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It sure looks like fall now. The weather has been cold and rainy, which is good news for those who are still fighting the fires in my area. I stopped by the Northrup boat ramp on Sunday morning to see if the docks were still in and there wasn’t a single truck and trailer in the parking area. People chose to watch football and the Mariners instead of fishing on a chilly, damp day.
I had a great crew on the Bob Feil Boats and Motors Smoker Craft, and we enjoyed a beautiful Indian Summer day on Rufus Woods on Monday. My long-time fishing partner Buell Hawkins arranged to have Greg Meiszner and Jeff Armaly join us. Greg has fished with Buell and I on Rufus a couple of years ago and on Omak Lake as well. This was Jeff’s first chance at fishing for triploid rainbow trout, and he was very impressed. Greg was also impressed with how quickly the Mercury 250 got the big Smoker Craft Phantom up on plane on the quick run from the launch at the middle net pens to the upper pens. It didn’t take long for Jeff to get the first fish to the net. We were just fishing with Power Bait on the bottom, and I will blame the lack of current when we got started for the slow action. Later in the morning the current picked up, and they started to spray feed into the pens. The bite came on, and we got more fish at closer intervals. The fish ranged in size from about 3.5 to 5 pounds. This week’s photo is of my friend Buell with one of the fish.
Looking back through some of my photos to see what I was doing in October the past couple of years, there were several taken on Omak Lake. This is a very scenic lake on the Colville Indian Reservation, just eight miles from the town of Omak. What draws me to the lake is the Lahontan cutthroat that inhabit it. The numbers of these fish that we catch is astounding. Last year Rollie Schmitten and I fished an afternoon, and the following morning. We kept track and had released 94 cutthroat! I fish with two down riggers down deep, and two rods out the back flat lined with a variety of lures or even flies on a sinking line. Last year the cutthroat averaged between 18 and 21 inches, and there is always the possibility of hooking one much larger. The state record for Lahontan cutthroat was caught on Omak by my long time friend Dan Beardlsey and weighed 18 pounds, 4 ounces. A Colville Tribal fishing license, Reservation Access Permit and Launch Permit is required to fish here. I figure the cost is well worth it for the quality of fishing.
If you were following my reports and posts during this year’s sockeye season on Lake Wenatchee, you know that I struggled getting fish in the boat. The previous year I had tremendous success, often getting limits for as many as four anglers in my boat. This year was a completely different story. If you were frustrated, you weren’t alone. I saw anglers that had been fishing Lake Wenatchee for decades getting skunked! I know that there were some anglers out there that had very good success, but overall, it was a very “off” season for anglers. Travis Maitland, area biologist with the WDFW, sent me a report with the harvest numbers for the 2025 season. The total catch reported was 6,879. In 2024 the catch was about 18,000 for the same period, and although the numbers of sockeye that made it to Lake Wenatchee was an all-time record, there were still plenty of fish in the lake this year. I tried a variety of changes to my usual methods and techniques to catch sockeye this year, and I avoided getting skunked, but I landed about half the number of fish that I landed the previous season.
According to Chris Donley, WDFW’s eastern region fish manager, five lakes in Eastern Washington that closed to fishing at the end of September could have longer seasons next year. The WDFW is taking public comment on a petition to extend the fishing season on Williams, Badger, Fishtrap, West Medical and Fan lakes. If approved, the lakes would be open from the fourth Saturday in April to Oct. 31 each year. The agency hasn’t yet decided on whether extending the season is the right choice, and they want to know what anglers think. “The agency needs public input on whether that’s a good idea or a bad idea,” Donley said. The comment portal merges the Eastern Washington lakes proposal with two others – one related to licensing rules for Vancouver Lake and one related to a proposed closure of part of the Cle Elum River. Public comments are open until Oct. 17. The agency will make a final decision by the end of October. Please let me know what you think. Also, here is a link where the department is accepting public comments on the proposal to extend the fishing season on the five lakes: https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/regulations/development/2025-recreational-fishing-changes-and-cle-elum-dam-area-closure
The price to visit state parks in Washington went up on Oct. 1, with a $15 hike to the annual cost of a Discover Pass. State lawmakers approved the increase from $30 to $45 earlier this year. It marks the first time the pass’s price has gone up since it was introduced in 2011. Transaction fees can also apply to pass purchases, including a $5 charge for online sales. The passes are required for motor vehicle access to state parks and other recreation sites. The Discover Pass provides one year of unlimited entry to all Washington state lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Also, going into effect Oct. 1 are changes to the Lifetime Disabled Veterans Pass, allowing passholders access to lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife. Revenue from the Discover Pass and other fee-based funding accounts for about 71% of Washington State Parks’ budget for the 2025-27 biennium — up from about 65% in the last budget cycle. State Parks’ operating budget, like many agencies, saw cuts this year as lawmakers dealt with a budget shortfall. The agency’s two-year operating budget for the 2025-27 cycle is $257.6 million, about $14.7 million less than its budget for 2023-25.
