Even though it was chilly, there were several days of sunshine throughout the region last week. These are the winter days that I brag about. Clear, sunny, and calm. We get to enjoy many days like this in the colder season, and I really appreciate them.

There is nothing like spending a crisp winter day out on the water. When Kurt Middleton, of Middy’s Sport Fishing, called to see if I wanted to try Lake Chelan for kokanee, it was like an answer to my prayers. I have fished with Kurt several times aboard Austin Moser’s boat, and when I met Kurt Monday morning, I saw that Jim Moser, Austin’s uncle, was coming along. I have also spent some days on the water with Jim. Kurt, Jim, and I have usually been on Lake Roosevelt together. Last winter when I was fishing the same areas of Lake Chelan, he was always helpful, giving me tips on good areas to try and depths to fish for kokanee.

We launched at Mill Bay and ran up around the corner to an area above the Yacht Club. We ran out the gear on Kurt’s four downriggers and in a few minutes brought our first kokanee to the net. Then it became a scramble of netting fish, baiting hooks, and getting the gear back out. There was a period of about an hour or two that we couldn’t get all four rods in the water. What a blast. 

Kurt really likes to fish Kokabow blades and spinners and I can see why. He was running different blade and spinner combos to see if the kokanee were interested in a particular color. As it turned out we got fish on all the rigs. We started dropping our gear to 63 and 68 feet, and then fished deeper as the day brightened. When the bite died we had twenty kokanee in the cooler. A great day! This week’s photo is of Kurt and Jim with our catch of kokanee from Lake Chelan.

I have mentioned that Billy Clapp can be a great place to fish in the winter, if you have a good four wheel drive rig to launch your boat off the sand. My buddy James Lebow called the other day to report that he fished Billy Clapp for just a couple of hours last week and did pretty good. They were flatlining Rapalas and landed seven trout. Two of the fish were fat 16-inchers and the others were all cookie cutter 14-inchers. They did the best just above the big basalt island. He said that they got all of their action on the lures that were on side planers. He also said that there were four groups of anglers fishing from the shore and catching fish. They were casting bait and were in the area of the launch, which is high and dry. Lebow also sent me a text of a big catch of perch from Curlew Lake, which has been known for excellent perch fishing for the last few years. It appears to be great again this year. Also, we are planning a trip to Potholes Reservoir for early next week. This is a great time to blade bait for walleye on Potholes.

Temperatures in the region have dipped low enough that I suspected that there were some ice fishing opportunities. Sure enough, when I talked to the folks at North 40 Outfitters in Omak, they reported that there are some lakes attracting anglers armed with augers. A lake that freezes early and offers great fishing is Bonaparte and it has been producing good catches of perch and tiger trout. Leader Lake is very popular and is a place where you can fill a bucket with crappie through the ice. Further up north is Curlew Lake and it has been attracting anglers from far and wide who like to catch perch. 

I got a photo earlier this week that showed a limit catch of really nice perch taken just last week. One of the most popular lakes during the ice fishing season is Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee. By checking the web cam on the lake, I can see when anglers are venturing out on the ice, and for the first time this winter I could see ice shacks and anglers on the lake. Fish Lake is famous for consistent fishing for perch, but also offers big triploids from plants earlier this season.
I got a note from Merle and Bev Schuyler who have been providing the sportsmen’s shows in Tri-Cities and Yakima for over 30 years and added the Wenatchee show a few years ago. He said that in Tri-Cities and Yakima the facilities and health authorities have denied the plan that they submitted, and the shows will have to be cancelled this year. 

As I reported last week, the Seattle Boat Show is totally virtual this year. I see that the Washington State Sportsmen’s Show, which is held at the Fairgrounds in Puyallup every year in January, has postponed the show until March 17th to the 21st. The Pacific NW Sportsmen’s Show that is held in Portland is scheduled for March 24th to the 29th. By moving the dates back as far as they reasonably can, it is hoped that they will be able to have the shows open to the public. I know they are structuring the shows to address health concerns. I will keep you posted.

That sunny weather that I was bragging about earlier is going to disappear for a while. I checked the forecasts and it calls for snow, snow, and more snow. Not a lot all at once, but a steady day after day accumulation that may add up to something that could put a damper on getting out on the water—whether it’s frozen over or not. 

I am sure glad I have added some serious winter garb to my wardrobe. I now have a heated jacket. A new serious business Columbia coat with the Omni Heat liner and I just added a pair of battery powered heated socks. I also wear the Muckboot Arctic boots. Nothing can stop me now!