It wasn’t quite like Memorial Day Weekends of the past, but there was a significant increase in traffic through Leavenworth last weekend as folks headed off to their favorite lakes, trails or climbing areas. It was nice that the weather cooperated too. I was busy with my work with the WDFW Commission and didn’t get out in the field, but I did learn some good things to share.

My brother Rick and my cousin Greg Preston spent a couple of days on Banks Lake and gave me a full report. This was the first really thorough report I have received on the walleye fishing at Banks and it was good news. The first day they fished in Devils Punchbowl and got a bunch. They were trolling spinners in 12 to 14 feet of water, just off the weed line in there.

The weather wasn’t doing them any favors while they were at Banks. There was a two-foot chop on the water and the fish had moved out of Devils Punchbowl. After one pass in there, they ran over to Barker Flats. Rick said he had to run the kicker in reverse to maintain a 1.5 mph trolling speed, but it was worth it. Once again the fish were in 12 to 14 feet of water. The walleye were biting very aggressively and they had a bunch of doubles. They had their two limits by noon.

It is not uncommon to have the walleye move on you, and they did the next day. Rick and Greg did find fish on the sand flats between Steamboat and Poplar and once again they were mostly in about 12 to 14 feet of water, but they did get some as deep as 25 feet. My brother Rick was pulling a spinner he builds for Banks Lake that has a Colorado blade with blue and pink beads and Greg was using a chartreuse green Colorado spinner with green blades. In spite of the wind and chop, the walleye were biting aggressively and they had their two limits by 2 o’clock. The walleye averaged 16 inches.

I just got word that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has kicked off the Statewide Trout Derby. The program offers trout anglers the chance at winning prizes that total over $40,000. Tagged trout have been planted in over 100 lakes across the state and when one of these fish is caught the tag will give the lucky angler a web address to see the value of the prize and where to claim it. The website that lists the tag numbers and prizes won’t be available until after June 1st, but the fish are in the lakes now.

If you catch a tagged trout, hang onto the tag. This program started three years ago and has been very popular with the state’s anglers. Most years around 50 percent of the prizes have been claimed. A way anglers can earn some cash for their fishing efforts is with the Colville Tribe’s Northern Pike Rewards Program. To help keep northern pike numbers down on Lake Roosevelt the tribe is paying $10.00 for each pike head turned into the collection sites all along the reservoir. Also, Colville Tribal waters that allow fishing to non-tribal members are scheduled to open at midnight on May 29th.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced that there will be a season on white sturgeon on Lake Roosevelt again this year, starting on June 15th. It will be open from Grand Coulee Dam to China Bend Boat Ramp (including the Spokane River from Highway 25 Bridge upstream to 400' below Little Falls Dam, Colville River upstream to Meyers Falls Dam and the Kettle River upstream to Barstow Bridge).

The daily limit will be one sturgeon. The annual limit is two sturgeon. It is legal to retain sturgeon between 50 inches and 63 inches fork length. Fork length is measured from the tip of the snout to middle of the fork in the caudal fin (tail). All harvested sturgeon must be recorded on a Catch Record Card (Catch Code 549). Two-pole fishing is allowed. It is closed to night fishing. Anglers may continue to catch and release after obtaining a daily limit but must cease fishing after the annual limit has been taken. All other statewide rules for white sturgeon must be observed.

Anglers are asked to use heavy gear (50-lb. test mainline and leader at a minimum) and use 14/0 hooks or smaller to avoid catching and/or injuring large wild adult sturgeon. The request to use heavier gear will ensure anglers hook and land sturgeon effectively, but also is protective of large wild adult sturgeon that, if hooked, should be played to hand quickly and released without being removed from the water. WDFW recommends that any fish that will not be legally retained should not be removed from the water prior to release.

White Sturgeon hatchery programs began in 2001 in British Columbia (BC) and 2004 in Washington. Stocking ranged from 2,000-12,000 juvenile sturgeon per year from 2001 to 2010 (including both Washington and BC releases). Survival of hatchery-produced juvenile sturgeon was much higher than anticipated. As a result, there is a surplus of hatchery-origin sturgeon available for harvest from Lake Roosevelt.

The Lake Roosevelt co-managers (WDFW, Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) will all be conducting sturgeon fisheries. Non-tribal anglers are asked to be respectful of tribal angling, and both tribal and non-tribal sturgeon research that is occurring on the reservoir.

I sure want to get up to Banks Lake. I haven’t been able to get there yet this year. I remember a day in June a couple of years ago when I took my daughter Whitney to Banks. We had just arrived in Devils Punchbowl when my phone rang. A friend saw me go by on the highway and called to say that the fishing was darn slow. I put the gear out anyway, and before I got the second rod out I heard some commotion. My daughter was struggling with the first rod, which had a serious bend in it. We finally got the fish to the net and Wow—it was a 30-inch walleye! It’s all about being in the right place at the right time with walleye. Her photo is in this week’s column.

Banks Lake and Lake Chelan are on my list of places I want to fish next week. Maybe I will see you on the water.