.jpg)
I know that a lot of folks have their boats tucked away for the winter, but I try to keep mine ready until there is just too much snow to deal with. This time of year, I try to find some holes in the clouds to plan my fishing trips.
I am really tired of the rain we are getting here in Leavenworth. I know, I know, we need it, but it has sure put a damper on my plans to get out on the water. I am still getting reports of good kokanee fishing on Lake Chelan, with fish averaging a fat 13 inches. I ran into Joe Zelinski, who was checking catches of coho on the Icicle River for the WDFW, and he had fished Chelan. He said that he got a quick limit above the Yacht Club recently, and he marked very good numbers of fish in the lower basin, too. He found most of the fish at the 60- to 80-foot depth on the lake.
Joe mentioned that what is particularly exciting about the numbers and size of the kokanee that are being caught this winter is what we may expect next spring and summer. Most of These fish aren’t going to spawn until next year. They will be hanging around and feeding all winter long and into next season. Anglers might be catching kokanee that are much larger than in recent years. We’ll have to wait and see but the prospect of fishing Lake Chelan for kokanee of 15 inches and larger is sure something to look forward to.
He also showed me a couple of photos from recent trips to Potholes Reservoir. He has been trolling crank baits and was catching an amazing variety of fish. He was getting mostly walleye, but also had some big bluegill, some crappie and even rainbow trout. I did stop by the Icicle River later last week and found a proud angler with a fish he caught while casting from the handicapped platform. He had landed a very mature hen. This week’s photo was taken on the Icicle last week.
Fish like to fool me. They will ignore my fly or lure to the point that I don’t think they are even there. I said last week that I didn’t think the coho were going to show up in the Icicle River in good enough numbers to provide decent fishing. Then they did. When I stopped by the river I saw more rigs parked at the access than I had all season, and when I looked over the bank there was an angler pumping a fish to the bank. I spoke to the angler, and they said they had hooked a few in the stretch below the hatchery and were going to try the spot on East Leavenworth Road before they quit for the day. A WDW fish checker was there, and he said that the Icicle River had come up with the heavy rain that fell in Leavenworth, and that pulled the coho into the river. Anglers were doing the best they had since the season opened in late September. It will remain open through the end of November. He reminded anglers about the posted boundary that they can fish on the Icicle, and to keep below it. Enforcement is checking.
My brother Rick and I had planned a trip to Lake Chelan to try to catch a couple of Chinook, but the weather forecast was for high wind. It was supposed to rain, too, but we’ve both put up with that while fishing. We draw the line at high wind, though. So, we are going to give it a shot another day.
Kings are caught on Lake Chelan year-round, and this is a good time to try for them. If you would like to learn more about how to fish for Chinook on the lake, you can watch a couple of short videos Rick and I did. One is on how to prepare herring for Chinook fishing, and the other was shot last year when we boated a nice fish. To find the videos you can go to my YouTube channel. You can search for them under Dave Graybill. The one we did while catching the king can be viewed by going to my website at www.FishingMagician.com, and clicking on the Fishing TV Page. It’s under Fishing for Lake Chelan Chinook with Rick Graybill. Both of these short videos will give you good information about how to fish for these prized fish. They are not only great fighters they are probably the best eating Chinook you’ll ever taste.
You can split your time when fishing on Lake Chelan between fishing for kings and kokanee. It is not unusual for anglers to catch kings while fishing for kokanee, but if you really want to target kings you are better off using the techniques that are described in the videos that I mentioned. You also have to troll at a faster speed when targeting kings.
Another species that is available to anglers on Lake Chelan are cutthroat. These are planted in the lake every year and they are very abundant throughout Chelan. Although they often hit the kokanee gear people are trolling, some anglers will flatline small plugs out the back of the boat to get them. They can really add to the fun of a day on the water. Most of the cutthroat I have caught while kokanee fishing average between 12 and 14 inches, and I’m sure there are large cutts in the lake.
I see a couple of sunny days in the forecast for the coming week. I plan to take advantage of them!
November 11, 2023
Even though it hasn’t been cold, it’s been rainy. Most days both, this past week. Only the hardiest of anglers... MORE...
November 3, 2023
I think I picked the worst day to fish last week. We have had some really nice sunny days this fall, and I should pay more.. MORE...
October 27, 2023
I took advantage of the good weather, the moon phase and one of the most productive fisheries in the state last week.. MORE...
October 20, 2023
I made my first trip of the year to Omak Lake, and it makes me wonder why it took me so.. MORE...
October 13, 2023
Nothing like this Indian Summer weather we’ve had to get people excited about fishing.. MORE...
