I got out and about a bit last week. I spent some time in Moses Lake and Grand Coulee Dam. Activity is low during last week’s chilly weather, but I am sure there were a lot more people out on the weekend at both of these areas, rain or shine.

I was in Grand Coulee late last week, so I had the opportunity to check on one of the spots where anglers fish nearby. Just down the hill on the right-hand side of the road you will see a gravel road that leads down to the water. Crescent Lake is at the bottom of the hill, and across the dike is Crescent Bay on Lake Roosevelt. This is where you will often find a number of anglers, casting from the beach. Right now, the lake is still pretty full, but there is a nice stretch of sandy beach exposed. Many anglers set up folding chairs, and after casting far out into the bay, place their rods in holders and settle in to wait for a bite. There are days when they don’t have to wait too long, and it is not unusual for them to get their five fish limit. Lake Roosevelt receives a plant of over 700,000 triploid rainbow trout almost every year, and they average about 16 inches. I have a friend who fishes here often, and he landed a trout from this beach that was 24 inches long. He uses a nightcrawler and marshmallow combo for bait.

I had a meeting in Moses Lake last Wednesday afternoon, so I grabbed my gear and got there early to do some perch fishing. I set up on the rip rap bank near the cut under the bridge and went to work. I had two rods rigged and baited with nightcrawlers and settled in to watch for bites. I didn’t get any. I saw one angler leave with nice stringer, and soon another angler came down and started fishing about 20 feet away. He started hauling in fish and after fish, sometimes getting two on one rod. I was still not getting anything, even though I was using the same rigging and bait. He invited me to come over and fish next him, and things changed. For the life of me I don’t know why I couldn’t catch fish where I started, but now I was landing perch. One was a 12-incher. I can’t thank Oscar, the angler, enough for turning my day around. Discouraged doesn’t adequately describe how I was feeling before Oscar showed up to save the day. I left with a big bucket full of perch that ranged in size from 9 to 12 inches— Yum! The perch action is the best in years. Everyone hopes the fishing will hold up when Moses Lake freezes. This week’s photo is of my new friend Oscar with a perch.

When I was checking on some of the fishing opportunities in the Moses Lake area, I went over to check on Medicare Beach on Potholes Reservoir. On a sunny winter weekend, this beach will have anglers scattered along the black sand, sitting in folding chairs, with their rods in holders. Rainbow cruise along this shoreline and will suck in the baits cast from the bank. Most often the baits being offered are a marshmallow and nightcrawler combo or some various color of Power Bait. There are picnic tables at intervals on the beach, and even a couple of vault toilets nearby. I found the toilet open and clean when I was there. To reach Medicare Beach, take Highway 17 south from Moses Lake and take a right on Road M SE. A few miles up the road look for Road 6 SE. Take a right here and continue to Road J SE, and the entrance to the public access. A Discover Pass is required here. It was cold and foggy when I was there last Monday, and I wasn’t surprised that no one was there. However, when the sun is out this is a popular place to spend some time fishing for rainbow. Another very good place to fish for rainbow from the shore this time of year is at Spring Canyon Park, which is just two miles up the road.

Some 93,500 young winter-runs that had been reared for release into the Washougal River are instead swimming around sprawling Banks Lake near Grand Coulee Dam, “adding diversity to an already dynamic fishery,” according to the WDFW. It’s a result of deal a reached between WDFW and two litigious organizations, Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler, in September over several hatchery programs on the Lower Columbia. It’s also the second lawsuit settlement affecting Washougal hatchery steelhead production in the last 10 years. Typically, lawsuit settlements require WDFW to place steelhead smolts into waters where they can’t inadvertently reach the sea. A 2014 deal between WDFW and WFC over Puget Sound early winter steelhead saw the state release 370,000 smolts into Sprague Lake and 255,000 into Rock Lake.

This go-around, WDFW said it considered releasing the Washougal fish into Rock Lake, as well as Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Riffe Lake – the latter of which would have been more germane to Southwest Washington steelheaders –– but landed on Banks “as the best location due to its size, habitat suitability, and existing sport fishery.” Banks essentially fills a formerly dry valley between Grand Coulee Dam and Coulee City and serves as an irrigation tank for the Columbia Basin. WDFW says its 28,000 surface acres will provide diverse habitat and plentiful forage for the steelhead, its cooler water temperatures won’t poach them in the summer, and it will add to a destination reservoir already popular for its walleye, bass, lake whitefish and other species. “Because these fish originated from anadromous steelhead, many anglers may find this particularly appealing, knowing that they’re fishing for a species with a migratory heritage, popular for their size and fighting spirit. For WDFW, this release also represents a commitment to maximizing the use of hatchery fish in a way that aligns with recreational goals while supporting conservation efforts in critical river systems,” the agency took pains to state in their blog. WDFW also stated it had successfully released steelhead as well as salmon into Banks in the early 2010s.

I usually get out after rainbow on either Lake Roosevelt or Rufus Woods this time of year, and with the terrific perch fishing, I have some great options.