We are experiencing some cooler days and nights now. Although the first day of fall isn’t until the 23rd of this month, fall is in the air, especially at higher elevations. There are anglers that avoid the hot days of summer, and really like these more comfortable days on the water.

I hope everyone had a safe Labor Day weekend and enjoyed some quality time with friends and family. A lot of people look forward to the fall months in Eastern Washington. The big crowds have thinned out, and the parks and resorts have more room to accommodate visitors. Many people, especially recreational boaters, will be putting their boats away until next season. There’s a rush to find space at the storage facilities in our area. They are always in short supply. If you are looking for space and want to get your boat winterized, and maybe shrink wrapped for the best possible care over the winter, the first place to call is Bob Feil Boats in East Wenatchee. They provide the best all-around service for boat storage.

I always wait as long as possible before I tuck my boat away for the winter. I don’t want to miss the great fishing that’s available in the fall and early winter here in our region. We have great fishing on many of our lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. For many it is their favorite time of year. My free E-Letter for Fall will be out soon, with some great tips for the season. To be sure you get a copy, go to my web site at www.fishingmagician.com and click on the Free E-Letter button at the top left of my Home Page.

I haven’t decided what I will feature for the main story in the fall E-Letter, but I have a long list of truly terrific fisheries that occur in the fall months in our region. There is the annual huge run of Chinook salmon that will be arriving to the Hanford Reach that attracts hundreds of anglers. My neighbor reminded me that the coho should be showing up in the Icicle River in Leavenworth. That has become a very popular fishery in recent years. I am very impressed with the great condition of the fish in the early season.

Many people like to escape the colder days ahead, and it’s not too early to make plans if you want to get out of the country to enjoy a warmer climate and more exotic fisheries. My wife and I traveled to Belize in early November a few years ago and found it to be a great time to travel to this country. It is the off season and hotel rates are good and guide services are available, if you reserve them now. We first traveled to Ambergris Caye in Belize, and I had amazing fishing for bonefish and tarpon in November. We found Belizean Shores to be a great place to stay, and the members of the groups that we hosted to Ambergris were very pleased with the accommodations. We took two groups to Ambergris in the month of May and had great fishing, especially for bonefish and permit. Go Fish Belize has taken excellent care of us for many years.

The last destination we traveled to in Belize was Placencia. This is a small town on the mainland down the coast and was more laid back than Ambergris. May is the off season and we found the weather wonderful and had terrific fishing on the reefs. I got some bonefish off an island there and caught tarpon with my flyrod in the Monkey River. Wayne Castellanos at DK Fishing Adventures did a great job putting our group on the fish at Placencia. We were planning another trip to Placencia when COVID hit and haven’t been back. It is very high on my list of places to return to.

The last place my wife and I traveled to out of the country was to Loreto, on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. This destination is attractive as there are direct flights from LA to Loreto, and it is a beautiful town to visit. The fishing for yellowtail is outstanding and the reef fishing is very good, too. Whale watching is a big attraction and Sara at Sea and Land Tours can arrange both fishing and whale watching trips.

It has become a tradition now that my wife and I take the Smoker Craft up to Stehekin on our anniversary. This was our third trip and we experienced excellent weather and pretty calm water each time. Last year, as we were launching the boat, two anglers spotted me and said they had just returned from Stehekin and caught a bunch of kokanee. I had a couple of rods, and they gave me two lead balls and the set ups they used. I didn’t have any corn with me, but still managed to catch a kokanee. This year I was better prepared. I put out the downriggers just below the boat docks at Stehekin. I spotted a couple of large schools on the screen at below 100 feet, and I got a nice kokanee at about 40 feet deep. We got another one before the wind picked up and we headed back to 25 Mile Creek. This week’s photo is of me with a kokanee I caught and the Kokabow combo.

When we were launching the boat at 25 Mile Creek, Tom Burnett, who runs the store at the State Park here came over to chat. I’ve known Tom from way back when I lived in Chelan several years, he wanted me to know that he has installed a webcam. This is something boaters might want to see that are planning a trip to Stehekin. Many anglers fish 25 Mile Creek for kokanee in the winter and spring and will be thrilled to know about. Now you can see the conditions in this area of Lake Chelan before you head out. You can find the webcam by doing a search for the 25 Mile web cam on Google.

I just started a load of fish in my smoker. It is mostly sockeye from Lake Wenatchee, and I put in a few big kokanee from Lake Chelan. My wife reminded me that we made a great pasta dish with smoked fish and alfredo sauce a while back and that’s what we will have for dinner. Oh boy!