More and more anglers are getting out and about. They are fishing either the lakes that opened on March 1st or the year-round waters. The trout in lakes in the Quincy Wildlife Area are getting a lot of attention, as is Rufus Woods, due to the recent release of thousands of triploid rainbow trout.

Like so many other anglers my freezer is really getting empty this time of year. I am down to one package of walleye and some kokanee. My fishing friend James Lebow wanted to get some triploids to have enough for a smoker load, so we traveled to the middle net pens on Rufus Woods last Wednesday. Ryan Harris joined us to fish from the bank here. I took my bobber and jig rod and cast a jig while my buddies fished Power Bait on the bottom. Ryan hooked and landed a fish and when he showed us what he was using we were shocked. It is called Power Bait Mice Tail, and actually had a bright orange tail on it. What the heck? James put one on and immediately landed a fish, and Ryan got another.

To keep up with them I dug into my tackle box and found a pink worm. I put that on and got a fish. Before I had it on the stringer I got a fish on my second rod. We got off to what we thought was a slow start, but we had our limits in a little over an hour. The fish were all about the same size of a pound and a half to 2 pounds. I vacuum packed three fillets for the smoker and saved one for dinner. These triploids are the best! This week’s photo was taken on this trip. I was wondering if any of the fish that were recently released by the Colville Tribe had made it down to the Bridgeport end of Rufus Woods Reservoir. So, I called my buddy Dave, who does the creel work for the tribe. He patrols the area from just above Chief Joseph Dam to Brandts Landing. All the fish that were put in the reservoir recently were released from the upper net pens, and they haven’t shown up at Brandts or at the fishing areas above the dam. Fishing isn’t great, but there are some nice fish being taken by anglers who are in the right place at the right time. Triploids weighing 3 to 6 pounds are being caught occasionally, and one angler, who was fishing a jig, landed a 12 ½ pounder at Brandts Landing last week. The fish in the latest release weighed 1.5 pounds. Remember, the daily limit is two fish and if you are using bait that means you keep what you catch. Don’t try to release them, they will die and go to waste. Fish jigs and no bait and you can release them—let go, let ‘em grow; that’s what I say.

More and more anglers are headed to Rufus Woods Reservoir right now. You can bet that there will be lot of abuse. That is, releasing fish that were caught on bait, but smaller than the big fish that people want to take home. You can fish very effectively without bait, so you can release the smaller fish without harming them. We all want as many of the 1.5 pound fish that were just released to survive and grow. These triploids have an amazing growth rate and could be 3 to 4 pounds by this summer. Casting jigs works great. Last spring Eric Granstrom landed a 20 pound triploid on an eight-ounce olive jig. We were fishing close to the middle net pens. You can cast these to shore and bounce them back or use a slip bobber like you would for steelhead.

I hope you have made plans to participate in the annual Trout Derby on Burke and Quincy lakes, hosted by the Quincy Chamber of Commerce. This year’s even will be held on Friday, March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd. Fishing was great since the opening day on March 1st. There are very good numbers of 12- to 13-inch trout being landed and an impressive number of carryovers. Registration forms are available at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee, Sportsman’s Warehouse in East Wenatchee, Quincy Hardware and Lumber in Quincy and at the Quincy Chamber office. You can also register online and learn all about the derby and the new photo contest by clicking on the Something Fishy in Quincy logo on the home page of my website. Fishing officially starts on Friday at 6 a.m. and there is a mandatory weigh in of fish caught on Friday at 4 p.m. All trout turned in on Friday will have a hole punched in the tail. The final weigh in will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to the trout already planted in Burke and Quincy lakes, the Chamber will be adding more fish for the event, including some whoppers!

Mark your calendars for the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge, hosted by Reel Recreation. Last year’s event was a huge success, so you will want to get in on the action. It is scheduled for Friday, April 12th through Sunday, April 14th. The free kids fishing pond on Friday is not to be missed. Thanks to Trout Lodge the “pond” will be loaded with big rainbow, and volunteers will be on hand to help the kids land one of these trout. Some of the kids will catch their first fish ever, and the smiles will be priceless. On Saturday and Sunday anglers will be out on Banks Lake fishing for a variety of species, mainly trout, walleye and bass. Family participation is highly encouraged, and prizes will be awarded for several categories in the Adult and Youth divisions. Coulee Playland on Banks Lake in Electric City is the headquarters for the event, and special activities are planned here for the kids. The aim of Reel Recreation organization is to introduce families to the fun of fishing and for you to join the fun. Learn all about the Banks Lake Triple Fish Challenge by going to their website at www.ReelRecreation.com.

I have a meeting in Coulee Dam early next week, so I have a good excuse to go back to the middle net pens on Rufus Woods. Pretty soon I will have enough triploid fillets for a smoker load—Yum!

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