I had a spectacular three days of fishing last week. I got up to Omak Lake to fish for big Lahontan cutthroat on two of these days and finished the week getting limits of walleye on Potholes Reservoir. Fall fishing in North Central Washington is the best!

Thanks to my good friend Brian Nielson, I had the best day of walleye fishing this season. We fished Potholes last Thursday. The weather couldn’t have been better. It was another clear and calm day, which are going to be more scarce in the coming week. We launched at Mar Don and ran out to where his fish finder is littered with marks from previous trips he made with clients for his BJ’s Guide Service. We followed what he calls his trapline and the fish finder was full of good walleye marks most of the way. We had six nice fish in the live well in the first hour, and steadily added to our catch.

We were both trolling sparkly green Smile Blades on Slow Death hooks, with two ounce bottom bouncers. He kept our speed at point nine, and we would creep over the rolling dunes, with the depth varying from 15 to 38 feet. The best depths were about 20 to 30 feet. One time a fish crossed our lines, and while Brian was sorting that out I got a bite on the line still out in the water. I felt a bite, jerked, and brought a nice fish in by hand. We had our limit of 16 fish by 12:30. This week’s photo is of me with the 21-incher.

I have wanted to introduce the terrific fishing for Lahontan cutthroat on Omak Lake to my friend Jim Passage for years. We finally got our schedules together that week and planned a two-day trip to this big lake on the Colville Reservation. We launched and ran around the corner into the north embayment and put out a couple of fly rods while I set up the downriggers and put the trolling rods together.

We caught a few fish and then I ran to shore so Jim could use the outhouse. I dropped him off and moved the boat just off shore. I looked up and saw Jim running down the road. I thought maybe there were bees in the outhouse, but no, there was a bear! He got back in the boat, and we made the run down to the bottom end of the lake. I was trolling in about 80 feet of water, and we could see lots of fish at 60 feet. We put a variety of plugs and lures at that depth and were very busy. The cutthroat we landed ranged in size from about 14 inches to 19 or 20 and landed we two that measured 24 inches.

I knew the fishing at Omak was going to be good, so Jim Passage and I spent the night in Omak and launched the boat again on Tuesday morning. We had scouted out the area on the lake where we could find good numbers of fish, so we ran right back down there. We were into fish right away. Jim had his 7 weight fly rod loaded with a sinking line out the back of the boat. I put two downrigger rods out each side and another rod out the back. We had paid the additional fee of two dollars for a two pole endorsement, so we could have four lines in the water. If anything, the fishing was even better on day two.

Although there was a very good hatch of bugs on the water that the trout were feeding on, they still jumped on our flies and plugs. We found the thermocline at about 60 feet again and I put the downriggers at that depth. Just before we were going to call it a day, at about 11:30, I dropped one rod down to 100 feet and had a fish on immediately. It turned out to be the biggest of the trip, measuring 28 inches.

On Saturday, Oct. 22 at approximately 7 a.m., Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Officers received a report of a human-black bear incident that occurred at a residence adjacent to Enchantment Park and Blackbird Island in Leavenworth in Chelan County. The woman had let her dog out that morning when she was charged by an adult female black bear. The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is currently receiving medical care at a Wenatchee hospital.

“We are extremely thankful that the victim is receiving medical care from this unfortunate encounter,” said Captain Mike Jewell. “Public safety is our priority; our officers and staff were quick to mobilize to locate the animal and secure the scene.” Officers with the use of a Karelian bear dog located and lethally removed an adult sow black bear near where the incident occurred later that morning. Additionally, two cubs, approximately nine months old, were captured, assessed, and transported to a PAWS wildlife rehabilitation facility.

In Washington state, the only recorded fatal black bear attack on a human was reported in 1974. Since 1970, state authorities have recorded 19 other human-black bear encounters that resulted in a documented injury.

In general bears avoid people, but they’re naturally curious animals. If a bear walks toward you, identify yourself as a human by standing up, waving your hands above your head, and talking in a low voice. Back away, avoiding direct eye contact. Don’t run from a bear. WDFW recommends making noise and leashing pets while hiking. Be aware of your surroundings as to not accidentally startle a bear. While recreating, WDFW recommends carrying bear spray that is readily accessible and knowing how to use it. More information on how to use bear spray is available on WDFW's blog.

I want to remind anglers that many lakes in our region will close to fishing at the end of this month. Jameson Lake is an example of a lake that will close on October 31st. This lake and many others offer terrific fishing in the fall, and often produce the largest rainbow of the season. The Conconully lakes in Okanogan County are another example. There are big kokanee taken this time of year.

Also, I have heard that there are anglers getting limits of kokanee on Lake Chelan. They are being found in the lower basin off Rocky Point, and in Manson Bay.

There’s some great fishing to be had here in the fall!