We have had some warm weather throughout the region, but it looks like that’s going to change. At our home, there is snow in the forecast for many days later into next week, so be prepared. I think I will plan to fish from shore on Lake Roosevelt to avoid the chance that I will be fishing in snow.

I mentioned in an earlier report that the Colville Tribe had a release of triploid rainbow trout scheduled for some time in February. My contact said there could be as many as 20,000 included in the release. I checked in with Austin Moser, who is fishing Rufus regularly right now, and he said that it has obviously occurred. It is common for the tribe to release fish weighing 1.5 to 1.7 pounds, but Austin said that these fish are more like 2.5 pounds. Now that’s a nice trout, but many anglers are trying for fish much larger. I want to remind folks that the daily limit for trout on Rufus Woods is two fish, and if you are fishing with bait, you must keep every fish you catch, regardless of size. You can find the regulation on the Sport Fishing pamphlet on page 25. I also want to mention that you can have great success fishing with jigs for these fish and would suggest that you use these and pinch the barb, so you can legally release the fish. You may even want to target walleye. You will still get triploids and may add some nice walleye to your catch. This week’s photo is from a trip with Austin on Rufus last year.

I have trolled downstream below the upper net pens many times with a bottom bouncer and spinners for walleye and caught walleye along with triploids. Since there are so many new fish in the system on Rufus, I will use another method. Fishing with my brother Rick and Steve Goodfellow a while back we tried some of the Hyper Glide jigs made by Acme Tackle, and the walleye loved them and we caught trout on them, too. These jigs have a rattle and even “wings” that open up when the jig drops so they actually glide through the water.

Another very effective walleye jig is the Jigging Rap made by Rapala. This jig has wings on the bottom end of the jig so it will also glide through the water. They have a nice weight to them so it’s easier to keep them vertical when drifting.

The first time that I fished with Austin for walleye on Rufus I got the first fish on a blade bait. Then Austin dug out some watermelon colored plastics and put them on a 3/8th ounce jig and that worked great. Last year we used these with a small stinger hook and that seemed to help increase our hook ups. The walleye from Rufus Woods are of exceptional quality, and it is not unusual to release several fish over 22 inches while getting our limits of five each.

I was in Moses Lake last week and the temperature was 50 degrees. On my way home I saw flight after flight of geese passing over. I ran over to Potholes in the area of Lind Coulee and Medicare Beach, and although the ice covered the water it is shrinking away from the shoreline, and I saw a pressure fracture that ran out as far as I could see. It won’t be long until the warm weather and some wind clears the ice off. Spring fishing isn’t here yet, but spring fever is rampant. Last fall the walleye fishing was very good on Potholes, and I have my fingers crossed for good fishing this spring. According to the net surveys conducted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife the highest percentage of walleye should fall in the 12 to 20 inch class and the next highest percentage could be 20 inches and larger. If I remember correctly, last fall my buddy Brian Neilson had limited with walleye that averaged 15 to 16 inches.

Something that is often overlooked is the terrific trout fishing on Potholes. Anglers who target trout, either from the shore or trolling, can expect to catch trout averaging 3 pounds. As soon as the water opens up you can expect to see anglers lining the shore on Medicare Beach, which is on the east side of Potholes. Most people will be casting slip sinker rigs baited with Power Bait or a marshmallow and nightcrawler. Others will be trolling along the west side from the State Park down to Mar Don Resort. Rapalas, either jointed or regular style work well to attract strikes from Potholes rainbow.

Although I wrote about this last week, I wanted to remind readers that long-time outdoor writer for the Yakima Herald, Rob Phillips, has published a four-book fictional series of the adventures of Luke McClain. This fish and game wildlife officer seems to get involved in investigating crimes that lead him outside the bounds of his regular duties, and Phillips does an excellent job of keeping readers glued to the pages of these novels.

When I learned that Rob had published the books, I ordered the first one on Amazon. Before I had even finished the first one, I ordered the other three in the series. These are a very quick read, and I didn’t want to have to wait to get the next one. I am an avid reader and found the Luke McClain character very real and compelling. I have known Rob for years and have to congratulate him on his excellent writing abilities. I would highly recommend that you give these books a read. I think you will be ordering the whole series like I did.

You may be able to meet Rob Phillips at the Central Washington Sportsman Show that starts on Friday, February 24th in Yakima. Rob often does seminars at this show, and you may also find him hanging out with the folks at the Yakima Bait booth.

I will be at the Central Washington Show on Saturday and Sunday. I will be with the crew from Bob Feil Boats and Motors. I like meeting people and talking boats and fishing at this show. So, if you make it there, be sure to look for me and say hi!