I just barely beat the storm to get my boat moved from Leavenworth to its place to wait out winter till the spring. I will be doing a lot of fishing from the shore or getting rides from friends until things thaw out. I have a pretty good list of things to do this winter, so let the fun begin!

Checking back on my photos taken a year ago, I found one that was taken at the middle net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir. It showed Austin Moser and Randy Sykes, on Austin’s boat on his first trip to Rufus last year. Austin will often invite me on exploratory missions, and he wanted to see if the fishing for triploids was good enough to book some trips. Yup, we caught some really nice fish. He had Randy and I try a couple of things, like fishing bait on the bottom, but what worked the best was casting olive-colored jigs. The fish loved them, and we were able to get our limits pretty quickly when we switched to this method. Austin booked a bunch of trips to Rufus last season and caught some real monsters. He had a great time catching walleye on Rufus, too.

Thanks to Austin, Eric Granstrom, Rollie Schmitten, and I caught our triploids on olive jigs on Rufus Woods at the middle net pens last April. It was amazing that the huge triploid that Eric landed was taken on an 1/8th ounce jig. I know that casting jigs along the shore is one of my brother Rick’s favorite ways to catch triploids on Rufus. Not only is it effective and fun, but anglers can also release the smaller fish. When using bait all fish landed count toward your limit, whether kept or not. I hope I can get up to Rufus soon. This week’s photo is of Austin and Randy Sykes with the first limit of triploids take from Austin’s boat last December.

I had a great conversation with Jill Phillips, with the Colville Tribe’s Fish and Wildlife Department. I had left a message asking if she knew where all the small trout that were being caught in Rufus Woods were coming from. She said the tribe hadn’t released any fish for months and she doubted they came from the commercial net pens on Rufus. Most likely they were coming downstream from Lake Roosevelt. They may have released rainbow from some of the net pens they operate up there.

She did say that there would be a release of bigger trout by the Colville Tribe sometime in February. These should be 4 to 5 pounds and they will be put in at Seatons Grove and above Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport. This should give anglers something to look forward to this winter. Also, she said they plan on releasing the same number of triploids into Rufus Woods as usual next year, which is 45 to 50 thousand fish.

I mentioned my great trips to Omak Lake this year, and she told me a fish that could have been the new state record was taken there last spring. Going by the length and girth measurement provided by the lucky angler, the Lahontan cutthroat probably weighed over 18 pounds, and would have beat the current record. It was taken during the catch and release part of the fishing season on Omak Lake, so the fish was released and didn’t make it to a certified scale.

The weather in Leavenworth has been awful. We got buried in snow and the forecast is for rain. So, my first project is to get all the snow and water off the cover of my boat, and make sure it is drained. My next project is to load my smoker with a new batch of sockeye. We have family from Anaconda, Montana here, and I want to send them home with some smoked sockeye. I also want to make up some of my salmon spread to enjoy while they are here.

I used to just hand out chunks of smoked fish, and then I started making the salmon spread. People love it so I make sure my family members get some for the Holidays. It’s very simple to make. All you need, aside from the smoked fish, is some cream cheese and dill. I crumble up the fish, and here’s an important trick. I put the cream cheese in the microwave for three minutes, then it is very easy to mix with the fish and dill. I put it into those 9.5 ounce containers after they have cooled, and into the fridge. You can microwave the containers for a minute before serving to make the mixture more “spreadable”.

Right after the Holidays the annual RV, boat and sportsmen’s shows begin. These shows are very popular, as everything that is new for the coming year is on display, and there are usually “show special” pricing available to those who attend. In Washington State, they begin with the Tacoma RV Show, that takes place at the Tacoma Dome on January 18th through the 21st. This is followed by Tri-Cities Sportsmen Show at the HAPO Center in Pasco. It starts on January 26th and runs through the 28th. The biggest sportsman’s show in the state is the Washington Sportsmen’s Show. It is held at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. It begins on January 31st and stays open through February 4th. Overlapping with the show in Puyallup is the Seattle Boat Show. It’s scheduled from February 2nd through the 10th. The main show is at Lumen Field Event Center and Bell Harbor Marina.

There is a lot going on at all of these shows and I will provide you with more information as the opening dates get closer. I have attended most of these shows and have enjoyed them all. When I am not on the “show circuit” I will be out chasing kokanee on Lake Chelan, big trout on Rufus Woods and Lake Roosevelt and when the area lakes freeze, trying my luck for a variety of species through the ice!