by John Kruse, November 04, 2008

There are a number of waters to explore in Central Washington if you have trout or steelhead on the brain. I got the opportunity to speak with Jeremy Kendall, the owner of Central Fly Fishing (www.centralflyfishing.com) in Wenatchee last night who gave me a run down on what's hot - and what's not - in Central Washington:

The Methow River: Fishing for summer steelhead may not be as easy as it was a few years ago, but there are still fish from 4 to 12 pounds to be found in this beautiful stream if you can get to some of the pools and runs that don't attract heavy roadside attention. Kendall recommends downsizing your offerings and using brightly colored offerings on bright days to get into fish. By the way, the WDFW shows that anglers are putting in about 15 hours per fish on this river. This may slow in the early part of November because the PUD is going to draw down the Columbia behind Wells Dam for a couple of weeks. This will leave the area around the mouth of the Methow very low, keeping boats off the water and fish in the Columbia River.

Rocky Ford: Jeremy Kendall is excited about this spring creek fishery near Ephrata. Big rainbows live in gin clear waters and yes, they've seen it all when it comes to the offerings dangled in front of them by fly fishers. However, if you are on your "A Game", the fish are here and it is a place you can access all year.

Lake Lenore: Neither Jeremy, nor anyone else, is quite sure why fishing has dropped off at this usually reliable fall fishery. However, everyone seems to be having a tough time landing too many Lahontan Cutthroat out of here. On the other hand, if you do get into one it's likely to be pretty sizeable - think 3 to 7 pounds!

Lake Lenice: One of three lakes near Mattawa in south Grant County, Jeremy has been hearing good reports of angler success from this lake. Very respectable rainbow trout can be found here at a place usually known as a favorite for fly anglers in the spring.

Dry Falls Lake: Another favorite for fly anglers, this unique body of water in the Dry Falls - Sun Lakes Park property south of Coulee City is a good fall bet for rainbows, browns and tiger trout. Best fished from a float tube or pontoon boat due to the thick reeds that line most of the shoreline.

Last but not least, make sure you check the regulations before you go fish at any of these lakes. Several will be closing soon, and selective regulations and restrictive catch limits apply at most of these places.


John Kruse
Northwestern Outdoors Radio and E-zine
web site: www.northwesternoutdoors.com