Gallery

fishing fishing
Here I am with a nice spring salmon that I landed recently while fishing with Jerrod Gibbons of Upper Columbia Guide Service. Fishing on the Icicle is excellent right now. One of the attractions to floating the Icicle River in Leavenworth is more than the fishing. Spotting wildlife, like this deer swimming the river, is very common.
fishing fishing
Eric Granstrom of Wenatchee shows off a nice smallmouth he caught near Lakeside Park at Lake Chelan. Brent Rhodes is pleased with the kokanee that was netted by Eric Grandstrom on Lake Chelan.
fishing fishing
Tom Vershuren shows off one of many triploid rainbow that he caught with me on Rufus Woods. Tom Vershuren helps display the triploid that his father-in-law Dave Wooldrige caught on Rufus Woods.
fishing fishing
There are rainbow in North Twin Lake on the Colville Reservation, but they are just yearling planters. The bass are a bigger attraction on North Twin. This was just one many we landed.
fishing fishing
Curlew Lake are a good 14 inches of full of fight. I had great luck on a trolled frog-patterned Flat Fish. Curlew Lake has a great population of largemouth bass and some of them are pretty large!
fishing fishing
Jeff Bryant got a kick out of catching kokanee on Lake Chelan, and really liked running the downriggers on the new Lund 1800 Sport Angler. This gill net was removed from Banks Lake recently. It was full of whitefish and a few walleye. Poaching like this is a threat at the lake.
fishing fishing
Kathy (left) and Bob Schmidt of Mack's Lure were on hand with the new HummBait at the Big Wally's tournament. There were 117 teams entered in the Big Wally's Classic Walleye Tournament, and Gordon Steimentz and new owner Greg Odan made sure they had fun!
fishing fishing
Gordon Steinmetz (left) and Dan Allen, tournament sponsor with Valley Marine in Yakima, brief the participants about the event. Gordon Steinmetz (left) introduces Greg Odan, new owner of Big Wally's to the participants in the Big Wally's Walleye Classic.
fishing fishing
The kokanee are running large this year at Lake Chelan. Most are between 11 and 13 inches. My wife Eileen finally got to go out in the new Lund 1800 Sport Angler provided by Valley Marine, Yakima.
fishing fishing
Jack Maughan really got a kick out of fishing for kokanee on Lake Chelan. Don Ford got more kokanee when I changed his Wedding Ring to the orange color on Lake Chelan.
fishing fishing
I love to catch walleye at Moses Lake, but I am starting to get the hang of smallmouth fishing there, too. Josh Fitzhugh caught on to catching walleye real quick on our trip to Moses Lake

fishing fishing
Bob Loomis of Advanced Tubular Composites had a blast catch kokanee on Lake Jeff Stroup shows off one of the kokanee he caught on his first try for them at Lake Chelan.

fishing fishing
Rollie Schmitten shows off a fat rainbow caught on a fly at Fish Lake. Dan Allen (right), shows a potential customer the new rail system that is available on Lund Boats. The system allows the placement of rod holders and downriggers anywhere along the gunnal and they can be moved in a jiffy.

fishing fishing
Bob Stroup of Leavenworth reels in a very nice rainbow at Fish Lake recently. Here I am with a typical rainbow caught this spring at Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee.

fishing fishing
Brandon Scott shows off one of the largemouth bass he caught recently at Big Bow Lake, near Rock Island. Evan Eichler knows how to catch bass at Big Bow Lake, too.

fishing fishing
Ian Dial caught this largemouth bass on Big Bow Lake using a large lizard. Rollie Schmitten (left) hooked this rainbow on the upper Yakima River. Jim Gallagher, owner of the Yakima River Fly Show in Cle Elum, is holding for the photo.

fishing fishing
Bill McGuire (left) is holding a plaque that was given to him by the Wenatchee Fly Fishers, for his many contributions to the sport of fly fishinng. Here I am with the fish I caught on the upper Yakima River, fishing with Jim Gallagher, owner of the Yakima River Fly Shop in Cle Elum.

fishing fishing
Burke Lake was still half frozen on the March 1st opener, but anglers still caught near limit numbers of nice rainbow on the lake. Dusty Lake was pretty much ice free on the opener, but high winds hampered fishing success. It should be great for fly fishers when the wind settles down.

