Happy New Year everyone! Off we go into 2020. I will be touching on some great fishing prospects in the region that can be enjoyed right now, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to talk about some of the great fisheries that we had last year. Many of these can be counted on for the new year.

Like everyone else I have been busy with holiday activities, but I managed to sneak away to Lake Roosevelt to spend a couple of hours fishing for rainbow trout. I have had very good success casting from the shore at a spot below the swimming area at the park at Spring Canyon, toward Grand Coulee Dam.

I set up two spinning rods on holders that I pushed into the sand next to the water. On each rod I had a slip sinker set up with a three- to four-foot fluorocarbon leader and single size 4, red octopus hook. Each hook was baited with a chunk of marshmallow (to float it off the bottom) and a Guides Choice brand coon shrimp with the head removed. I also gave the bait a good dose of Graybills Guide Formula craw-anise scent before I cast it out as far out as possible.

After waiting an hour without a bite, I was considering packing up my gear and driving up to Keller, about 18 miles up the reservoir to try my luck there. One of my rods started bouncing and the result was a nice 16-inch rainbow. I rebaited both rigs and instead of throwing them as far as possible, the baits were placed half the distance as before. Nothing happened for almost another hour, even though I freshened the baits a couple of times. Then I got an 18-inch rainbow to the bank and not long after a 19-incher.

I wanted to stop by and spend some time with Peggy Nevismal at the Coulee Dam Chamber of Commerce before I headed for home, so I put my gear away at about 12:30 and headed for town. The photo in this week’s column is of the three rainbow I landed near Spring Canyon.

When I filleted the trout I was very pleased to see that they had the deep red meat that I expect from Lake Roosevelt rainbow. These are all triploids and were full of the daphnia that they feed on through the winter. These tiny phytoplankton are abundant in Lake Roosevelt and are the primary source of food for both the rainbow and kokanee. They are an excellent source of protein and also contribute to the deep red color of meat.

I am sure that a five-fish limit of rainbow could have been taken if I had more time. Actually, I have taken limits of rainbow from this same spot in the past in less than two hours. If you are looking for an easy place to fish with the possibility of a limit of rainbow that run from 16 to 20 inches, this would be a great choice. I have taken rainbow measuring to 22 inches from this spot on Lake Roosevelt in the winter in the past.

If you want to take advantage of having family and friends home for the holidays, and get out and do some fishing, I have some suggestions. Rufus Woods is always a good choice this time of year. You can take some wood and build a fire at the public accesses above Chief Joseph Dam, and fish from shore. Another good spot to do the same is at Brandts Landing. You could also launch above Chief Joseph and try fishing along the can line or put in at Seatons Grove to run down and fish the net pens. Another place to look for big rainbow is on Potholes Reservoir. Anglers cast bait from the shore at Medicare Beach, on the east side, or from the public access sites along Lind Coulee.

When I was at Hooked on Toys the other day visiting with my brother Rick, someone came up to me to say hi. Turns out he was one of the anglers that showed up just as I was leaving Brandts Landing. Tom Verschueren and I had fished for three hours without a bite. He was happy to show me a photo of three whopper rainbow he and his buddy had caught after we left! Who knows? If Tom and I had stuck it out a little longer we may have landed some big trout ourselves. Durn. I also want to mention that the same person showed me a photo of a catch that he had made from the shore at Medicare Beach on Potholes Reservoir. Some of the trout weighed 4 pounds! He said the anglers trolling from boats off this shoreline were landing some dandy trout, too.

The best way to get to Medicare Beach is to approach it by taking Highway 17 south from Moses Lake. Then turn onto Road M. There is a right turn at the top of the hill just before you get to the Lind Coulee boat launch. A gravel road to the left takes you down to the Medicare East public access area. There are lots of places to set up on the beach here to cast bait for the big rainbow that cruise the shoreline this time of year.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the 27th Annual Sportsman’s Show in Tri-Cities. It’s coming up on January 17th through the 19th. It is at the same place it has been held for years. Formerly known as the TRAC it is now named the HAPO Center in Pasco. I will be reminding you of this show and the others coming up in the next couple of months. For many who can’t get out fishing, this is a great way to enjoy our sport while waiting for better weather.

Winter weather isn’t keeping some anglers off the water. The fishing for big kokanee on Lake Roosevelt is going better than it has for the past couple of seasons. Big kokanee will get people out even when condition are nasty. I have plans to get out with my buddy Austin Moser to see if we can get some of them very soon. I am pretty confident we will be able to get some kokanee, and some of these big rainbow, too.