I could have an epic January. For the past six years I have been on the road attending Commission meetings, boat shows and sport shows and had little time to get out on the water. The Boat Show is going “virtual” this year, and the Puyallup show has been postponed until March. The other shows in Eastern Washington are still undecided.

The fishing for triploid rainbow at Rufus Woods has been so outstanding this year that fewer people are on Lake Roosevelt looking for those giant kokanee. Catches of whopper triploids weighing 8 to 10 pounds, and even much larger, continue to be taken at the net pens at the upper end of the reservoir. 

Another reason that Roosevelt hasn’t got the attention it usually gets this time of year is that the lake level hasn’t been dropping. We are all hoping that this year’s change in level will follow the trends in 2019 and 2020. The lake will start dropping right about now and really go down over the next few months. It will drop sharply through May and about mid to late June, it will start filling dramatically. 

This seems to be what happened four years ago when the fishing for giant kokanee was red hot. We really got onto the fish in February and it continued to be excellent, even into June. I remember a day with Austin Moser when we got limits trolling in Swawilla Basin in June. I should note that by then we had switched from fishing right on top to as deep as 25 feet. Also, although the lake level is way, way down, the boat launches at Keller and Spring Canyon can be used. There are temporary floating docks for launching.

This week’s photo is of the launch at Keller taken last year on March 31st.

It’s the time of year when all the sportsmen’s shows and the Seattle Boat Show take place, but as you are aware, these are challenging times for events such as these, so things will be different. In a bold move, the Seattle Boat Show has gone virtual this year. It is scheduled for January 28th through the 31st and the show will be presented online. There are already over 700 exhibitors downloading their products for viewing during the show, and you can buy a ticket to view them. Also available online are the seminars that are usually presented during the show. Austin Moser and I both recorded seminars via Zoom last week and they, along with about 100 hours of seminars, can be viewed during the Boat Show dates. The show is still coming together and there are really cool features that will make it worth going to the show from the comfort of your home. Ticket sales for the virtual Boat Show have been brisk. People from 40 states and provinces have already purchased tickets to view the products and seminars online. There are several options to “get into the show”, and you can get access for as little as five bucks. 

I got a chance to speak with George Harris, who heads up the Marine Trade Association, that puts on the annual Seattle Boat Show. I learned that they didn’t make the final decision to go “virtual” with the Boat Show until November 3rd. This just makes what they have accomplished even more impressive.

He told me that over 700 exhibitors have downloaded over 6,000 images to make the show “come alive” on your computer. One of the biggest surprises was the kind of tickets that people are buying. Over 30 percent of the tickets sold are at the top tier of the price range. He thinks that the ability to re-watch the seminars is the biggest reason. No other boat show in the nation has as many seminars as the Seattle show, and these are the biggest “hook” to view the show. He said that the managers of the other boat shows are envious that there is such a large roster of seminars. 

Of course, in addition to the seminars people who “attend” the Boat Show will be getting the first look at the new models of many boats of all makes and sizes. I did a preview and I can assure you the virtual Seattle Boat Show is worth the price of admission.

Well, I finally got it done. It took me longer than usual to get my Winter fishing E-Letter out, but it has been distributed to my subscribers. It’s free and I have close to 2,000 people on my list. I have received a lot of new subscribers for this one, as I announced that it would be dedicated to the two really hot fisheries this winter, namely Lake Roosevelt and Rufus Woods Reservoir. 

The appearance of very good numbers of giant kokanee already this season has anglers very excited. Big kokanee, and I mean fish measuring 18 to 24 inches and weighing several pounds, attracts people from throughout Washington and beyond. This should keep trollers busy on Lake Roosevelt from now through spring. I have never seen the number of 10-plus pound triploid rainbow being taken consistently than this season on Rufus Woods Reservoir. I started fishing Rufus last summer and, when we started, the fish averaged 4 to 6 pounds. By fall they were 6 to 8 pounds, and now they are at times tipping the scales over 10 pounds. 

In the free Winter E-Letter I describe in detail how to fish Lake Roosevelt for kokanee and Rufus Woods for triploids. You can get your free copy by logging onto www.fishingmagician.com and clicking on the E-Letter button at the top left hand side of the Home Page.

I have received a lot of e-mails from those who have already received the E-Letter thanking me for all the detailed information. One person said it was the best one yet. I guess after doing 52 of them over the past ten years, I am pleased that the information is still valued by subscribers.
Boy, am I excited. I am going to fish Lake Chelan for kokanee with my buddy Kirt Middleton, who is guiding on the lake now. I have fished with him on Lake Roosevelt many times and am really looking forward to getting out on the water with him. Look for the details on how we do on my website, Facebook and listen to the radio reports.