fishing fishing
A customer discusses features of a Lund Boat at the Boat Show that is going on right now at the Wenatchee Valley Mall. Here is Dave Eichler releasing a nice wild steelhead on the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth. This is one of six steelhead landed by our party that morning.

fishing fishing
Dave Eichler's son Evan releases the big fish of the day on our outing on the Wenatchee River. We were disappointed that the season was closing! Here I am showing off one of the two hatchery origin steelhead I landed on our trip. The othes used a Cokie and yarn, I used a bobber and jig.

fishing fishing
There is plenty of ice and lots of anglers fishing for trout and perch near the Cove Resort on Fish Lake. A group of anglers troups across the ice at Fish Lake under the bright sunshine of a mid-February day.

fishing fishing
One of the attractions at the Yakima Sportsmen's Show was the Dog Weight Pull. A lone anglers is seen wading the fridgid waters of the Yakima River in the Canyon south of Ellensberg.

fishing fishing
A pair of anglers were staying warm by fishing from their driftboat on the Yakima River. A father helps his daughter hook a trout on "Lunker Lake" at the Yakima Sportsmen's Show.

fishing fishing
Here are two disappointed anglers fishing for perch near the bridge on Road 5 at the Winchester Wasteway. They had only had one bite and were about to give up. Here's my wife Eileen looking for anglers at the Coulee City Marina. We saw signs of anglers fishing through the ice, but they were gone, even on a nice day.

fishing fishing
This is a view of Park Lake with Blue Lake in the background. You can't see the lakes as they were shrouded in fog. This is the same view of Park and Blue lakes just about 30 minute later. The fog had lifed and it was a very beautiful sight.

fishing fishing
Ron Bruno was all decked out for the Wenatchee Sportsmen's Association Game Feed. He and other volunteer started in the kitchen at 6:30 a.m. to prepare wild game for the annual auction and dinner. This is an example of the finished product heaped on a plate of one of the diners at the Game Feed. Elk, venison, turkey, pheasant and smoked marlin were featured.

fishing fishing
Norm Gutzwiler urges kids to do their best at the ring toss game. The kids tried to hand a ring on a deer antler for a big prize. Tom Obregon (right) was the head chef for the Game Feed and has put his professional touch on the meals here for years. He is assisted by his brother Mike.

fishing fishing
Shown here is Dick Thompson, member of the Kittitas Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He won the State Award for Outstanding Volunteer of the Year from Trout Unlimited for his efforts to teach youth about fishing.
Glen Rose, president of the Kittitas Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, holds a plaque while surrounded with other members. The chapter won the award for the fastest growing chapter in the state of Washington.

fishing fishing
In the distance an angler and his dog leave the ice on Moses Lake near the I-90 Bridge. Anglers are in search of perch through the ice, and the hope is that the fishing will continue through ice-off.
Pictured here is the bridge on Road 5 that is the landmark for anglers who fish the Winchester Wasteway. This will be a popular spot when yellow perch show up to spawn.

fishing fishing
The first thing that Zach Austin from Twin Lakes does when he fishes Patterson Lake is drill a hole! Not long after Zach got done drilling a hole in Patterson, he hooked this 16-inch rainbow.

fishing fishing
Keith Roe of Winthrop shows off a 15-inch rainbow that was caught at Patterson Lake. Ice is getting thick at Potholes Reservoir, and anglers will soon be out on it trying for perch and trout.

fishing fishing
Shown here is Jeremy Kendall, owner of Central Fly Fishing in Wenatchee, enjoying a snowy early evening of fishing at Rocky Ford Creek. Here's Jeremy with a nice example of what anglers can expect to take right now at Rocky Ford Creek. It will be ice free and productive all winter long.

fishing fishing
Dave Eichler's son Evan shows off a pair of yellow perch taken from Patterson Lake, near Winthrop recently. Here I am with an example of the rainbow that people can expect to catch at Patterson Lake.

fishing fishing
Sun Mountain Lodge can be seen on the ridge just above Patterson Lake. Here's Evan with Zach Austin, who lives near Twin Lake at Winthrop with some Patterson Lake rainbow.

fishing fishing
When I visited the Pasco Sportsmen's Show I spent some time with my new boat sponsor, Valley Marine in Yakima. On the left is Max, the service expert, and on the right is owner Dan Allen. Here is some of the Hooked on Toys crew at the Pasco Show. They go down every year with a good selection of items for sportsmen. They will be at the Yakima Show in February, too.

