by Bob Johansen, October 08, 2007
For the camping, boating fisherman.
September and October in eastern Washington can be a camping fisherman's dream come true. The weather is often ideal with temperatures in the low seventies. The wind, which can be such a nuisance in the spring, has usually calmed to a light breeze and sometimes there is no wind at all.
In addition to the pleasant weather, fall is the time of the year when most species of fish seem to go on their annual feeding frenzy.
One of my favorite fall camping-fishing destinations is the Scooteney Reservoir, located about 13 miles southeast of Othello. Scooteney is an enlargement of the Potholes Canal and covers about 685 surface acres. The northern portion, where the launch ramps are located, is about 425 acres and the southern section about 260 acres.
The lake level is controlled by a flood gate at the south end and consequently does fluctuate quite a bit. Boaters with outboards should definitely keep it slow until they get familiar with the lake at its current level. There are many rocky hazards just under the water's surface that could cause severe prop or lower unit damage to engines of boaters race around the lake with reckless abandon. Keeping a sharp eye on your video sonar helps, but in some areas of the reservoir, the depth changes very fast.
Scooteney Reservoir offers very good fishing for a wide variety of fish species.
Perch are probably the most plentiful fish specie in the reservoir and are probably the easiest to catch. In my opinion, they are also the best eating fish that swims in the great northwest. When filleted, dipped in an egg-milk mixture, rolled in cracker crumbs and fried in hot oil to a golden brown, the yellow perch will tempt almost any palate. I know there are some walleye who may disagree with me about the yellow perch being number one as table fare and they are entitled to their opinion. After all, taste is in the tongue of the beholder.
One of the best methods to catch perch is still fishing from a boat in 15 to 25 feet of water. Worms or small pieces of fresh perch meat, fished just off the bottom, can often result in as many perch as you would want to filet. Fishing worms and bits of perch meat in the reservoir can also attract the other species of fish. Once, I even caught a 5 pound rainbow trout while fishing for perch with light spinning gear and using a small piece of perch for bait.
Bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish are also plentiful throughout the reservoir and are most consistently caught in five to eight feet of water. Worms and small 1/32 ounce jigs seem to be a couple of the most effective enticement for these tough little fighters. Bluegill are schooling fish, so if you catch one, it often pays to anchor and fish that spot as long as they keep biting. A few years ago, my wife and I caught about 50 very large bluegill from one spot. Those fish averaged nearly a pound apiece. Inch for inch, these little scrappers are considered one of the toughest fighting fish in fresh water. And, they are not bad when it comes to table fare either.
Crappie are also present in the reservoir and can be one of the easiest or one of the most difficult to catch. At times, a school of active crappie can be caught as fast as you can cast your offering. Other times, they are so finicky, you may have to fish long and hard to catch enough for dinner. Small 1/32 ounce jigs, with or without a bobber are effective lures. White or yellow seem to be the most productive colors but at times a red/white or a green/white combination also works well. The addition of a piece of worm to the jig will sometimes increase the number of strikes. I have seen anglers fishing from the high bluffs shoreline area catch dozens of big crappie on small white and yellow jigs. Those anglers find places along the bluffs where they can climb down near the water with their rods and buckets.
Walleye seem to be getting more and more plentiful throughout the reservoir and are now the target fish of a growing number of anglers. Walleye can be attracted by a variety of different lures, especially if it has a piece of night crawler attached to it. Many are caught incidentally by anglers trolling a Wedding Ring Spinner with a piece of worm attached for "whatever wants to bite."
Largemouth and smallmouth bass are a couple of the most sought after fish species in Scooteney Reservoir. Although not nearly as prolific and plentiful as the yellow perch, bluegill and crappie, they are numerous enough to attract lots of bass anglers and even some bass tournaments. The tournament anglers handle their catch with care and all fish are gently released after being weighed. They know a nice bass is too valuable a resource to enjoy catching only once. Some of Scooteney's bass grow to rather impressive sizes with smallmouth ranging up to about four or five pounds and some of the largemouth pushing the scales up to about seven pounds -- or maybe a little more.
Most standard bass lures are effective for these lunker bass. Quarter ounce and 3/8 ounce jigs and spinnerbaits with live rubber skirts will generate strikes from largemouth and sometimes the smallmouths. My favorite colors are black or white and I like to add an action tail plastic worm as a trailer to both lures. The lures seem to attract more strikes when "sweetened up" with a little fish formula. Six inch plastic worms and lizards also work well for the largemouth. Black, black with chartreuse tail, grape and blue are all good color choices for worms.
Smaller plastic worms, plastic grubs and crankbaits will tempt the smallmouth. Crankbaits also work well for the largemouth. Although both species can be caught on the same lures and their habitats often overlap, each has definite preferences. The smallmouth prefer the gravel cobblestone areas with little or no aquatic vegetation. The largemouth, on the other hand, like plenty of cattails, reeds, weeds and other aquatic vegetation. When specifically targeting smallmouth bass, it's probably a good idea to select lures that are a little smaller.
Besides being a great fishing lake, Scooteney now has a beautiful almost new campground – Well, by now it’s probably not considered almost new anymore. I have fished the reservoir for many years dating back to the old primitive campsites. Anyway the campground is located right on the lake shore in the same location as the old Bureau of Reclamation campground. As a visitor to the old campground, years ago, I can tell you that the location and the numerous mature poplar trees are about the only similarities of the two parks.
The newer park features new modern restrooms but no showers. There is lots of lush green lawn and all campsites provide paved parking, a picnic table and a fire ring. The entire area is nicely landscaped with trees and shrubs.
There are also two new concrete boat launching ramps with a dock adjacent to the campground. The launch area provides a large paved parking area for tow rigs and their trailers. The old concrete launch ramp, located about a mile south of the campground, is also a good
launch area for trailered boats.
Two new fishing docks and a fishing platform are also among the nice amenities of the new park. The fishing docks are quite popular with anglers without a boat or when it is too windy to fish from a small boat. I have fished from the docks a bit and caught smallmouth bass, crappie, perch and bluegill. I saw another angler catch a large carp from the dock that really put the test to his light spinning gear. Some overnight campers use the docks to moor their boats.
The last time I camped there, the overnight camping fee was $10.00 or $5.00 for seniors with a Golden Age Card. It was self registration so you needed the exact change or your check book. If you enjoy fall camping in eastern Washington and angling for mixed fish species, give
Scooteney a try. I think you'll like it.
To get there, follow Highway #26 to just east of Othello. Turn right (south) at the junction with Highway #17. Follow Highway #17 south for 10.4 miles to the Scooteney
Reservoir. Recreation Area sign will be on your right going south. Scooteney is just west of
Highway #17.
