I had a wonderful week on and off the water. It started with an outing on Lake Chelan and ended with a trip to Rufus Woods Reservoir and Banks Lake. Last Sunday was a very busy day and loaded with fun.

Boy, did I have a terrific Sunday. I had just finished loading my truck with my bank fishing gear to fish Rufus Woods from the shore Sunday morning. I was going to fish here before heading for the weigh in at the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge. Then my phone rang. It was Austin Moser, who wanted to plan a trip to fish Rufus Woods later this month. I told him about my plan for Sunday, and he said he had room for me on his boat, so I unloaded my gear, packed on overnight bag, and headed for Coulee Dam. I met Austin and his three clients the next morning at the Net Pens Boat Launch. We headed up the river to an area across from the upper net pens. The day started out very slow. I got a fish on my first cast, so I thought fishing would be hot. But there was no current and, even worse, an upriver wind began to blow. With amazing boat handling skill Austin got us onto fish and we got four limits of walleye—even releasing at least four big fish. It was incredible. This week’s photo is of Austin with one of the fish he released. Then I joined the crowd at the Triple Fish Challenge in time for the awards and I got to see the Coulee Dam Chamber hand out a ton of prizes, paying particular attention to the youngsters that participated. It was great to see some new sponsors at the event. This community really helps make the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge something special for all the families that turn out. My hats off to the organizers who worked so hard to make this a quality event. What a great day!

I had been watching the weather all week. My wife Eileen wanted to go fishing and last Thursday looked like the day that we could get out on the water without having to battle the wind. It had been weeks since we were on Lake Chelan, so that’s where we went. We launched at the State Park and ran up above the Yacht Club. Here we saw a bunch of boats trolling for kokanee. First we lost a fish to a broken release, but then landed a double. I was having a hard time finding any schools of fish and could only pick up a fish now and then. I did talk to a couple in one boat that had stared in the lower basin at first light and had nine kokanee, but when they came up to the area we were fishing, they only got three more. One angler stopped by to say hi and how much he enjoyed my reports. He told me he and his wife had a great day. His neighbor had given him some kind of kokanee lure, so they decided to run up to Chelan and give it a try. Turns out they got nine kokanee, a lake trout and a 6 to 8 pound king, all on the same lure. You bet they had a great day!

If you read my column in last week’s Exchange newspaper you know that the Spring issue of my free E-Letter has been sent out. I dedicated this issue of the E-Letter to all those who are fishing from the shore. There are several tips and tricks described in this issue, along with lots of photos. These should help make those trips to your favorite lakes more successful. Often I am providing information for those of us who are fortunate enough to have a boat as a fishing platform, and I don’t spend enough time trying to help that vast majority of folks that are doing what I did for so many years--fishing from shore. I have many wonderful memories of doing this, and as you will see in the E-Letter, I still spend time fishing from shore myself. If you live in the Wenatchee area you don’t have to wait for the opening of the trout season to get the kids out to do some fishing from the shore. The annual Kids Fishing Day at the juvenile-only Pit Pond on Rock Island is coming up on Saturday, April 16th. This event has been going on for over 20 years! Volunteers from the community of Rock Island still provide a free barbeque and soft drinks, and the Wenatchee Sportsman’s Association is on hand with fishing gear to make sure all the kids have tackle and bait. This all happens at the Pit Pond, which is a juvenile-only lake, so it’s for the youngsters. Come on down and join the fun!

I want to remind everyone that Bob Feil Boats and Motors is back providing free seminars. The first one will be on walleye fishing with Austin Moser. Yup, the same guy I fished with last Sunday on Rufus Woods. He will share his proven techniques for catching walleye on all the popular waters here in Central Washington. Gary Feil will also be talking about fishing electronics. Gary is the go-to guy when you are trying to decide which fish finder is right for what you do and is great at troubleshooting when you are having issues with your unit. This seminar will be at the dealership in East Wenatchee on Thursday, April 21st, starting at 6 p.m.

Judging by the number of walleye, smallmouth bass and big rainbow turned in at the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge I would say that spring fishing is off and running on Banks. The pre-spawn bite will be happening at Moses Lake and Potholes Reservoir very soon, too. Oh boy!