fishing fishing
On the left here is Jarred Gibbons who is teaming up with Shane Magnuson, owner operator of Upper Columbia Guide Service. People will be able to book trip with both of them for salmon and steelhead. Here is Jim Teeny doing a fly tying demonstation on how to tie his famous Teeny Nymph. Jim has been giving fly anglers instructions for years at shows all over the country and fishes all over the world.

fishing fishing
This is the favorite area with kids at the Pasco show. There's a Trout Pond, a Bow and Arrow Ballon Shoot and an Air Rifle Range. Also found here is outdoor cooking demonstrations all weekend long. Doug Malsom from Tiffany's Resort on Curlew Lake was at the Pasco Show this year. Curlew Lake is known for great rainbow fishing, tons of largemouth bass and huge tiger muskie.
fishing fishing
Rollie Schmitten basks in the winter sunlight at Rocky Ford Creek, near Ephrata. This stream offers fly fishing on running water throughout the winter months, with rainbow to huge proportions. Rollie Schmitten tried the bobber and jig technique below Wells Dam for the first time recently, and boy did he like it. The upper Columbia River continues to provide good action for steelheaders using this method for steelhead.

fishing fishing
Shane Magnuson of Upper Columbia Guide Service grins over a bright steelhead caught this last weekend near Pateros. I am pleased with this nice buck taken while fishing with Shane Magnuson of Upper Columbia Guide Service. Fishing at Pateros continues to be very good.

fishing fishing
A couple of anglers fish the PUD point above Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia. Fish are taken here by patient steelhead anglers. There were no anglers at Roses Lake near Lake Chelan when I stopped by in the afternoon. There are thousands of catchable rainbow in the lake right now.

fishing fishing
My niece Katie is really putting on the pressure with a big triploid on the end of her line.  She got a kick out of reeling in the big ones on a recent outing to Rufus. Niece Rachael also caught her share of triploids at Rufus Woods Reservoir.  The trout seemed to like the fly rod the best and the kids loved fighting them on this rod.

fishing fishing
Bill McGuire, a legend in the world of fishing, is reeling in a Rufus Woods triploid rainbow. He caught so many that he couldn't even finish his lunch! This family is having a great time catching triploid rainbow at Rufus Woods Reservoir. Fishing continues to be very good at both the net pens at the top end and above the dam at the bottom end.

fishing fishing
Bob Mardian grins while battling a hefty rainbow at Rufus Woods Reservoir. Bob probably got the big fish of the day, casting a black Rooster Tail. Rollie Schmitten (left) poses with Kevin Van Buren after a very wet float down the Methow River. Steelhead were scarce, but Rollie and I are ready to go again!

fishing fishing
Gordie Northrup stuck to fly fishing on our recent trip to Rufus Woods Reservoir, and it paid off. Gordie easily caught the most fish tossing Wooly Bugger type flies. Rollie Schmitten (left) casts to a likely spot to find steelhead on the Methow River, as Kevin Van Buren, of North Cascades Fly Fishing looks on.

fishing fishing
Here I am with a triploid rainbow taken at Rufus Woods that is very typical of what is being caught at an incredible rate right now.  Thousands of trout of this size are being taken from the net pens to the dam at Bridgeport. Here is a shot of the shoreline picnic area and dock just above Chief Joseph Dam at Bridgeport.  Even shore anglers area having good success catching triploid rainbow on Rufus Woods right now.

fishing fishing
This where the biggest crowd of steelhead anglers gathered for the opener on the Wenatchee River.  You can see folks watching the fishermen from the walking bridge at Confluence Park. This raft is shown floating down the Wenatchee River on the opening day just above the Sleepy Hollow Bridge.  We passed it, but saw them land a fish when they stopped to fish a chute.

fishing fishing
I got this fish just 20 minutes into the opening morning on the Wenatchee River.  Shane Magnuson, of Upper Columbia Guide Service took me from Monitor to the mouth.  We boated just one keeper on the trip. Shane Magnuson, of Upper Columbia Guide Service is pretty pleased with this bright steelhead he landed on the upper Columbia River recently.  We boated three keepers on this trip.

fishing fishing
Don Adams is an old hand at fishing at Rocky Ford Creek, near Ephrata.  He had to say that the fishing on this recent trip was about the best he ever had. Shane Magnuson, of Upper Columbia Guide Service, had a ball catching steelhead on the Columbia near Pateros recently.  He actually go to land a few on this day!

