by Dave Graybill, December 19, 2013

I made a road trip last week to check on the fishing at several areas here in Central Washington. My final destination was Lake Roosevelt, but on the way I also stopped at Moses Lake, Rocky Ford Creek, Coulee City Marina and Banks Lake. Here is what I discovered along the way.

When I parked at Blue Heron Park, which is the old State Park on Moses Lake, I there were lots of other cars in the lot. When I walked to the lake’s edge I saw a large group of anglers a couple of hundred yards above the I-90 Bridge. When I got out to them I noticed good numbers of perch on the ice next to most of the holes they had drilled. Most of the perch were eight to ten inches, but there were a few “jumbos” of 13 inches here and there, too. I also saw a few nice walleye on the ice as well. The ice was clear, and seven inches thick. The ice fishermen were using a variety of jigs baited with worms or just a worm on a hook. I learned that the bite is best in the morning. Warm weather is forecast for the week, so I hope the ice holds up. This is some of the best fishing for large perch in the region.

The last time I stopped at Rocky Ford Creek the water was very high and the weeds were thick. I didn’t see a single trout from the upper bridge, where there are usually some big ones hanging out. This time I could see that the cold weather had thinned out the weeds, the water was down a bit. There they were; big rainbows holding in the current above and below the bridge. Conditions were much better and when the outside temperatures warm enough so your line doesn’t freeze, the fishing for big rainbow at Rocky Ford should be very good. I had some great fishing here last year, and didn’t get down to Rocky Ford nearly enough. I hope to spend more time on this very special stream this winter. I will be taking along my new “Fishing Hand”, which is a “must have” item for catch and release fishing. This slips on your hand and allows you to grip a trout, steelhead, etc, without doing as much damage as a glove. You can learn more about the Fishing Hand by reading my Product Review on it on my web site, found at www.fishingmagician.com.

My next stop was at Coulee City Marina at the bottom end of Banks Lake. I could see from the highway that the water here was frozen, but I couldn’t tell how thick the ice was. I drove into the marina and walked out to check. People had thrown some big rocks out on the ice to see if they could break it, which they hadn’t, but I couldn’t see that any holes had been drilled. I didn’t see any evidence that anyone had been fishing here yet. I hope we get some solid ice here. This can be a great spot to catch perch in the winter. I will continue to check on this spot and keep you posted. The marina can also be the site of family fun right after the ice comes off. The perch will still be there and are easy to catch from the shore.

I wanted to fish “Geezers Beach” when I got to Lake Roosevelt but wasn’t sure how to get there, so I stopped at Coulee Playland in Electric City. Both the owner Hal Rauch, and Lou Nevismal were there. They directed me to the beach, and also reminded me that I would need a Colville Tribal Permit to fish there. I got my license and got an up date from Lou on the Triple Fish Challenge Fishing Derby planned for this spring on Banks Lake. It will be held the last weekend in April, and he is already getting sponsors and prizes lined up. I will be sharing information on this derby later on, and it should be on my web site’s Calendar soon.

I then drove through Coulee Dam, across the bridge and up the hill. I stopped at the security shack at the stop sign at the top of the hill and confirmed with the person there that Geezers Beach on Lake Roosevelt was up the road to my right. He also asked me if I had my tribal license. I drove up to the entrance to the beach and found another rig already parked there. I could tell this guy was a regular. He had a special table with two rod holders attached to it, all of his bait and scents, and a couple of special strike indicators hanging off his rods. I set up down the beach from him and we watched our rods. Nothing happened. He gave it an hour and left. Another angler showed up, and we visited a while and then I moved to the boat ramp up the beach and fished there until dark. Still nothing happened. It was a clear, sunny evening, but the fish weren’t biting.

I headed into town and checked into the Coulee House Inn and Suites. This is where I always stay when I am up in this area. I visited with owner Rob White for a while about my winter fishing plans. We laughed at the fact that I was coming to Coulee Dam and he was leaving for Leavenworth. He owns the River’s Edge Lodge in Peshastin, which gets busy with Leavenworth’s Christmas Lighting Festival.

The next morning, which was very cloudy and breezy, I went back to Spring Canyon Park, where I first fished Lake Roosevelt. I didn’t do as well as I did the first time I was here. I had one fish on my stringer when I was joined by Earl Tromburg of East Wenatchee. I got another fish, which was a 22-incher, and he got a nice trout before we packed it in. We had a great time visiting and I gave him one of my fish so he and his wife could have a good meal when he got home. It was a great day.

I still have big plans for Lake Roosevelt. Next time I am getting out on the water, to see if the big kokanee are biting!

By Dave Graybill

FishingMagician.com