JUNE RAINBOW TROUT: UPPER KLAMATH LAKE, OR Galesville Reservoir, OR, Mixed Bag: Target trout, landlocked coho salmon, and largemouth bass. Now this fly-fishing-only lake supports both. Davis was traditionally a trophy rainbow-trout lake until largemouth bass were illegally introduced. OTHER OPTIONS: Davis Lake, OR, Trout/Largemouths. Horn Rapids Park is a great home base while fishing the river. The river fishes best from a boat, as private land restricts bank access to areas around boat launches. When the temperature trends upward and the flow is reported less than 4,500 cfs at the USGS gauge at Kiona, the smallmouths come to spawn and intercept the fall Chinook fry heading down to the Pacific. Several state-maintained, water-access sites lie downstream from Horn Rapids. From Prosser to Chandler Powerplant, the river can be shallow, rocky and rarely gets fished. Bounded by private land, the upper river is accessible by launching inflatables via rough sites ferreted out with GoogleEarth. The lower 40 miles of the Yakima River, from Prosser to its mouth at Kennewick, is smallmouth country. Deschutes River, OR, Trout: The lower river redband trout take flies, and holdover summer steelhead can make things interesting. OTHER OPTIONS: Umpqua River, OR, Chinooks: The river, from its mouth upstream to Scottsburg, fishes best from a boat. Troll in an east-to-west pattern, or you’ll be met with tangled lines, harsh words and, perhaps, more. Keep the bait close to, but not on, the bottom, as Drano is filled with gear-wrecking woody debris. Boaters run bait-wrapped MagLips, plug-cut herring and juiced-up prawn spinners. Drano Lake is the best place to catch them! Formed by Bonneville Dam and fed by the Little Wind River, this backwater of the Columbia River collects Chinooks that leave the riverway, swim under the bridge, and come face to face with bank- and boating anglers. Some say Columbia River springer Chinooks are the best-tasting fish in the river. Coffeepot Lake, WA, Trout: Cold weather means the trout will be deep, eating red or black chironomids. OTHER OPTIONS: Row River, OR, Trout: Close to the Eugene metro area, the river runs low and clear before spring runoff. Primitive camping is allowed in the parking lot but bring your own water. Other nearby trout-fishing options - Merry Lake and Nunnally Lake - can make it a weekend destination. Float tubes or small pontoon boats make access easy beyond the heavy shoreline vegetation. Designated by the WDFW as a “selective gear” fishing site, anglers are limited to fly-fishing or lures with single-point hooks only. Lenice has proved to be a consistent early season producer. MARCH RAINBOW TROUT: LENICE LAKE, WAĮxpect plenty of feisty 16- to 18-inch rainbow trout on the opener in this desert “seep” lake. Puget Sound, WA, Trout: Cast small Clouser minnows in pink/white or chartreuse/white at this catch-and-release fishery. OTHER OPTIONS: Umpqua River, OR, Steelhead: Find good boat access from Elkton downstream to Sawyer’s Rapids for big fish. Cottage Grove Pond, OR,Trout: This urban pond in Row River Nature Park features a fishing dock and plenty of trout. OTHER OPTIONS: Alsea River, OR, Steelhead: Use corkies with a piece of bright yarn, eggs or even a sand-shrimp tail. Try Pautzke’s Fire Bait or a night crawler on a slip sinker, crayfish- or sculpin-patterned flies, or a brown Rooster Tail. A shorter run but a longer trailer haul is from the north by launching at Seatons Grove. Boat access from the south is a 40-mile slog upriver. Much of the fishing centers around the hatchery net pens where rainbows gather. Long known for giving up big rainbow trout ranging into the upper teens, Rufus Woods is a 51-mile remote reach of the Columbia River flowing between Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams. Images by Vic Dunaway JANUARY RAINBOW TROUT: COLUMBIA RIVER/RUFUS WOODS, WA
#Kingfisher lite fast troll license
And a fishing license will lead you to any and all of them! Truth be told, an incredible variety of cold-water, warm-water and saltwater fishing keeps local anglers busy all year. Some fishermen believe only cold-water fish swim in Oregon and Washington lakes, rivers and streams.