The terrific spring weather we had inspired a lot of fishing last week. I was only able to get out late in the week and was sure glad I did. Nothing like a clear, calm, and warm day on the water to lift your spirits—whether you catch fish or not.

I don’t think I have ever fished Lind Coulee on Potholes Reservoir this early, but the weather has been so nice I just had to get out on the water. I am in the midst of switching from the Kingfisher I have been driving the past two seasons, to a new Smokercraft. My long-time fishing buddies Brian Neilson and James Lebow were willing to go. We met at Brian’s at 8 a.m., launched his boat and ran up Lind Coulee.

We saw a couple of boats fishing the area and asked them how they were doing. The first boat had two guys and a little girl in it, and they were jigging. Turns out the girl, Berklie Truscott, who appeared to be eight or nine years old, was out-fishing her Dad Kirk and his friend. She had three of the four fish they had caught. We all thought that was great. We started trolling a line off the island and stayed in 30 to 40 feet of water. We were trolling Slow Death Hooks with Smile Blades in emerald green or motor oil colors. Brian kept our speed down to point nine. James had the hot rod that day and caught the majority of the walleye. We wound up with six in the live well by 1 o’clock. They ranged in size from 14 to 17 inches. James is shown in this week’s photo.

I wanted to see what I was doing at this time last year and I was surprised to see that there was a big gap in my documents. Then I remembered why. As you may recall COVID 19 had everything shut down. Golf was the first outdoor activity allowed, and soon after we were allowed to go fishing again. One day as I was returning home from the Post Office, I found a banner my neighbor kids made for me. It read: “We Will Fish Again.” I mentioned that I was getting some great comments on the video I posted recently. I wanted to share one of them: “Dave I’m glad to see that you are making videos again, and I WANT and WILL continue to sing your praise. Two years ago, my brother and myself met you at Chelan, you GENEROUSLY tossed me a Kokabow set-up. Y E S! YES! YES! We slayed them; the Orange was the ticket that day. I know your brother sold Shane the SECRET Sauce, B U T... If you decide to start up a New Adventure, and you’re NEVER too OLD... Please consider the name ‘Wenatchee Wizard’ Tight Lines My Friend... ;-).”

As many of you know the fishing for triploid rainbow trout on Rufus Woods Reservoir has been outstanding. I started fishing the net pen area of Rufus last July, and the fishing just got better, and the fish got larger as we fished into the fall and winter. The average size of the trout in the summer was 4 to 6 pounds, and by the fall they were weighing 8 to 10 pounds, with many even larger being landed. I have reminded folks that this great fishery is all due to the releases made by the Colville Tribe. I just got word that the tribe has started making their plants for this year. Last week they put over 1,500 triploids in Rufus Woods, and the average weight of the fish was 5.4 pounds. Toward the end of the month, they plan on releasing nearly 19,000 triploids with an average weight of 1.5 pounds. I hope that anglers practice good ethics about releasing these smaller fish so we can enjoy the kind of fishing we had this season for another couple of years. Many thanks to the Colville Tribe!

The Washington State Parks Boating Program encourages boaters and paddlers to prepare for the upcoming season by taking a safety education course. Developed by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), and produced under a grant administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, the annual Spring Aboard campaign, which runs from March 21 – 27, provides information on how to enroll in a boating safety education course.

Why be certified in boating safety?
For those born after January 1st 1955, it’s the law. In Washington state, boaters who operate a vessel with a 15-horsepower engine (or greater) must be certified and carry a Boater Education Card to prove they passed an accredited boating safety education course.

 Last year, 24 recreational boating fatalities occurred in Washington state. Only one of these fatalities involved an operator who had formal boater safety education. Paddling accounted for 13 of the 24 fatalities.

 “With the rise in fatal accidents among paddlers, marine law enforcement from around the state requires all boaters to take a safety course,” said Matt Stowers, State Parks Marine Law Enforcement Coordinator. “When people take a boating safety course, they learn a variety of skills that can make them better boaters and help keep our waters safer.”
How do boaters get certified?

During the COVID pandemic, boaters have these three options:
1. Instructor-led virtual classroom course.
2. Online self-study.
3. Home study and equivalency exam (recommended for boaters who already have a lot of boating experience).
Each course gives a strong foundational knowledge of boating safety, emergency procedures and navigational rules.
I heard from two friends that had been out fishing earlier in the week. One of them had made the trip to Rufus Woods and was very disappointed. There were boats parked on both sides of the launch road all the way up to the cattleguard. They couldn’t get near the net pens with all the boats down there, and they didn’t get any fish.

My other friend got out on Billy Clapp Reservoir. He had a terrific day catching nice rainbow on Billy Clapp a couple of weeks ago, but things were different this time. They are filling the reservoir and its coming quick. This has the water unsettled and fishing wasn’t as good. It would be a good idea to give this lake a couple of weeks before trying it again.