I can’t believe it’s June.  It has been such a cold spring this year that everything on the fishing front is way behind.  Walleye and bass fishing on our big reservoirs is showing signs of just getting started.  Some say we are perhaps a month behind the time when the bass and walleye usually have spawned. I suppose the good news is that there is lots of great fishing ahead of us.

My brother in law Tom Verschueren and I have had some great days this time of year, fishing for smallmouth bass at Crescent Bar.  It has become an annual event.  Although many fisheries have been delayed by our cold spring, we still wanted to give this a try.  We found the water temperature still hovering just below 50 degrees when we launched at the site, completed a couple of years ago, across from the marina by Grant County PUD.  Tom marveled at the amenities here.  The campground and RV park were busy with families.  I mentioned that the channel had been dredged a few years ago.  This allows boaters to access the Columbia River, even when it is at its lowest levels.
I was a little concerned that maybe we had jumped the gun and the smallmouth fishing could still be slow.  However, Tom landed his first fish before we even got to what we considered to be the fishing area.  He continued to catch fish all along the channel inside the island.  Even when the forecast is for a windy day, this channel below the high cliffs and the island is usually calm.  Tom and I have had very good success fishing for smallmouth with Senkos and lizards on Banks Lake, but fishing here is different.  We have found that the best method for catching smallmouth here was trolling crankbaits tight against the rocky shore.  This proved to be effective again.  We also discovered we could catch fish in areas we passed up before.  We will start trolling much earlier in more shallow areas of the channel when we come back.  I never caught up with Tom but helped contribute to our catch of a dozen nice smallmouth.  We have done better here in previous seasons, but we had another great time at Crescent Bar. This week’s photo is of one of the smallmouth we landed on this trip.

My good friend Jim Passage called me a couple of weeks ago, asking me if I would like to join him for a day of fishing at “Back to the Wall”. This is a private lake, stocked with rainbow trout, and managed by Darc Knobel, owner of the Desert Fly Angler Fly Shop in Ephrata.  I had fished here many years ago, when it was known as “Issac’s”, and caught so many fish my hand cramped up and I had to quit.  I cleared my calendar to be sure I wouldn’t miss the chance to fish here again, and to spend the day with Jim.  When we arrived Darc was there to greet us.  I first met Darc when he was at the Blue Dun Fly Shop in Wenatchee.  We did a video on fishing Rocky Ford Creek several years ago, and Darc says he frequently hears about it from folks that stop at the Ephrata store.

We launched Jim’s 14-foot Lund and headed out.  Jim had been here a couple of times already this season, and he had the fishing figured out.  We trolled black-patterned flies on sinking lines and were into fish immediately.  Our flies were getting whacked constantly and we hooked and released a high double digit numbers of rainbow.  I joked that if I hadn’t had a hit in two minutes something must be wrong.  The trout were all very hefty 15 to 17 inches long.  I was glad I made the trip as the spring season is closing.  Darc doesn’t want to stress the fish in warm water.  It will reopen in the fall, when it is cooler.

Some friends called me the other day about fishing at Buffalo Lake.  This is a wonderful place to fish for rainbow trout, triploid rainbow, kokanee, and largemouth bass.  The lake is about 10 miles from Grand Coulee Dam and is on the Colville Indian Reservation.  They realized that they needed to get the proper licenses and permits to fish Buffalo.  While I had them on the phone I talked them through the license process.  First, I said, go on Google and type in Colville Tribal Fish and Wildlife and you will find the website. Under the Mission Statement paragraph click Regulations and Permits.  You will see a link in orange, and that opens the page that has the form for getting your fishing licenses, use permits and launch permits.  You can scroll to the bottom of the page to view the fishing regulations and the fee details.  

Have your driver’s license handy and the license plate number of the vehicle you will be using when fishing on the reservation.  You can buy a fishing license for one to seven days, or an annual, which costs $40.  You must also purchase a Reservation Use Pass.  One day permits are $20 and an annual is $80.  The pass works like a Discover Pass and covers all the passengers in the vehicle. Launch fees are $10 per day, or you can buy an annual pass for $80.  You can also get a two pole permit per day or annually for $12.  Buffalo is just one of the quality lakes on the Colville Reservation.  I have fished here many times over the years.  Another Colville Reservation favorite of mine is Omak Lake, which is loaded with big Lahontan cutthroat. Twin Lakes, near Inchelium, has been popular with trout and largemouth bass anglers for decades.  My wife and I have also spent many days fly fishing on the San Poil River.

I usually spend Memorial Weekend close to home.  After the crowds have headed back home I think I will go to Lake Chelan.  The kokanee fishing is very good there right now, and I will also take the bass gear along.  Smallmouth bass are abundant in Lake Chelan.  I have often started out fishing for kokanee and then switched to casting for smallmouth bass to finish the day.

I suppose the good news about the cold spring is that there are lots of good fishing days ahead for walleye and bass.  See you out there!