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17 - Rufus Woods Report
Washington

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Details

10/06/2020
66° - 70°
Trolling
Rainbow Trout
Sunny
Dodger
Morning
61° - 65°
10/08/2020
3
15568

We made a plan to target some of the larger Rainbows that this body of water is known for. Our target was elusive, yet we stayed away from the easy fishing, smaller fish close by the net pens. We really had to work for our fish. We fished for 8 hours over 2 days and only hooked 8 fish. However our average fish weighed over 4 lbs. We kept only one that wouldn't have survived, so they are still there for you to catch and release again. Finding deeper pools of water with obstructions underneath, was key to hooking the larger fish. Due to active water flow and underwater hydraulics with dam releases, this water requires constant boatsman skills and demands active monitoring on the sonar. However the rewards are a once in a lifetime experience.


Comments

Larry3215
10/8/2020 8:53:03 PM
nice!!
hewesfisher
10/9/2020 4:58:20 AM
Nice hawg!
Conradlam
10/10/2020 6:19:36 PM
thank you
lohans4
10/10/2020 6:14:50 PM
Where did you launch from? Did you notice if the new launch at the Colville RV park by the net pens was open yet?
Conradlam
10/10/2020 6:23:48 PM
We launched at Seton Grove. Did not focus on the RV park at all. Managing the boat through that stretch of the river took all of our focus as it is a treacherous funnel.
Steelhead15
10/13/2020 11:58:46 AM
Good write up on Rufus. I agree, it is a hard lake to fish most times if you are trying for size. I end up trolling or drift fishing almost all the time. How did you fish it? It sounds like you jigged behind current breaks.
Conradlam
10/13/2020 12:39:50 PM
We did not jig at all. We were innovative in using our rigs. Our rigging set up was a weight on a slider above the swivel and a flasher and Lure behind it. We raised and lowered our set up by speeding up and slowing down our troll causing our presentation to go up and down in the water column. This is a dangerous technique during water releases from the dam so I stress constant monitoring on both the setup and the sonar. Good luck!
Steelhead15
10/14/2020 2:16:09 PM
Interesting - Thanks for your description! I troll a similar sliding weight too. It allows me to change weight quickly which is necessary in many areas of the Columbia. I've never used a flasher for triploids. It seems they are very willing if I can find them. After spring, they are often full of crawdads so I use one of those types. If I go deeper than 25 FOW then I go to a Rapala jointed minnow of about 4-6" and gold-black seems to work best. It is a lot of fun to catch them at 4lbs or above. They fight real good. A fun change from the weight-like fight of a walleye.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709