicle River will open tomorrow May 13 th for Chinook! With a prediction of about 11,000 fish returning to this piece of water we should see some excellent fishing opportunities. The stream will be open from the closure sign (800 feet upstream of the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam. The limit will be two salmon with a minimum size of 12 inches. Night closures will be effect. Release fish with one or more round holes punched in the tail of the fish. These fish are part of a study and have been anesthetized: the FDA requires 21 day ban on the consumption of these fish.

The season will run from May 13 through July 31.

One of our customers that lives on the river was in this AM and said that the river is full of salmon at the present time.

There are many ways to account for some of these Chinook but fishing eggs or plug cut herring back bounced through the deeper holes have been some of the best methods.

The river is fairly low at the present time though it is coming up with the warmer weather due to the snow melt in the surrounding mountains.

Access to the river is limited, make sure that you know where you are fishing and not trespassing on someones private property.

Kokanee Fishing - Lake Stevens

The kokanee fishing at Lake Stevens has continued to produce well for those fishing this popular fishery. The fishing has been just a little temperamental on select days when we get a radical change in weather and the fish seem to go off the bite. The fish are growing rapidly and there have been a few fish already pushing the 16 1/2 inch mark. Most of the guys have been finding them from the surface down to around 25 feet with the 15 foot zone being fairly consistent. Fishermen are getting them on a variety of gear with Silver Horde Gold Star Kokanee doders with a blade and bead (Wedding Ring Spinner)fished behind with shoe peg corn or maggot tipped hooks being one of the most popular setups. The "New" Silver Horde Gold Star LP Shrimp(Squid) have been doing quite well when fished 14 -16 inches behind a dodger.

This fishery is coming into full swing and should continue into late June. As the water warms the fish will drop deeper into the water column and will be caught in the 50 -60 foot zones into the summer.

Don't forget the Lake Steven's Kokanee derby coming up on Saturday May 22nd. There are lots of outstanding cash prizes as well as many tackle prizes. We have been really starting to sell the tickets in the past few days, seems that everyone is really enthused! Should be "Lots" of Fun!

Tickets are $20.00 for those 15 or older, and for anglers 14 and under the tickets are "Free"!

Port Angeles Salmon Club's 10th Annual Halibut Derby

Don't forget the Port Angles Salmon Club's 10th Annual Halibut Derby coming up at the end of the month on Saturday, May 29th and Sunday, May 30th.

With the quality of halibut fishing that we are seeing in the Straits this season I am sure that there will be some really nice sized fish entered in the derby this year.

There are 30 cash prizes ranging from $5,000.00 for the largest halibut down to $135.00 for the 30th place fish.

Tickets are $40.00 per person for the two days of the derby.

We have hand outs for the derby and we are the only ticket outlet on this side of the sound.

We have lots of halibut tackle and bait on hand.

Weekend Halibut - West Side Whidbey Island

Here's a nice catch of eater halibut caught by Steve Shipley, Wife and Crew caught Saturday on the west side of Whidbey Island. The fish weighed 22, 36 and 37 pounds which amounts to lots of good eating. Nice catch Steve!

Overall the reports that we have been getting have been quite good out of all the normal halibut haunts. Though the tides aren't great for this next upcoming weekend I am sure that there will be a good number of anglers out with the prediction of good weather. With the limited amount of fishing time one can only get out there and fish. Looking for the ideal tides will only leave you wondering what happened to the season when it is all over.

If you need any help with your halibut gear stop by and we'll be more than happy to give you a hand.

Cowlitz River Steelheading

Without a doubt the Cowlitz is the place to go if you are wanting to do a little spring steelhead fishing. We have had good reports coming from this SW Washington stream for the past few weeks. There are still good numbers of late winter run steelhead coming into the system as well a a few early summer runs. The winter fish have been a mixture of colored winter fish with still a few dollar bright fish mixed in. The summer runs of course are just little streamlined silver bullets. Though not numerous at the present time their numbers should just continue to build into the summer.