fishing fishing
Here's a typical fall scene at Pateros, off the mouth of the Methow River.  Anglers are lining the docks and fishing from boats for steelhead on the main stem Columbia River. This is an example of what anglers in Pateros area after;  bright, fin-clipped, hatchery steelhead.  This is one of several fish that I hooked from the shore here recently, and it's a keeper!

fishing fishing
Here is one of many rainbow trout I caught on a recent outing to Rocky Ford Creek near Ephrata.  Rocky Ford offer great fly fishing year-round. Rollie Schmitten of Lake Wenatchee also had a great day at Rocky Ford Creek catching big rainbow with his fly rod.

fishing fishing
This is the crowd that showed up to learn about steelhead fishing on our area rivers at the free seminar hosted by Cascade Auto Center in Wenatchee. Shane Magnuson (left) speaks to the crowd about his tackle and tactics for taking steelhead on the upper Columbia River.  Jerrod Gibbons shared his tips, too.

fishing fishing
Don Bennett of the Wenatchee Valley Fly Fishers shows a youngster the finer points of tying flies.  The volunteers in the booth at the Wenatchee River Salmon Fest helped over 100 kids tie their first flies. One of the big attractions at the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival was the chance to paddle a kayak around the old hatchery raceway.  Blake Young from NuCanoe in Bellingham brought boats and helped out.

fishing fishing
Brent Rhodes, of the Big Show on KKRV Radio, shows off one of two kings he landed below Wells Dam recently.  Back-trolled, bait-wrapped plugs were my method of getting the hits. Representatives from the Wenatchee Sportsmen's Association "man" the booth at the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival.  The group conducts a variety of projects that benefit local fish and game.

Shane Magnuson, of Alpine Fishing Adventures in Pateros, shows off a 20-pound king taken in one of his favorite holes near Crab Creek below Wanapum Dam. Dan Schleiffers (left) is holding one end of a big king taken below Wanapum Dam.  He was fishing with Shane Magnuson and the fish weighed about 30 pounds!

Eric Grandstrom of Wenatchee is pleased with this king he caught while fishing with me below Wells Dam.  The fish smacked a bait-wrapped Kwikfish. Bob Bennett of Wenatchee also got a nice king fishing below Wells Dam on the same trip.  This 24-pound king also went for the bait-wrapped plug.

Glen Carlson of Wenatchee is pleased with his first fly-caught rainbow on the Icicle River.  Carlson is hooked on fly fishing now and loves the Icicle. My wife Eileen is shown here casting for small trout on the Icicle River recently.  The fall colors make the experience even more special this time of year.

Salmon were the target on this day below Wells Dam, but Dennis Beich, Region 2 Director for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, caught a surprise walleye. Dennis Beich did get a salmon on this trip.  This king hit a bait wrapped plug, back trolled below Wells Dam.  Now is prime time to look for late summer-run salmon and early fall-run kings.

I got a chance to sneak away to the San Poil River, and this is one of the rainbow that I landed.  The river flows from Republic into the Colville Indian Reservation. I also got to fish the Kettle River, near Curlew on the same trip.  I caught rainbow trout, brown trout and even a brook trout in the same hole.

Karen Oyler, of Wenatchee, decided to try fly fishing on the Icicle River, and on her first trip out she was looking like a pro.  She's anxious to get a rod and reel so she can do it more often. Is that the Wenatchee River?  Yup. Rollie Schmitten is taking part in a test fishery to see how many residual steelhead are in the river.  The test fishery was supervised by Art Viola of the Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Wenatchee.

Joe Arballow, of Wenatchee, shows off one of the smallmouth bass he landed on a recent trip to Banks Lake. Banks is a popular destination for anglers and recreational boaters throughout the summer months. Here's a bass boat fishing one of the canyons at the north end of Banks Lake.  Smallmouth bass are the attraction and thousands enjoy fishing for them nearly year-round on Banks.

Here's a shot of John Day Dam on the lower Columbia River. The river below John Day is a destination for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon anglers. The Klickitat River is a popular spot for steelhead anglers this time of year. It is a small, narrow and scenic river and the bobber and jig is a popular technique.

A steelhead is being netted from the shore just above the mouth of the Wind River, a triburary of the lower Columbia River. The fish was released. A bass angler can be seen working the shoreline on the lower Columbia River, with the Bridge of the Gods just above him. This was taken at Cascade Locks.