October 6, 2023
The weather has played havoc with my fishing plans of late. It is particularly.. MORE...
September 29, 2023
The days are cooler now, and many anglers prefer to fish in these temperatuers.. MORE...
September 22, 2023
Our great fall weather is encouraging anglers to get out on the water... MORE...
September 15, 2023
This is a great time of year to be outdoors, and especially fishing on our area waters. The weather is great, and the crowds of summer have thinned... MORE...
September 8, 2023
We are experiencing some cooler days and nights now. Although the first day of fall isn’t until the 23rd of this month .. MORE...
September 1, 2023
I fished far and wide this past week, and spent most of my time finishing my sockeye fishing season on Lake .. MORE...
August 25, 2023
The sockeye fishing on Lake Wenatchee has been phenomenal. I got limits every day last week and got them early .. MORE...
August 18, 2023
I had high hopes for the week. That full moon had fades, and I figured the sockeye bite would come back on Lake... MORE...
.jpg)
August 11, 2023
I had some obligations that kept me off the water much of last week, but i did get some... MORE...
August 4, 2023
Sockeye fishing opened on Lake Wenatchee on July 26th, and I have been hard at it. I wasn’t alone either. MORE...
July 28, 2023
I talked to someone the other day that asked me if I had heard anything about walleye... MORE...
July 21, 2023
Fishing for king salmon and sockeye continues to be good off the mouth of the Okanogan River ....MORE...
July 14, 2023
Dang we are getting some hot weather. Don’t forget to bring a lot of water ....MORE...
July 7, 2023
Salmon season opened on the upper Columbia last Saturday, and I expected big ....MORE...
June 30, 2023
Salmon season opens on the upper Columbia River on July 1st and the best ....MORE...
June 23, 2023
I didn’t get to Banks for walleye as often as I had planned last week, due to the wind. ....MORE...
June 9, 2023
I had a chance to fish Lake Roosevelt for kokanee last week. People often abandon this fishery ....MORE...
June 9, 2023
This was a Banks Lake week for me. Fishing had been so good I just kept going and going and kept catching fish ....MORE...
June 2, 2023
I hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial Weekend. I tend to lay low on the major holidays and try to fish during the week. There ....MORE...
May 26, 2023
I had a very interesting week. I was busy in the early week shooting video of Grant County PUD Recreation Areas, and compiling photographs....MORE...
May 19, 2023
I had a very busy week again. I fished for trout, walleye, and bass. I spent some time at Pybus Market for an event and then finished the weekend at the weigh in and awards ceremony at the Pike Minnow Derby....MORE...
May 12, 2023
I had a great time this past week. Walleye fishing is going great guns on Moses Lake. I am looking forward to the Quincy Valley Pike Minnow Derby at Crecent Bar...MORE...
May 5, 2023
Sunny skies and calm water. That’s what I got to enjoy this past week. I got to fish several different.. MORE...
April 28, 2023
Anglers who fished their favorite lakes here in Eastern Washington were greeted by a chilly... MORE...
April 21, 2023
I had a great weekend last week. Starting on Saturday, I fished with my buddy James Lebow and his son, and we had an epic MORE...
April 14, 2023
As daytime temperatures climb more and more lakes have shed their cap of ice and anglers are taking advantage of MORE...
April 7, 2023
I only saw one day last week when I could plan a fishing trip and not risk getting blown off.MORE...
March 31, 2023
The snow has melted off enough to allow me to park my boat in the driveway..MORE...
March 24, 2023
It’s starting to really look like spring. Temperatures are often in the mid-fifties...MORE...
March 17, 2023
Winter just doesn’t want to release its ice grasp on our region. Although I see some ..MORE...
.jpg)
March 10, 2023
I almost pulled the Smoker Craft home last week, so I could get it ready for the first trip..MORE...
March 3, 2023
I think that it is safe to say that people have had enough of winter. Remember when the Quincy Trout Derby..MORE...
February 24, 2023
We have had some warm weather throughout the region, but it looks like that’s going to change..MORE...
February 17, 2023
I don’t expect to see many people outdoors on Sunday, February 12th. On Super Bowl Sunday...MORE...
February 10, 2023
I was thinking about going to the middle net pens on Rufus Woods last week ..MORE...
February 3, 2023
There is snow in the forecast again where I live, but it shouldn’t be too much ...MORE...
January 27, 2023
It was a bit more chilly throughout the region this past week. That kept me from grabbing ...MORE...
January 20, 2023
The warmer weather we’ve had throughout the region has changed from frequent snow storms to rain....MORE...
