It seems to be getting more like Fall here in the region, and there are some great opportunities for anglers this time of year. Anglers are busy chasing fall Chinook on the Hanford Reach and are gearing up for a better than average return of Coho to the upper Columbia. Our area lakes are offering special opportunities this fall, too.

I wanted to get to Blue and Park lakes before the end of the month to do some perch fishing. I have had some great reports about very good numbers of them being caught and of perch of over 12 inches included in the catches. Since they were going to close at the end of September, I didn’t want to get people excited when there would only be a few days left in the season. Well, I just got word that Park, Blue and Deep lakes seasons have been extended to the end of October, and this change may be permanent. I really like this change and wondered why they closed so early. Nearby Lake Lenore and Dry Falls Lake stay open until the end of November.

I have fished Blue Lake and Park Lake in the past and had a great time catching perch and there are some very nice smallmouth bass in both Blue and Park Lake. When I fished for perch, I was usually at the bottom end of both lakes. I would cruise around slowly, watching my fish finder for a school. When I spotted a good bunch on the screen, I would toss out a marker and then go back to it and put my bow mount electric on Anchor Mode. If the fishing slowed, I would retrieve my marker and repeat the process. I know a lot of people have success experimenting with different jigs and lures. I seem to do okay with just a chunk of nightcrawler.

Fishing for Kokanee on Deep Lake can also be good in the fall. You may have to sort through planted rainbow to get them, and they aren’t huge, but they are plentiful. I catch a mix of rainbow and Kokanee with my tried-and-true Kokabow Tackle blades and spinners. So, if you aren’t fishing for salmon these lakes offer very good options.

The popular Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce Pike Minnow Derby is back and is going to be held on October 4th through the 6th this year. If you haven’t participated before better sign up this year. There’s over $35,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs for anglers who turn in their catches of pike minnows at the Crescent Bar Derby Headquarters. Cash prizes will be awarded to those who catch the most fish and the largest and smallest in length caught in both Adult and Youth categories. The grand prize this year is a Polaris Ranger SP 570 side by side! You can register online by logging on QuincyValley. org or at the Crescent Bar Riverbend Park on Friday and Saturday mornings. You can also find tickets at The Quincy Chamber office, Quincy Hardware and Lumber and at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee. Anglers can turn in catches from the Columbia River from Rock Island Dam to Wanapum Dam. Once again derby participants are treated to a free lunch at Tower Pizza where the awards are handed out. Don’t miss the chance to win money and some amazing prizes at the Quincy Chamber Pike Minnow Derby October 4th through the 6th this year. This week’s photo shows boats fishing in the channel near the marina at Crescent Bar.

It’s that time of year again. The CCA Tri-Cities Chapter is hosting another Angler Broodstock Collection (ABC) event on October 25-26. It’s an amazing experience - catching dozens of salmon per boat each day with the added bonus of knowing that the fish you catch are benefitting the future of fisheries for thousands of anglers. This is a great way for recreational anglers to help promote and support hatchery production on the Columbia River. These wild broodstock are essential to meet the Hatchery Genetic Management Plan requirements for an integrated hatchery so that the hatchery may continue releasing millions of chinook salmon. Thanks to the efforts of CCA, Grant County PUD and WDFW, nearly every one of the 7+ million salmon raised in the hatchery in the past decade have at least one wild parent. The CCA Tri-Cities Chapter has been spearheading the ABC program since 2012. For the past 12 years the project has been operated as a derby called the King of the Reach. I have participated in this event a couple of times over the years, and the Tri-Cities Chapter does a great job.

I wanted to remind folks that I have quite a few videos on fishing the Hanford Reach. There’s one on fishing at White Bluffs with Shane Magnuson and a couple of others I did with Shane on fishing other areas of the Hanford Reach. These can be found on the Dave Graybill YouTube channel. There’s a good one I did with Shane on How to Cure Salmon Eggs that can be found on the How To TV page on my website. I also wanted to mention that there is some good information on how to catch Coho from Shane in my free Fall E-Letter.

The annual Mahogany & Merlot event is happening this year on October 4th through the 6th this year at Lake Chelan. Each year vintage hydroplanes, and mahogany runabout boats are shown on the water. Bob Feil Boats and Motors is the primary sponsor this year. Vintage unlimited hydroplanes, like the Miss Budweiser, Miss Thriftway and Pay N Pack will stage races each morning, weather permitting. You can buy a Pit Pass to view the boats up close and talk to the crews. Also, Bob Feil Boats and Motors will be on hand with six boats to take you out on the water. Mahogany & Merlot will once again take place along ‘Mahogany Row’ at Don Morse Park & Marina on beautiful Lake Chelan, where vintage boats will line the docks. In between looking at all the hydroplanes and boats, browse through our Vendor Village presented by The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, with vendors offering an array of art, crafts, local produce, gifts, clothing, one-of-a-kind items, vintage goodies and more.