There are a lot more sunny days now as we get into serious spring weather. Of course, what comes with it is wind. Nothing can spoil a day on the water like wind. Still, if you watch the forecasts you can avoid these days. Things are starting to happen with warmer water temperatures, the walleye pre-spawn bite is happening, and fishing can be terrific in some of the trout lakes that are open year-round.

I stopped by Bob Feil Boats and Motors last Saturday and found the Smoker Craft that I will be driving this season is pretty much ready to go. The graphics are on and it is rigged and ready. I will be bringing it home this week to get all my stuff in it. This is the Phantom 20 X2 model that I drove a few years ago. I like the way Smoker Craft builds their boats, with a wide beam and deep gunnels. The deep gunnels make it very comfortable when you are using downriggers and they also have toe holders that really help keep you stable when reaching over the side to retrieve the downrigger ball or netting fish. I think that Smoker Craft is still the only manufacturer that builds this great feature into their boats.

It is powered by a 150 Mercury Pro XS and has a 9.9 Pro XS kicker. On the bow is the Minn Kota Ulterra 112-pound thrust electric motor, powered with 36 volts. There is a Garmin fish finder at the helm and another one in the back of the boat. Something that I didn’t have in the previous 20 2X is a rod holder rail system. I can place the rod holders anywhere I want. I should have this boat ready to fish in time to take my wife and daughter to Lake Chelan to do some kokanee fishing on the weekend. That will be a great shakedown cruise. Man, am I excited about getting this boat out on the water!

Happy April everyone. The biggest fishing weekend of the year is coming up at the end of the month, with the statewide opening of the lowland lakes trout season. There is a lot to do to get ready, and the first thing you want to do is renew your fishing license. Most people get their license at their favorite sporting goods store, while they stock up on tackle. More and more folks are renewing their licenses online. The process is pretty easy now. It helps if you have your old license with your Wild ID number.

You will also want to get your Discover Pass at the same time. You will need this pass to access our State Parks and launch your boat. There are a dozen free days at State Parks throughout the year. There is one on April 22nd to celebrate Earth Day. The free days are in keeping with legislation that created the Discover Pass. The pass costs $30 for an annual pass or $10 for a one-day permit. It is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Discover Pass legislation provided that State Parks could designate up to 12 free days when the pass would not be required to visit state parks. The free days apply only at state parks; the Discover Pass is still required on WDFW and DNR lands.

You will also want to send in your punch card from last season. The information from these cards provides important information for the management of our various fresh and saltwater sport fish to the WDFW. I know many people think they don’t have to send in their cards if they didn’t fish or didn’t have success, but please do.

Here is something for all of you fans of kokanee fishing. When I was on Lake Roosevelt with Alan Greenhalgh and Jim Paine in late February, Alan gave me some new blades and swore me to secrecy. He had come up with ten new colors of his highly effective trolling blades and incorporated highly reflective glitter into the finish. He was still building up his stock to send off to his retail outlets and didn’t want me to mention these new blades until he was able to supply the stores and have them available on his website.

Alan just sent me a note saying I could let the cat out of the bag. You can check out the new blades, called the High Octane series, on his website now, and even place an order for them. Orders have been shipped and should be available in stores very soon. You are going to like the new colors of blades and be impressed with how Alan has incorporated highly reflective glitter into the finish. It’s easy to see the new blades. Just go to my website at www.fishingmagician.com and click on the Kokabow Fishing Tackle ad on the Homepage. Better get some for your next kokanee fishing trip. This week’s photo is of the new High Octane blades.

When I was with Alan in Keller, I took advantage of it to shoot a video with him in the 5th wheel of Jim Paine’s. I pretty much let Alan tell me some things he has learned about kokanee over the years, and I was very impressed. This guy knows kokanee, and I learned a lot. The video I shot is available on the Fishing TV Page of my website. I have received a number of very positive comments from those who have watched it. This is what Steve Pedersen had to say: “One of the best Kokanee talks I have heard in a long while! I will be re-watching this again. Thank you Allan for sharing your insights with us, solid gold info, Thank you!!”

I shipped out my free Spring E-Letter to my subscriber list last weekend. It’s a whopper. I included a lot of maps of Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake, showing the areas that I have had success fishing for walleye on these waters. If you are new to walleye fishing, this E-Letter will be very helpful. Just click on the button on the Homepage of my website to get your free copy.

I am looking forward to getting out on the water in the new Smoker Craft!