January 11, 2023
Dang, I’m tired of this winter. It just keeps snowing in Leavenworth, and I mean SNOWING! It has been quite a job just....MORE...
January 6, 2023
We welcomed the New Year with a few days without new snow, which was very welcome. It seemed like about all I was doing....MORE...
December 30, 2022
It was a great Christmas at our home this year. I traveled to Seattle to bring....MORE...
December 23, 2022
I was looking at the forecast for the near future, and it wasn’t pretty. I am seeing single digits in some areas....MORE...
December 16, 2022
We are having quite a winter here in Central Washington. Lot of snow...MORE...
.jpg)
December 9, 2022
If there is a blessing to the frequent snow storms that we have...MORE...
December 2, 2022
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and traveled safely...MORE...
November 25, 2022
Like so many boating anglers in the region, it is hard to have access...MORE...
November 18, 2022
Getting outdoors wasn’t very appealing last week. Temperatures were just too cold for even...MORE...
November 11, 2022
I spent a couple of days fishing for trout and walleye on Rufus Woods last week. I needed to get some fish for the smoker...MORE...
November 4, 2022
I had several things to attend to last week, which stalled my outdoor...MORE...
October 28, 2022
I had a spectacular three days of fishing last week. I got up to Omak...MORE...
October 21, 2022
I took full advantage of the terrific fall weather and got out on the water a couple of times last week...MORE...
October 14, 2022
I had a couple of days of great fishing last week, getting a few fillets of triploid rainbow trout...MORE...
October 7, 2022
Anglers are enjoying beautiful fall weather throughout the region. I had a great day on...MORE...
September 30, 2022
This was a great week to be outdoors. I spent Monday at Moses Lake...MORE...
September 16, 2022
I am very excited about my plans for this week. I will be heading over...MORE...
September 9, 2022
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. I know for many...MORE...
September 2, 2022
One of the busiest weekends of the year is coming up. Thousands of anglers will...MORE...
August 26, 2022
Hot weather has meant early starts to get on the water before the temperature ...MORE...
August 19, 2022
Stormy weather kept me off the water on Lake Wenatchee for several days last week ...MORE...
August 12, 2022
I had another great week of fishing for sockeye on Lake Wenatchee. There was a lull in the bite when a storm ...MORE...
August 5, 2022
I was able to fish Lake Wenatchee on the opening day of sockeye fishing ...MORE...
July 29, 2022
Sockeye salmon have a very large fan base here in Central Washington. ...MORE...
July 22, 2022
The big news on the fishing front here in Central Washington is the huge return of sockeye salmon that has been arriving in...MORE...
July 8, 2022
There is a lot to be excited about for the salmon season in our region this year. If you follow the dam counts...MORE...
July 1, 2022
We were all complaining about how cold it had been this spring, and all of a sudden we can start complaining...MORE...
June 24, 2022
I covered a lot of territory last week. I fished a couple of days on Lake Roosevelt at Kettle Falls...MORE...
June 17, 2022
Dang, I am tired of rain. I have rescheduled fishing trips, video sessions and other things because of it this spring...MORE...
June 10, 2022
I have been encouraged by some warm daytime temperatures—finally—this year, and it has me very excited about the walleye fishing...MORE...
June 3, 2022
I can’t believe it’s June. It has been such a cold spring this year that everything on...MORE...
May 27, 2022
Typically, I have made a few trips to Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir and Banks Lake to fish for...MORE...
May 20, 2022
I had a week of low numbers with big fish, and a trip...MORE...
May 13, 2022
Along with the warmer days we get in the spring it can be windy throughout the region...MORE...
May 6, 2022
I had another terrific week of fishing here in North Central Washington ...MORE...
April 29, 2022
My wife Eileen and I visited several lakes to see how anglers were doing on the opening ...MORE...
.jpg)
April 15, 2022
I had a wonderful week on and off the water. It started....MORE...
April 8, 2022
There has been a sharp increase in the number of boats out on the water here in Central Washington....MORE...
March 25, 2022
Spring weather has anglers chomping at the bit...MORE...
March 18, 2022
I had a great weekend. The annual Burke Lake Trout Derby took place on Saturday...MORE...
March 11, 2022
As many of you know, my wife Eileen and I have hosted several trips...MORE...
March 3, 2022
Despite the prospect of finding many of the lakes in the Columbia Basin MORE...
February 25, 2022
Winter is being reluctant to release it’s icy grip. We even got a good shot of new snow up here MORE...
February 25, 2022
I did some exploring last week. I spent a short time fishing from the shore at Keller on Lake Roosevelt MORE...
