I took full advantage of the terrific fall weather and got out on the water a couple of times last week. I spent two days on Potholes Reservoir, and ended the week a great free trout derby at Mountain Springs Lodge, near Plain.

You may recall that I posted a report about a free Trout Derby at Mountain Springs Lodge, hosted by an organization call Family Lines. My wife Eileen and I were curious about how it turned out, so we drove up to the lodge, which is just outside the town of Plain, on Sunday morning. We found a good crowd of young anglers and parents gathered around one of the three ponds on the lodge property. They were busy landing some impressive trout. There was no limit, as this was an opportunity to remove as many trout as possible from the ponds prior to winter. There is a photo of some of the happy anglers in front of Mountain Springs Lodge on the FishingMagician.com Facebook page.

Speaking to Jon Hagedorn and his wife Julie, we learned that the donations that are gathered at this fishing event pays for the stocking of trout into the ponds the following spring. Fishing the ponds is included as part of some of the programs that Family Lines offers to families at their Fly Fishing Academy and through their non-profit organization. Family Lines is dedicated to bringing families together through various aspects of fly fishing. Mountain Springs Lodge provides access to the ponds on their property for use by Family Lines programs. Learn all about them at www.familylinesflyfishing.com.

Ever since my friend Brian Nielson treated me to a great day of walleye fishing on Potholes Reservoir in late September, I have been trying to find time to get back down there. On Tuesday Dennis Beich was able to go and we launched at the State Park. The docks are still in here, and the cleaning station is still functioning. The first thing that Dennis said when we were leaving the ramp was “where’s the net”. Oh boy, not again. I forgot the load the net when I prepping the boat for this trip. This would make things very interesting.

As it turned out, we didn’t need it. We would bring the walleye up close to the back of the boat. Then, Dennis would take the rod and lead the fish right to me where I was kneeling and leaning over the side.  I would reach down and grab the fish by the head and hoist it in the boat. Believe it or not, this worked flawlessly. I plucked six fish of 14 to 21 inches right out of the water. We never lost one. Heck, I might leave the net home more often. Not. We fished from about 9 until 1, as the bite really died about noon. It was a great trip, and I am eager to get back down there.

The walleye fishing has been so good on Potholes Reservoir that I wanted to go again. I had a trip planned already with my friend Brian Nielson for Wednesday. Since I had fished there on Tuesday, he asked me if I really wanted to go again so soon, and I told him, heck yes. Mike Wren joined us, and we launched at Mar Don and headed to an area that he had littered with waypoints that marked spots where he had caught fish earlier. The fish were there and were in a biting mood.

The fish were interested in that sparkly green Smile Blade, rigged on Slow Death hooks again and we steadily landed fish all morning. Talking to other anglers on the water, everyone was getting walleye. Mike Wren had the hot rod and hooked most of the fish. I did contribute but couldn't keep pace with him. Brian was disappointed that we didn’t get any fish over 20 inches, but I was more than happy to keep the 14- to 16-inchers we were getting. We were burning through the worms, and by one o’clock we had 14 walleye in the cooler, and we had released a couple. It’s a great time to fish Potholes! This week’s photo is of Mike Wren, on the left, and me with part of our catch of walleye on Wednesday.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today it will lift its campfire and other remaining fire restrictions on most Department-managed lands. “While wildfire risk remains high in some areas, the risk of large fires is low and the state’s capacity to fight fires is good,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, WDFW’s lands division manager. “We know folks are eager to enjoy the outdoors this fall season, and we continue to encourage people to recreate with extreme caution to help prevent wildfires. This includes using alternatives to campfires such as propane stoves for cooking and fully extinguishing any campfires that do occur.”

A campfire ban remains in place through Oct. 31 at the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area in Adams and Grant counties and at the Klickitat Wildlife Area in Klickitat County due to their drier, more sensitive nature. WDFW institutes campfire bans in hot summer months to reduce fire risk across the state on Department-managed lands and surrounding public lands and communities. These actions help protect habitat, wildlife, and human health.

Outdoor recreationists are encouraged to check fire restrictions for various public land management agencies before they go, as they can vary. For more information about fires and fire prevention on public lands, visit the Washington State Department of Natural Resources website or the U.S. Forest Service website. For local restrictions, residents should contact their county. Maps, and detailed information about WDFW's 33 wildlife areas are available on WDFW’s website. More information about Recreate Responsibly is available at recreateresponsibly.org/.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission decided on the Chelan River rule making and species classifications at its virtual meeting on Friday, Oct. 7. The Commission unanimously decided to maintain a closure of a section of the Chelan River to fishing, with public safety the primary concern.