Here is a group of kids with their boat captains who are about to receive a plaque with a photo at the 17th Annual Cast for Kids event at the State Park at Potholes Reservoir. This event gets kids with special needs a chance to go fishing every year. Here is my gang of anglers who joined me on the water at the Cast for Kids event. From left they are John Jacholkowdki, Chris Start, Josh Start and Curtis Start.

Joseph (left) and Dan Oberg show off the rods that they built as part of the Rod to River program provided by YD Adventures at the Stillwater Ranch in Plain. The pair built their rods, got casting lessons and got to go on a backpack trip to Lake Augusta. Here is an example of the kind of rainbow that anglers can expect to take from the many small streams in our area that are open to fishing right now. When exploring new streams, be sure to take a buddy along.

Small, deep holes like this one will hold an amazing number of small rainbow, cutthroat or brook trout. This stream is a good example of pocket water. Wading through boulder fields like this can be tough, but each small pool promises rainbow.

The fish in the small streams of our region are usually little guys, but the streams are loaded with them and the action is amazing. One of the attractions of fishing on the small streams is the solitude and scenery. Surprisingly, you don't have to travel far off the beaten path to find both.

Matt Booth of Leavenworth stands in the bow of the Okanogan Valley Guide Service boat with two nice kings. They were caught while fishing with Jerrod Gibbons, owner of the service.

Jerrod Gibbons, owner of Okanogan Valley Guide Service is holding one of the fish his clients landed. The fish was taken below Wells Dam.

Shane Magnuson of Alpine Fishing Adventures hefts a king salmon estimated at over 40 pounds. One of his clients landed the fish below Wells Dam. I finally got out on the Columbia for kings and even had some luck. Here Rollie Schmitten holds up a jack salmon that he landed below Wells Dam.

Here's a scene on the Entiat River taken recently. Rollie Schmitten is shown casting for rainbow. The river is still a bit high and cold but will start fishing good soon! My wife Eileen takes a break on the trail that follows Jack Creek. The stream is one of the feeder streams to Icicle Creek.

Evergreen Reservoir near Quincy boasts a good population of smallmouth bass. This was one of four that I caught there recently. Evergreen also is also home to some fat largemouth bass. This one hit a plastic pencil-style lure that was cast to the shade of an overhanging bush.

Brent Rhodes, of the Big Show in the mornings at KKRV radio, shows off one of the Lahontan cutthroat that he caught recently while fishing at Omak Lake. Here I am with the first fish of the season on the Icicle River. The fly fishing for small trout should take off soon on the Icicle as the water drops and warms.

Don Adams, Leavenworth photographer and gallery owner, grins while fishing one of his favorite holes on the Icicle River. Stream fishing has finally arrived in some stretches of the Icicle. Joe Arballo of Wenatchee shows off one several smallmouth bass he landed while fishing on the Okanogan River. Fishing should improve here as the water warms and clears on the Okanogan.

Joe Arballo of Wenatchee poses with one of the smallmouth bass he caught on our trip to Moses Lake. The lake is loaded with smallmouth, in addition to walleye. Joe Arballo shows off the only walleye we boated on our trip to Moses Lake. We usually do a lot better on the walleye here and plan another trip.

I spent Father's Day with my brothers Rick and Lane and Dad Dave on Banks Lake. One of the bonuses of the great perch fishing we had was the scenery. Jerrod Gibbons, of Okanogan Valley Guide Service, shows off the bass he landed--after he broke his line! He grabbed the line on the surface and hauled it in.

Dave Eichler and his son Evan joined me for a trip to Roses Lake. We caught a mess of rainbow, some largemouth bass, bluegill and Evan got this catfish. I got a chance to fish Whitestone Lake, near Tonasket, for the first time recently. This largemouth bass was worth the trip.

For scenic beauty, it's hard to beat fishing on the Icicle River. Here a drift boat waits for a strike from a spring-run salmon on the of the drifts on the Icicle. The first bass fishing experience for this father and son team paid off handsomely. Christian Cazares (right) landed this huge largemouth bass on Roses Lake, beating the big fish of the day caught by his father Ernie earlier.

