Northwest Fishing Reports

What kills me is that I'm most socially distant when on my boat, by myself out the water.

Not to worry though, I'm certain the commercial and tribal fishermen will be more that willing to harvest our share while we are directed to stay at home, especially on the Columbia River system.

We as volunteers weren't given the news regarding the shortage or boaters until Friday, which was the reason for the short notice. The event turned out well, we were able to recruit enough additional boaters show to get all of the kids out on the water for a great time. That being said, there is a T...

This weekend's C.A.S.T for kids event (07 Sept) at Lake Washington is in need of more boaters willing to take a child or two out fishing. It's always tough this time of year as the Coho finally start to show, but if you are willing to volunteer, I guarantee you will have a great time. You can sign u...

This is about the only time of year you can be assured of not encountering large wind waves on Lake Cle Elum. Image was taken yesterday, from Hex Mountain.

On the E-tecs , a pump provides oil directly to multiple points in the engine to keep it lubricated. A little bit of the oil is scavenged during the intake cycle, which also lubricates the cylinder/rings.

Chris, I have a 2006 115 HP E-tec which has over 1000 hours on it. They are solid motors and mine is set to run the XP100 oil. A gallon typically lasts between 75 and 100 hours, depending on how it's run. No oil/filter changes required, except for the lower unit. They run quiet, not quite as quiet a...

If you are going to try it, use a "scratch free" version of the product. The abrasive in that version of the product won't strip your gel coat like regular stuff would. You can also use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, but they will dull your gel coat if you linger on one spot or press very hard when usi...

My hands get cold quite easily so I have a collection of gloves that I use this time of year. What I use is dependent on the type of fishing I will be doing. Finger/thumbless on your casting had is a must with a bait caster. Normally I'll use rag wool fingerless gloves or a set of fleece lined neopr...

Yes, the key to remember is not to hold down the power button, just a quick press and release to let you cycle through the backlight levels one at a time.

If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say you inadvertently dimmed the screen to its lowest level. Throw a blanket over you and the unit and have a look. Alternately, after you turn on the unit, tap the power button (don't press and hold) and you can step through the preset backlight levels.

The main lake holds the majority of the kokanee and Little Kachess is where I normally do better for trout. Small stacked bead spinners in silver/red combinations work well and I'll either work the deep waters just east of the launch or run south and fish the west shorelines for them. There are some...

At the moment the forest service campground is open and it has a paved launch that you can use to put a 30' boat in with no issues. The only downside is there are no docks, so having an extra person along helps. A Northwest Forest pass gets you in for free, otherwise you need to purchase a day use p...

There are some Ugly Stik rods that would probably work for you. The one I'm thinking about is in the Tiger series and a little more limber than those they make just for jigging heavy baits. You can also spend a couple hundred dollars on a Shimano Trevala rod that is super light, short, but can handl...

If you have a good sized fly reel with a spare spool, give it a try on that. With standard diameter 18lb lead core, you'll need a salmon sized level wind to get all 100 yards of it in one shot.

I don't often use lead core, but when I do... I use TufLine micor lead https://tuf-line.com/product/microlead/ . Their product has a couple of features going for it like reduced diameter, stronger and slicker sheath plus it's made in the USA. I'd say hit Outdoor Emporium, but call first, they have n...

That's not an interpretation, those are the actual regulations. A rod with a crab snare on the end of the line is ruled to be one unit of gear and you are allowed to crab with two units per person everywhere except the Columbia, where you are allowed three. No grey area there.

You'll find your answer in the regs on page 135. "GENERAL GEAR RULES: May be harvested by hand or dipnet. Hand operated instruments may not penetrate the shell. One star trap, one ring net, one castable snare , or one pot is considered one unit of gear. The maximum number of units of gear that may b...

Biologists were onto this issue a while ago: https://www.fws.gov/wafwo/fisheries/Publications/FP140.pdf If you go back 15 years, the last large run's out migration of fry, and think about all the new developments in the area since then, you'd be surprised at how much more light pollution we have now...

At the Cedar River Watershed meeting last month, the state biologists had some pretty hard evidence that the low returns were mainly driven by the low fry survival rate. Now many people point fingers at the cutthroat in the lake as the main cause, but I can tell you for certain they they aren't the ...

Something to keep in mind if using gel or oil scent with your hoochies and bucktails. The oils and gels will make the thin legs or hairs of the lure stick together, thereby reducing the action. Further, cleanup is much more entailed if you plan to reuse them. If you don't like the thought of having ...