I had a great week of fishing. I chased more walleye on Moses Lake, and even got a day of fly fishing on a lake. I also brought the new boat provided to me by Bob Feil Boats and Motors home, and it will be out on the water very soon.

My friend James Lebow got a report of good fishing at the top end of Moses Lake earlier this week, so he got me and another fishing friend Ryan Harris to join him to see if we could get some walleye. Connelly Park had been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays through the month of April, so we took off from Blue Heron Park. It’s about a 20 minute run at high speed to the fishing area, but we figured it would be worth it. We put our bottom bouncers on side planers out in about five feet of water and started trolling a path that had traditionally produced walleye in the early season. Water conditions were still good here. The weeds weren’t up yet and this part of the lake, which warms up early, hadn’t turned over. We did have a stiff breeze to contend with and the water temperature was down four degrees from the last time we fished here, about four days prior. Due to the wind, it was difficult to see when we got a bite on the planers. We repeatedly reeled to check our baits for weeds and found our nightcrawlers chewed in half or completely gone. We did get four fish in the live well, losing one nice one at the boat and tossing a small fish back. I know that the fishing here will be good on a clear and sunny day. It could be good for quite a while longer, since the water temperature is staying cool. When the weeds come up and the lake turns over at this very shallow end, you can just move into deeper water to find the walleye. I also like to fish for smallmouth bass on Moses Lake and when the water gets a little warmer they will really get active. I have caught some dandy pre-spawn smallmouth on Moses in the spring.

My very good fishing friend Jim Passage called a couple of months ago telling me to save the date of April 30th for a trip to Hole in the Wall, a private lake managed by our mutual friend, Darc Knoble at the Desert Fly Angler in Ephrata. The lake is known for very good numbers of rainbow trout that are often over 18 inches. Jim brings his small aluminum boat and navigates with an electric motor out the back. He fished while I fumbled around in the bow. I had heard that a large brown fly was working, and I found a couple that the trout loved, but I couldn’t hook ‘em. Jim landed fish after fish while I tried to find a pattern that the fish would hit and stay on the hook. We had every kind of spring weather we can get here in Central Washington. That means from warm sun to snow! I took a shore video of Jim laughing while reeling in a nice rainbow. The fishing really was amazing. Our flies were constantly getting whacked, and I don’t think we landed a fish under 18 inches. I want to thank Jim for another great day of fishing and companionship. I can’t wait to get him out on my new boat for some big kokanee.

I picked up the new boat that Bob Feil Boats and Motors is having me drive this season. Man, it is a beauty. It’s a 21 foot Smoker Craft Phantom with the off shore bracket and it has what is called a half hard top. The cover is fabric and tall enough to walk under without stooping. There is full cover and enclosure, for the chilly weather in the winter. The cover will also provide shade on the hot summer days we have here. There’s a Mercury 250 horsepower motor and a 9.9 kicker on the bracket, and a Minn Kota Ultera on the bow. I will be easy to spot on the water. The boat has a full wrap with logos. The boat was debuted in the Classy Chassis Parade last Friday, and then I pulled it home to load up all the stuff I took out of the last boat I was driving for Bob Feil. I have a few things to add to the boat and break in the motors and then decide which species I am going to chase for the first time. It will either be Lake Chelan kokanee or walleye on Moses Lake. Look for me on the water! This week’s photo was taken of the new boat while I was waiting in line for the parade.

I don’t know if you are in the habit of checking the videos I have posted on the Dave Graybill channel on YouTube, but I have put some new ones on the channel recently. There’s one on Billy Clapp that shows where I like to fish for trout and walleye. There is also a short one on fishing for walleye in Lind Coulee. If you would like to learn more about the lakes in the Quincy Wildlife Area, you might enjoy the one that I did earlier this season. On the opening day of lowland lake trout fishing, I traveled to several very popular lakes in Grant County. The lakes included in this video are Blue, Park, Vic Meyer, Deep and Perch lakes. I have a lot of fun shooting these videos and I hope you find the information provided in them helpful on your fishing adventures.

As soon as I have the batteries fully charged and the motors broken in I will be out on the water gathering info on the area’s best fisheries. Can’t wait to get started!