I ticked off a couple of commitments this week and had a lot of fun doing it. My long-time friend and fishing buddy Buell Hawkins was going to have his grandson in town and wanted me to take him fishing. No problem. We hit Lake Chelan for kokanee. My daughter has also scheduled a visit over here, and she wanted me to take her group of friends out on Chelan.

Sunday was a day of firsts. My daughter Whitney came over from Seattle with her four friends. She had called a few weeks ago about renting a house with her group, and then spend a day fishing with me on Lake Chelan. I was amazed that she found a house available in Manson, but she did and on Sunday her troop met me at the Mill Bay boat launch. Off we went to fish for kokanee.

I had been out on Chelan on Friday, so had an idea where to find the fish. There was a very large pack of boats where I fished on Friday, so we joined them, and I put the gear down. This was the first time anyone in this group had ever fished for anything, so every time it was their turn to take the rod, they landed their first fish ever. See the group at the top of this week’s column.

 Fortunately, the kokanee were cooperating, and everyone got to catch a fish, in fact they caught several each. The action wasn’t fast and furious, but we had a couple of doubles and caught fish at a rate that kept everyone watching the rod tips for the sign of a strike. I didn’t mark the huge schools of fish like I did on Friday. I figure the area had been hit pretty hard and scattered the fish. With a couple of days of lighter pressure, the fish will be easier to find. We caught fish from 100 feet deep and even saw a big school at just 20 feet.

I was trolling my favorite Kokabow Tackle blades and spinners. I had good success with the new High Octane blades, that have highly reflective glitter in the paint. I also caught fish on the Copper Series blades. Orange was a good color for me, for both the blades and spinners or squids.

I had been hearing about kokanee of 14 and even 15 inches being caught on Lake Chelan this year. I am always skeptical until I get a fish and I’m able to put a tape to it. We had two kokanee in our catch that measured 14 inches, and one a solid 15 inches. I am a believer now. Whitney gave up her time on the rod to assist me and do most of the netting and she did a great job, never losing a fish at the net. Man, what a blast!

Buell Hawkins and his grandson Landon met me a Mill Bay on Friday. Buell was the first to sponsor me with a boat. He had added Smoker Craft boats to agricultural equipment that Valley Tractor offered, and he wanted me to drive their boats. Buell and I have fished together many times over the years. He and his son Brad and I had caught salmon below Wells Dam, after starting our day at Omak Lake for Lahontan cutthroat. I took them to Bridgeport and Brad’s son caught his first salmon. Buell caught his first steelhead in Bridgeport while fishing with my Dad and me. He also got a hole in one that week on a local golf course.

When we left the dock, I headed down the lake to where I had spotted a big group of boats. I figured they must be on the fish, so I slid in close to them and dropped the gear. We trolled and trolled and never marked a fish and never got a bite. I had told Landon that I often had good fishing on the other side of the lake, off the Blue Roofs, and he said let’s give it a try.

He was eager to get a fish. He had never been fishing on a boat before and had never landed a fish of any kind. The move paid off. Soon after the gear was out over here I spotted a huge school of kokanee, and we were into fish. We were pretty busy for the next hour or so. Buell said as soon as Landon got his limit we would head in. We had eight and then got a triple!

Before we went to the dock, I did a short video of Landon telling me what he thought of his first trip out fishing on a boat. It is fun to watch and you can do so by going to the Dave Graybill channel on YouTube.

It’s just a week away, and I hope you have registered for the Quincy Valley Chamber’s Northern Pike Minnow Derby that is scheduled for Friday, May 21st through Sunday, May 23rd at Crescent Bar. The goal of the derby is to remove as many northern pike minnows from the Columbia River as possible. This contributes significantly to the survival of the salmon and steelhead smolt that are making their way down the Columbia to the ocean each spring.

Top prize at this year’s derby will be a Polaris Huntsman 4-wheeler and flatbed trailer. The angler who turns in the largest single fish will earn $500.00. There will be other rewards for the longest fish, cumulative weight, and other consolation prizes. I was astonished at the number and value of the prizes handed out at the last derby, so I wouldn’t miss the chance to get in on this one. To get all the details and even register on-line, go to my website at fishingmagician.com and click on the “Something Fishy” logo on the Home Page. You will find maps of Crescent Bar, derby rules and other information on the Quincy Valley Chamber website. I will be at the awards ceremony for the derby, so I hope to see you there.

My next fishing trip is going to be on Moses Lake. I will be fishing with Austin Moser and some of the crew from Bob Feil Boats and Motors. The plan is to catch a bunch of walleye and then switch over to fish for bass. Look for a video on this adventure!