Spring weather has anglers chomping at the bit to get out on the water. I checked on Moses Lake last week and found that both walleye and bass anglers are out already. They are launching at Blue Heron Park and running all over the lake. The Central Washington Bass Club had a tournament on Moses Lake last Sunday and I am eager to find out how they did. Usually, the lake needs to fill before the fishing really takes off, and I hear that there is a lot of water coming into the lake from Crab Creek. I got a note that the water temperature on Potholes was 39 degrees last week, and fishing is still slow. I did get a good report from my brother Rick on Banks Lake. He said he talked to a guy that limited on Banks a couple of days ago. This gets me excited. I have had some good days on Banks in the early season. I could remember some really good days in late March with Austin Moser and friends. Sure enough, I found a few photos of one of those days. We were fishing the back side of Steamboat and out near the first big rock between there and Barker Flats. We were fishing pretty deep, but the fish were attacking our baits. I hope to get out there real soon.

A friend in Moses Lake told me that there were boats out everywhere on Moses Lake, so I had to take a look. The water level is still very low, in fact the upper end above Connelly Park is almost dry.  However, when I stopped by Blue Heron Park on Wednesday afternoon, there were still at least a half dozen boats in the parking lot. I’ll bet the lot was full that morning. I could see that the center platform in the middle of the boat launch is still high and dry, but lots of people are launching here. Just as I arrived I saw a boat coming in and he stayed long enough for me to ask him how they did.  They were walleye fishing and hadn’t had any luck. He said he fished Potholes the day before and didn’t have any luck there either. He agreed that when the water temperature comes up a bit the bite will come on. Judging by the types of boat trailers I saw in the parking area, there are as many bass anglers as walleye anglers trying their luck on Moses Lake.

My brother Rick had a serious itch to catch a Chinook salmon on Lake Chelan. He and I got a chance to scratch that itch on Tuesday. Rick had organized all the gear we needed, and we put four rods out after launching at Mill Bay and pointing the boat down lake. The rods were spaced at different depths from roughly 200 to 120 feet deep. The hooks were behind dodgers and dressed up with either his special salmon flies that he ties specifically for Lake Chelan or plug cut herring. We ran down to about as far as the Blue Roofs and then turned back up lake, trolling at about 1.8 mph. We hadn’t made it very far when the bell on a rod that was at the 140-foot depth jangled, and the line popped free of the rigger. We both saw the line coming up and knew it was a king. I cleared the other rods and got the net. Soon we had a bright Lake Chelan Chinook next to the boat and I netted it. We both celebrated and shot some photos of the 6-pound fish. This week’s photo is of Rick with the king he landed.

Better mark your calendars for the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge. It’s coming up on April 9th and 10th this year, and you don’t want to miss out on this one. This is the 10th year that the Coulee Dam Chamber of Commerce has invited anglers to come to Coulee Playland at Electric City to fish the tournament. The challenge is to catch one smallmouth bass, one walleye and one trout each day of the two-day tournament. The angler that accomplishes this will win a Pond Prowler fishing boat. There is always lots of cash and prizes awarded at The Challenge, and they pay particular attention to make sure that the kids have a great time. The popularity of this family friendly tournament has grown every year, so go to my website at www.fishingmagician.com and click on the tab on my Home Page to get all the details.

As the weather improves and more and more anglers and boaters are out on the water, particularly the Columbia River, the free app that the Chelan County PUD offers is a great help. It’s called the Currents App and it will give you information on the water levels and flows at Rocky Reach and Rock Island dams. It’s a quick download to your phone and it is free. As the snow comes out of the hills water levels can change dramatically and it’s great to know what to expect when you hit the water. Just go to the Home Page of my website at www.fishingmagician.com and click on Currents tab to find out how to get the free download on your phone.

Here’s another item that you’ll want to check out on my website. It’s the Northern Pike “Catch Kill Report” tab. By clicking on this tab it will open a page that gives you all the information about how you can earn $10.00 per northern pike head that you catch on Lake Roosevelt and turn it in at locations throughout the reservoir. So far these predators are only showing up in Lake Roosevelt. The Colville Tribe has joined forces with other tribes and utilities in the region to try to prevent their spread and keep them out of the Columbia River. On the information page you will find where to catch these fish and where to turn in the heads of those you catch.

Better get your gear ready. Spring fishing is here!