February 18, 2022
The sunny skies we have seen throughout the region inspired me MORE...
February 11, 2022
There are a very good number of anglers enjoying the colder weather we’ve had this winter MORE...
February 4, 2022
Cold temperatures have been great for fans of ice fishing MORE...
January 28, 2022
The ice fishing season is on! Anglers are out on frozen lakes throughout the region MORE...
January 21, 2022
I had a great time last week traveling to four different ice fishing lakes up north was really fun MORE...
January 14, 2022
Like so many others here in Central Washington, I have been pretty much home bound MORE...
January 7, 2022
The ice fishing season is on! Anglers are out on frozen lakes throughout the region. I have reports of good catches of perch, MORE...
December 31, 2021
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. As we approach New Year’s Day we have extremely cold temperatures forecasted throughout the region. MORE...
December 24, 2021
I made a few trips to the middle net pens last week. We had very good success, limiting on most days. My last trip was on Sunday and fishing was tough. I am glad we MORE...
December 17, 2021
I had a really fun week of winter fishing again. This time I was able to get up to the MORE...
December 10, 2021
I have been trying my luck fishing from shore for rainbow lately MORE...
December 3, 2021
I had a terrific Thanksgiving Weekend. My daughter visited MORE..
November 26, 2021
Winter arrived with a good dump of snow in Leavenworth last week MORE..
November 19, 2021
I didn’t have a lot of success when I got out fishing this past week MORE..
.jpg)
November 12, 2021
Anglers are having very good success on the Icicle River for coho MORE..
November 5, 2021
I had so much fun fishing this week, it’s hard to believe it’s November. MORE..
October 29, 2021
I got out on the Icicle a couple of times this past week. It rained hard last Friday MORE..
October 22, 2021
I got out several times this week to sample some of our fall fishing opportunities MORE..
October 15, 2021
It was a great week of fishing and not catching for me. That’s the way it goes sometimes. MORE..
October 8, 2021
Anglers are having increased success fishing for salmon on the Hanford Reach for fall kings...MORE..
.jpg)
October 1, 2021
I hope you were able to get out on the water this week...MORE..
.jpg)
September 24, 2021
With the fall-like weather comes some really good news for fall fishing...MORE..
September 17, 2021
I had a very fun week. Got the chance to fish with my two brothers...MORE..
September 10, 2021
I hope everyone had a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend
MORE..
September 3, 2021
Can you believe it’s September already? Where did summer go?! Actually, I am not missing the...
MORE..
August 27, 2021
We are in a period of transition right now. Salmon fishing on the upper..
MORE..
August 20, 2021
I spent most of my week on Lake Wenatchee fishing for sockeye, and got...
MORE...
August 13, 2021
I have had a tremendously fun week of fishing. Lake Wenatchee MORE...
August 6, 2021
Salmon fishing continues to be the biggest draw for anglers here in the region... MORE...
July 30, 2021
I considered several options about where to fish this past week. I finally settled on ... MORE...
.jpg)
July 23, 2021
I had a great time this past week, fishing for sturgeon out of Kettle Falls on Lake Roosevelt... MORE...
July 16, 2021
Although temperatures have cooled a bit throughout the region... MORE...
July 9, 2021
The extremely high temperatures we’ve experienced throughout the region didn’t... MORE...
July 2, 2021
Man, it is a scorcher out there! I would like to get out fishing more,MORE...
June 25, 2021
I got out on the water a few times this past week. MORE...
June 18, 2021
I had a great time this past week. I had one of the best days of MORE...
June 11, 2021
A family wedding brought my daughter Whitney to the east side of the mountains MORE...
June 4, 2021
I hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial Weekend MORE...
.jpg)
May 28, 2021
I had a terrific time on the water this past week. I was on Moses Lake two days MORE...
May 21, 2021
I ticked off a couple of commitments this week and had a lot of fun doing it. MORE...
May 14, 2021
I had a great time last week. I traveled to the town... MORE...
May 7, 2021
I got out on the water a lot last week MORE...
April 30, 2021
Last weekend was the annual opener of the lowland trout lake MORE...
April 23, 2021
The weather was almost summer-like last week MORE...
April 16, 2021
In just a few days one of the most unusual MORE...
Dave Graybill
"The Outdoor Insider"
email: fishboynwi.net
or follow FishingMagician on Facebook
Get Currant Fishing Information at:
www.FishingMagician.com
Reports • Videos • Product Reviews
Free Quarterly E-Letter
© Copyright 2023 | All rights reserved