My, how time flies. April is right around the corner and with it comes some terrific fishing opportunities throughout the region. I was looking back at some of my photos and videos and things got very busy in April. I have been out walleye fishing a couple of times on Potholes, and there are other waters that should really be good for walleye in April.
April 1st is coming up this week, and some great fishing, particularly for walleye—no foolin’. I hope to have my Spring issue of the FishingMagician E-Letter out by then. I have had some pretty good walleye fishing so far on Potholes Reservoir, and Moses Lake and Banks Lake will turn on very soon. The E-Letter will be dedicated to these waters. There’s an excellent video on the Dave Graybill Channel on You Tube showing pre-spawn walleye fishing that Eric Granstrom and I did with Austin Moser. There are some great tips on walleye fishing in this one.

This is the time to get geared up, so I want to provide subscribers with as much information as possible to be ready for one of the most popular fisheries in Washington State. If you are new to walleye fishing this information should get you started on the right foot. I want everyone to have the best possible time when on the water, and these E-Letters should really help. If you aren’t on the list to get the free E-Letters, go to my website at FishingMagician.com and click on the E-Letter button at the top left hand side of the Home Page.

While I watched the video on pre-spawn walleye fishing on Banks Lake, it reminded me that the action here can get started early. I have been putting off trips to Banks and going to Potholes instead, but I may be missing out. As I recall we were doing a lot of our fishing just past Steamboat Rock and in water that was 40 to 50 feet deep. We were using bottom bouncers of 2 ounces, and a variety of spinners.

This may have been the first trip that I tried the Dutch Fork Custom Lures Turtle Shell spinner in the Blue Tiger pattern. It worked amazing well. It became my favorite on Banks Lake. I fished it on a worm harness, and it worked so well that I even used it on a Slow Death Hook rig. I don’t think I have ever had such immediate success with a lure. It’s still my favorite on Banks. The photo this week was shot on Bank a couple years ago.

Fishing for walleye on Moses Lake is another one of my top choices in the spring. I am usually fishing here when Connelly Park opens, which is April 14th. This is an excellent launch and close to some great spots on Moses Lake. I always hit the flat that is just above the park. It seems that there are always fish on this flat. You just have to find out what depth they are found. Sometimes it may be 10 to 12 feet of water and I remember one day that we nailed them in 8 feet of water.

In the early season I will run up lake and around the corner and troll bottom bouncers in 7 to 9 feet of water all the way up to the very top end of the lake. It gets very shallow at the top end, and the walleye can be feeding along the weed lines in just three feet of water. There is a launch at the top end of the lake. It is narrow and puts your boat in just two or three feet of water. It does have a concrete ramp and there’s a vault toilet here too, but it’s hard to find (off Neppel Road) and not often used by other than a few.

In just a few weeks one of the most unusual and fun fishing events is going to take place. It’s the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge, sponsored by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. What makes this fishing derby different, is that anglers are challenged to catch one smallmouth bass, one walleye and one rainbow trout each day of the two day event. Surprisingly, every year anglers turn in lots of smallmouth, walleye, and rainbow, but they don’t seem to be able to catch all three species two days in a row.     
The grand prize for the event is a four person Achilles inflatable boat with trailer and motor, and this year someone is going to win it. Anglers won’t need to catch the three species each day to get a chance to win it. There will be lots of other prizes for participants to win, for both the adults and youth that enter—and I mean lots. If you would like to get some tips on how to catch all three species, you will want to go to my website at fishingmagician.com and click on the Triple Fish Challenge video on the Fishing TV Page.
A drop in the number of reports of sick or dead birds across Washington and other northwest states means backyard bird feeders can be put up again as of April 1, but with caution. An outbreak of salmonellosis in pine siskins and other songbirds had WDFW asking people with bird feeders and baths to put them away for a few months earlier this winter to discourage wild birds from congregating and potentially passing salmonella bacteria to each other.|

Since WDFW first put out word of the outbreak in early January, reports of sick or dead birds have decreased substantially, but they are still coming in, so we are suggesting that people take their time in returning to their full scale of feeding. We would also like to emphasize that those who live in bear country will want to consider leaving their feeders down as they can attract hungry bears coming out of hibernation this spring. Also please be aware that there is the potential for salmonella to pass to humans through handling of bird feeders, so we ask people to take precautions when filling or cleaning feeders.
An update on the salmonella outbreak situation and WDFW’s recommendations to protect both wild birds and yourself are at https://wdfw.medium.com/frequently-asked-questions-on-salmonellosis-in-wild-birds-cae47b1c13dd.

The Smoker Craft that I will be driving this season is very close to being ready, and I can’t wait to break it in!