You’ve got to love this weather. Mid 40s in February? I like it. I am going to get my boat ready and take advantage of the mild winter and get out on the water. Where to go first is the question. There are a bunch of good options, and I can’t wait to try a few. Until then, I explored some of the bank fishing opportunities in the region.

I decided to check out Billy Clapp Lake instead of fishing in the rain the other day. I know people were fishing from the shore there. This reservoir is drawn down in the winter, and the water is quite a distance from the end of the boat ramp. The trout fishing in the winter can be so good at Billy Clapp that people will drive across the sand and launch small boats. When I arrived, I spotted an angler parked at the water’s edge with a couple of rods out, so I drove down to see how he was doing. He had only got one bite, but he saw a huge rainbow swim by right next to shore. So, he knew there were some big ones out there. Billy Clapp seems to have two distinct populations of trout. In the spring we catch rainbow that are about 14 to 16 inches, which are probably the result of the previous year’s plant. Then there are carryovers that weigh from 3 to 5 pounds. Sometimes there are quite a few of them.

I was headed up to Coulee Dam to check on some of the fishing and was curious to see if there were still any ice fishermen out at the bottom end of the lake. I was relieved to see there were no ice shacks out there, and I didn’t see any sign of recent activity. If you are familiar with the fraternity of anglers that like to fish for whitefish on Banks, you know these guys will be looking for another way to get at them. I turned into the Northrup boat launch to see if the ice had cleared off. I found a thin sheen of ice at the ramp and about 30 feet out a band of what appeared to be just slush. The wind had come up and it wasn’t going to be cold enough to freeze that evening, so I figured it wouldn’t last long. I stopped by there again on my way home the next day and all that was left was a bunch of slush. You can bet that there will be people launching boats here very soon. The ice is off the north end, and I saw one boat out there.

I spent the evening in Coulee Dam recently, at the Grand Coulee Center Lodge. This is a great place to stay. I booked my room and got a call back in about five minutes. The person at the desk forgot to ask me if I was bringing a boat. They always save space for boaters in the parking area, and you can charge your boat mount electric motor overnight. When I checked in at the front desk the person there told me a guest said he landed a 23-pound triploid earlier in the week and went back out and got a 26-pounder the next day! So, off I went to the middle net pens the next morning. There were two anglers fishing from the shore when I arrived, and I set up just up the shore from them. I cast out two rods, baited with Power Bait and waited for some action. I didn’t see any fish rolling until I was there about an hour. Then one jumped right in front of me. Turned out he was on my line and threw the hook! It was raining hard by then, so I headed for home.

I had plans to do some fishing from shore at a couple of different locations this last week. This is something I often do in the winter months when my boat is covered up and out of service. Over the years I have refined the equipment I need for a day of shore fishing and it all fits in a backpack. I keep it handy and before I head out I just grab this bag and go. Inside is a foam leader holder with several pre-tied leaders. When I break off they are ready to be tied on. In a small box I have egg sinkers and barrel swivels. Also, there are several rod holders and jars of Power Bait. I also have a bag of marshmallows in case I want to use jarred shrimp or nightcrawlers. Also included in the “go bag” for a day of shore fishing are rags and fillet knives. There are gallon zip lock bags for fish. All I need now is to grab a couple of spinning rods. Now I am ready to go! This week’s photo is of a nice rainbow caught at Crescent Beach at Coulee Dam.

I’ve made a couple of trips to Rocky Ford recently, and my wife reminded me of one of our favorite experiences there. We were fishing at the bottom end where there are some pools. I had hooked a fish that ran upstream, around a rock and broke me off. I sat down to tie a new rig, and when I looked up I noticed that my indicator, that was still attached to the leader, was moving around in the pool. Huh, I thought maybe I can retrieve it. I dug out the largest Wooly Bugger in my box and tied it on. I made a couple of casts over the old leader and the hook slid up to the indicator. The fish was still on, and I managed to pull it in, release it and get my fly back. My wife Eileen was as amazed as I was, and probably wouldn’t have believed it if she wasn’t there. On my last trip to the Ford, I wasn’t as lucky. I wasn’t getting any interest in my scud and indicator. I found an Egg Pattern that Darc at the Desert Fly Angler Shop had tied up for me and it worked, I finally got a bite!

The rainbow fishing on Lake Roosevelt has been terrific this winter. This may be the first place to try when I have the Smoker Craft ready to go.