My wife was surprised when I told her that the plan was to go back to Potholes Reservoir last week. I had just been down there. Sure, there are other opportunities for good fishing in the region, but I wanted to see if we could get a few more walleye. After seeing the size of the bluegill that we were catching, that had my interest. On our last trip we failed to find the crappie that people are catching in very good numbers on Potholes. That would be worth a trip, too.

With the weather forecast being for sunny skies and calm water I just had to make another trip down to Potholes Reservoir. I had a great day with Brian Nielson a few days earlier and this time I added James Lebow and Tom Verschueren to the crew. Our main focus was going to be on walleye, but I also wanted to see if we could get some of the big crappie and bluegill that are being caught there this fall. Brian, James and I agreed, without too much debate, that we should start just east of the mouth of Crab Creek. There are rolling dunes under the water here that attract walleye. We set up our rods with a variety of spinners on Slow Death hooks behind bottom bouncers and started trolling. A willing walleye of about 14 inches came aboard not too long after we got started, and we got another one of about the same size a little later on. Brian and I only got one walleye for our efforts the last time we were on Potholes, so we stuck with the walleye fishing and didn’t really spend any time fishing for crappie and bluegill. We were pestered with those catfish and did get a couple of bluegill and perch and wound up with three walleye for the day. The bluegill and perch we caught were big enough for me to keep. I wanted to see how much meat I would get off one of the big bluegill. They aren’t as easy to fillet as a walleye. I was surprised at the size of the fillet that came from the big bluegill. These are definitely worth the effort to prepare for the pan. Add the fun factor and I think I will just focus on bluegill next time I am on Potholes. I will continue my search for the crappie, too. I plan on throwing in an anchor and one of my throwable markers as well. The photo in this week’s column is of the walleye we caught on our last trip to Potholes.

I was very pleased to see how many people were interested in fishing for bluegill and the slip sinker setup I use when fishing from shore for trout. Bluegill are really good fighters, especially when they are the size of the ones in Potholes Reservoir. There are big bluegill and crappie being caught from the docks at Mar Don Resort, too, if you don’t have a boat to get out on the big reservoir. I should also mention that there are whopper bluegill in both Roses and Wapato Lake near Manson. I put a photo of the different items that are used to put together the slip sinker rig on my Facebook Page and people wanted me to add a photo of the rig put together, and I will do that. It occurred to me that I should also add a photo of the setup I use when I am drop shotting for bluegill and crappie. Look for this photo on my Facebook Page, along with a shot of my Garmin fish finder showing what one of the habitat boxes looks like on the screen when you pass over it with your transducer.

I stopped at a Wenatchee car dealership the other day to pick something up. One of the guys there saw my truck and came over with a question. He had been trying to catch trout from the shore but hadn’t had any luck. “Okay”, I said. “Why don’t you try this: put an egg sinker on your main line and then add a swivel. This will allow the sinker to slide on the line. Then add about three feet of leader and a hook.” I told him that he could use Power Bait on the hook, or, I like to use a plain piece of marshmallow and jarred shrimp. It is also important that he drop this rig into the water before he casts it out, as the whole idea is that the bait floats up off the bottom. I also suggested that he didn’t wind in his line until it was tight. If there is slack in the line it pulls through the sinker and the fish doesn’t feel the weight and drop the bait. If you haven’t tried this slip sinker, slack line method, give it a shot.

I want to also describe a quick and easy way to rig up a hook or a jig to drop shot for bluegill, crappie or perch. I tie a loop in my main line. I can just take a pre-snelled hook, size 8 or 10, and take the loop on the hook, slip the hook through the loop on the hook and pull it tight. Make the loop in your line small and the stiff leader on the pre-snelled hook will help keep it from wrapping around your main line. I often put two hooks, spaced about a foot apart on the main line. Be sure to leave about two feet of your main line below the hooks, because you want to pinch on a sinker or two on the end of your line. If I want to use jigs, I tie them on a short length of stiff leader and tie this to the loop in my main line. I will bait the hooks or jigs with a piece of nightcrawler or the Berkley Gulp minnows. I can easily cast these rigs and walk them back to the boat, when I am locating a school of bluegill or crappie. If I get snagged, the sinkers will pull off the main line and you usually get your hooks or jigs back.

I plan to give the drop shot rig a try at Potholes or maybe Roses soon. I’ll let you know how it worked!