For both the boaters and the bank fishermen the Blue Creek /Clay Banks/Mission Bar areas have been the place to be.

There are some spring Chinook still being caught at the Barrier Dam as well as some steelhead.

Drano Lake

We have had nothing but very good reports coming out of Drano Lake for the past few weeks. Many of the customers have been getting limits out of the lake on a very regular basis. With the numbers of Chinook going over the dam this fishery should continue for some time. As far as techniques go it has been a little of everything. I would go down with a good variety of gear and start by fishing a little smorgasbord of gear to find what the fish are wanting. Plug cut herring in red or green size has been a mainstay. Trolling plugs such as Brads Wigglers in the magnum size in fluorescent red, red herring bone or fire tiger colors have been very productive at times. The Yakima Bait Co. Mag Lips plugs have also been a real producer in the lake. Trolled prawns behind a spinner blade has also had its times.

For the bank fishermen, try casting magnum Brads Wigglers or Vibrex Spinners to entice these springers.

This fishery is a little bit of a zoo to say the least and you have to keep your cool in the crowded conditions but overall everyone is fairly pleasant and quite tolerant.

Last Razor Clam Dig of Spring Season Set

The last razor clam dig for this spring season is tentatively set. The final decision will be made this next week after marine biotoxin tests are ran to determine if the clams are safe to eat. The last openings are as follows:

Saturday, May 15, 8:15a.m., -1.6 ft.: Long Beach, Twin Harbors, Copalis and Mocrocks
Sunday, May 16, 8:58 a.m. -1.6 ft.: Long Beach an Twin Harbors only

This will be your last chance this spring and summer to dig and eat one of the Northwests finest delicacys.

We have "Lots" of clam digging supplies! Clam Tubes - Clam Guns - Clam Nets - Lisences

Halibut Fishing - Mutiny Bay - Admirality Inlet

We have had good Halibut reports coming in from both Mutiny Bay and Admiralty Inlet the past couple of days. Most of the fish that we have been hearing of are smaller fish in the teens to around forty pounds. We have heard of a few larger fish but they are far from the norm. Most anglers have been sticking in the 120 - 200 foot zones and offering spreader bars baited with herring, octopus or squid. Some have been doing well with B-2 squids fished off spreaders with a little octopus or squid as a teaser.

A couple of the customers have caught boat limits the past couple of days - nothing large but definitely good eaters.

We have had fair reports coming out of the Port Angeles area according to Norm Metzler. He mentioned earlier this week that there was about a fish per boat average on Saturday (Opening Day).

We should see the halibut fishing to continue to be productive through the rest of the season.

Don't forget the Port Angeles Halibut Derby coming up on Memorial Day weekend.

We have tickets on hand!

Lake Michigan Coho caught on Irish Flag Kingfisher 4 Lights

Here's a picture of a couple of Lake Michigan Coho caught this past weekend by Bob Gassman on a Silver Horde Gold Star Irish Flag colored Kingfisher 4 Light spoon. Nice to see that those Lake Michigan salmon have good tastes for our Northwest spoons! Thanks for the photos Bob!

Sitka King Salmon Fishing

The king salmon fishing is starting up north in the Sitka region at the present time. Though the fishing is not exactly red hot there are at least a few kings to be had for those willing to work for them. Here's a picture of a nice feeder king caught this past week by our friend Jim Ferro off the west side Kruzof Island. Fishing should continue to improve through this month and peak in June. If you need any information on the Sitka area just stop by and we can fill you in on the fishing and the charter operations in the area.

New Regulations for 2010-2011 On Hand Now

The new 2010/2011 Fishing Regulations are on had now, we received them this past Friday. Yes, there are a tremendous number of changes. Yes, they are very confusing and many of them are making us scratch our heads as to how to interpret them. Lots of things vertually make no sence at all!

Make sure to stop by and grab a couple of copies and start going through them. You will be amazed!