I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  As we approach New Year’s Day we have extremely cold temperatures forecasted throughout the region.  Although this may keep me indoors through the coming week, there is a silver lining.  Many of the lakes in our region will be forming thick layers of ice and we’ll be ice fishing very soon.

I have made several trips to the middle net pens on Rufus Woods already this winter, and usually have had great success.  On my most recent trip I met Nolan Adolph, who is with the Colville Tribe’s Parks and Recreation Department.  He manages, among other things, the RV Park and Campground at the middle pens.  I learned a few things that will be of interest to anglers who have planned to visit this site.  First of all, the RV hook ups will have power and water throughout the winter season.  The tribal web site mentions that there may not be these services available, but Nolan told me that they are working. 

Also, the tribal web site indicates that the Access Pass that is required to use this site says that it is an annual pass and would expire in April.  However, knowing that Rufus Woods is so popular in the winter, this has been changed.  The annual Access Pass is good for 12 months from the date of purchase.  This is good news for those who have been on the fence about getting the Access Pass and using the RV Park and Campground and the excellent launch.   There is a $10.00 launch fee to put your boat in the water here and can be obtained on-line.

Nolan saw my post on my Facebook page, and he added this comment: “Thanks buddy also don’t get forget I can be contacted using phone the number at the kiosk for anyone that wants to purchase an annual permit through me or ANY resource officer ON site also has a book you can purchase from. Thanks and good luck out there guys.”

The middle net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir has been my go-to spot for great fishing for big trout so far this winter.  There are many other places I like to fish in the winter, and will be trying later on, but fishing has been excellent here and should be throughout the winter months.  On one of the most recent trips, I took the time to shoot a short video of our experience.  It should give people an idea of what to expect if they plan a similar trip.   This week’s photo shows my crew from my last trip to the net pens.

You can watch the video, which is posted on the Dave Graybill YouTube channel, or you can follow this link and pull it up on your computer or phone:  https://youtu.be/b9Ki2n7TXHg.  I suggest that you go to the YouTube channel, as there is some important information found in the description of the video. I explain the various permits that are required to fish from the Colville RV Park and Campground or launch your boat here.  

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced the reopening of park retreat centers beginning in spring 2022. On Jan. 3 at 7 a.m., parks will begin accepting retreat center reservations for the 2022 Memorial Day weekend and beyond. 

The retreat centers have been closed since March of 2020 due to COVID-19. Facilities plan to officially reopen on May 27, 2022. All 2022 reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservation requests will be accepted by email only using the Reservation Request Form and will not be accepted prior to Jan. 3 at 7 a.m. 

The retreat centers were established as youth camps in the 1950’s for student outdoor educational activities. Today, youth groups, schools, families, businesses, and other groups find these accommodations in a natural environment a great way to gather. 

As member of the Mercury Motors Pro Staff program, I get frequent messages from Mercury.  The most recent one got my attention and thought that I should share the link so you can receive these informative messages via your e-mail.  The Dockline Blog comes out monthly. This issue has several interesting articles, including: “How to Measure Fish” and the “Pre-Tow Checklist for Hauling Your Boat”.  The information is worth reading or printing for future review.  To check out the Mercury Motors Dockline Blog just log onto: www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/dockline/.

One of the most popular pages on the Fishing Magician website is the Product Review Page.  Here visitors can find products that I think that anglers will find useful and recommend that they try them.  I recently made a couple of additions to that page.  One is the Minnow Fin made by Uncle Norm’s Marine Products in Pasco Washington.  The Minnow Fin significantly improves the performance of Minn Kota bow mount electric motors.  I found that this device made more of a difference in how my Minn Kota worked than I had anticipated.  If you have a Minn Kota you’ll want to mount one of these on the motor.  You can find them on-line at http://www.unclenormsmarineproducts.com/, or you can find them in East Wenatchee at Bob Feil Boats and Motors.

The other review will be of particular interest as we get closer to ice fishing season here in Central Washington.  When I was doing some research on ice fishing, which I often do prior to the season, I found that many of the videos I saw showed the use of kokanee dodgers for ice fishing, especially where kokanee inhabit lakes.  I asked Alan Greenhalgh, owner of Kokabow Fishing Tackle about this, and he told me of a couple of places in Idaho that frequently sell out of his blades in the winter.  He mostly fills orders for his smaller blades, but in the videos I found, even the larger blades are being used.  The blades are typically rigged with a Swedish Pimple or an ice fishing jig to catch kokanee through the ice.  I can’t wait to try this method myself.  Some of the lakes in our region that have good populations of kokanee and are open to fishing in the winter are Patterson Lake, near Winthrop, Palmer Lake near Loomis and Bonaparte Lake near Tonasket.

With really cold temperatures expected, I made a purchase of pocket warmers, toe warms and body warmers.  I have the batteries for my heated jacket and socks fully charged, too, so I am ready to go!