A family shows their fishing licenses to a member of the Wenatchee Sportsmens Association, who gave each kid a rod and reel that they got to keep. The rods and reels were provided by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Wenatchee Sportsmens Association members spent hours putting them together. Boating safey is one of the stops that kids made to get their fishing licenses at the Fishing Kids Day at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. Lynann DeJarnett, one of the hatchery staff, and a prime organizer for the event, is in the background teaching safety on the water.

Here I am with a nice smallmouth bass that I caught while fishing on Moses Lake. The lake has a great population of smallmouth and some largemouth bass, but is best known for it walleye fishing. Terry Rudnick, with Department of Fish and Wildlife Youth Education, came over to deliver T-shirts, hats for the volunteers and to help out with the event. Terry is very busy this time of year helping with Fishing Kids events all over the state.

Joe was really showing off this day on Moses Lake, catching the only walleye that we got to the boat. I am anxious to give Moses Lake another try for walleye. Typically we do a whole lot better on the walleye here. Joe Arballo, of the Central Washington Bass Club, shows off a smallmouth bass that he caught while we were on Moses Lake recently. We didn't spend a whole lot of time fishing, it was just too hot!

Buffalo Lake also has some great bass fishing. This largemouth was one of several taken in the afternoon after fishing for rainbow. McGinnis Lake is just three miles from Buffalo Lake, and is a brook trout lake. Don't expect to catch anything until the evening.

This is Reynold's Resort on Buffalo Lake. It offers RV hookups, camping, cabins and sells the Colville Tribal licenses that are required to fish the lake. Ron and Debi Walters of Wenatchee show off one of a whole bunch of rainbow they caught while fishing at Roses Lake, near Manson.

I watched Eileen to learn how to best get Rebecca Lake largemouth to hit. They really liked a stick bait that only was twitched after laying quiet on the bottom Eileen shows off one of the many largemouth bass that she landed at Rebecca Lake. Rebecca is just down the hill from Buffalo Lake.

Fish Lake is producing a good number of triploid rainbow. This one was landed by Greg Northrup of Seattle. Jonathan Taylor got quite a surprise while silver fishing at Lake Chelan. He hooked this 8-pound laker instead! This one of two lakers taken that day.

I even managed to land a couple of largemouth while fishing the Dunes. This one hit a huge jig, with a 5-inch lizard attached to it! Ken Lindley, of the Central Washington Bass Club, took me back into the Dunes at Potholes Reservoir, and caught this fat largemouth. Ken showed me the many channels and where to find largemouth this time of year.

Black Lake is in the Wenatchee Heights and is producing great catches of rainbow trout. It is a short walk from the road to the dike, where most people cast bait, lures or flies for their fish. This is an entrance to one of the channels in the Dunes at Potholes Reservoir. Sometimes you feel you are in the dephts of the Everglades of Florida when fishing here.

The silvers are starting to show up at Lake Side Park at Lake Chelan. Limits are possible for those who start early in the day and stick with it. Roses Lake rainbow are fat and sassy! It's not too difficult to take rainbow of 14 inches and better trolling Raplas, and I saw an angler take a 3-pounder from shore.

Jan Evans put the crank to a rainbow at Fish Lake. Jan would crank 'em up to the boat and I would lead to the net for Garrett. Garrett Evans shows off a trout taken by his son Jan. The two fished with me at Fish Lake recently and caught a nice mess of rainbow.

Here's a close up of an Omak Lake Lahontan cutthroat. It was taken at a trap that the Colville Tribe uses to gather fish for spawning. These aren't salmon, they're Lahontan cutthroat in the trap at Omak Lake. Some of the trout were over 30 inches long, and they are waiting for you!

The Okanogan River in the area of the Monse Bridge is a popular spot for smallmouth bass fishing. Although the river is very muddy right now, so big fish are being taken. Shane Magnuson of Alpine Fishing Adventures in Pateros shows off a nice smallmouth bass taken just above the mouth of the Okanogan River.

Cole Ramsey of Tukwilla shows off the rainbow that he and his dad caught on opening day at Blue Lake. Blue Lake produced a nice mix of catchable and much larger trout for opening weekend anglers. Eivind Forseth (left) and Don Adams pose during a break while fishing at Rocky Ford Creek. Forseth is the Project Coordinator for Healing Waters, a foundation that is using the teaching of fly fishing skill as therapy for those who have lost limbs through battle or accident. Adams is from Leavenworth and serves on the board of directors for Project Healing Waters. To learn more about the program, please click on the link on my Links Page.
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