Author: John Kruse

Posted: 5/25/2020

FISH AND WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC On May 13th a regional news outlet reported the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife issued 17 fishing violations and three land use (trespassing) violations in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties during the month of April when fishing and access to state public lands were closed. I spoke with Captain Mike Jewell with WDFW about this. ...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 5/21/2020

Memorial Day weekend is heralded as the kick off to the summer camping season but the COVID-19 pandemic will change that this year. In Washington, the majority of state parks (except for several in the Columbia River Gorge and along the Washington Coast) are open for day use but they will not open up for camping until at least June 1st. That’s when the majority of the state is poised to move int...

Author: Mike Schmuck

Posted: 5/13/2020

Editor's Note: This is a great list of lakes that WDFW recently stocked. Thanks to Mike Schmuck, WDFW District 5 Fisheries Biologist — WDFW Region Two for this great list of places for you to explore in Washington's Grant County! Martha Lake and Upper Caliche Lake: These lakes, near the town of George, WA, should produce well in spring 2020. In addition to fingerling Rainbow Trout, both lakes r...

Author: Hannah Pennebaker

Posted: 5/9/2020

Two weeks ago, Washington state governor Jay Inslee announced the re-opening of state parks and hunting. Fishermen all over the state held their breath, and cheered as he announced re-opening recreational fishing on May 5, albeit with some restrictions still in place on coastal fisheries. A few days later, WDFW announced the release of over 400,000 triploid trout into Riffe Lake. This is exciting ...

Author: Jason Brooks

Posted: 5/9/2020

It has been glamorized in movies and books, put atop a pedestal and thought to be for “elitist”, but fly fishing is not for the monarchs and quintessential angler. Though those that tout split bamboo rods, hand tied caddis, and wide brimmed hats with matching vest don’t want to admit it but fly fishing is simple and doesn’t have to be done with a fly rod at all. No need for a “five count rhyth...

Author: Rick Lawrence

Posted: 5/9/2020

In these trying times we all need a way to occupy our time. So why not take a crack at making your own baits. I will show you how to make your own molds so you can either copy a bait you like that you can’t get anymore or to make something of your own design. First there are 4 commonly used materials to make molds for soft plastic baits from. The best and most expensive is a custom CNC machined al...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 5/9/2020

The April 25th lowland lakes trout opener didn’t go off as scheduled, but fish plants did all over Washington this spring and the weeks ahead should be very productive if you want to catch stocked trout of various sizes along with holdover fish from last year. The next question is, what’s the best way to do it? If you have a boat, kayak, canoe or float tube you can access places shore anglers ...

Author: Mike Carey

Posted: 5/9/2020

Fishing is in my blood, a strand on my DNA sequence that sticks out a little farther than the rest. It drives me, creating a wanderlust I can't ignore. If I go to long between fishing trips an itch begins deep inside and builds into a raging fever if left unanswered. "Go FIshing Now!", my DNA strand commands. OK, maybe that's a little dramatic. I don't go into rages... but I do feel it as a deep-...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 5/1/2020

Hunters and anglers are heading out to the water and into the woods again beginning May 5th following announcements by Governor Jay Inslee’s and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that these activities are once again legal. In Central and Eastern Washington, all seasons will open exactly as they normally would be on May 5th. Spring turkey season also opens on the 5th as does sprin...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 4/24/2020

On April 8th, David Bernhardt, the Secretary of the Interior, announced his intention to open up more than 2.3 million acres across America for increased fishing and hunting opportunities. This would occur as early as this fall on 97 national wildlife refuges and 9 national fish hatcheries managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS). This is part of a push by President Donald Trump’s...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 4/12/2020

One of the best-known episodes from the classic television series, “The Twilight Zone”, was about a bespectacled bookworm named Henry Bemis. All he wanted to do was read books undisturbed but life for this bank teller just got in the way. That was, until he emerged from a lunch break in a bank vault to find the world had come to an end thanks to a nuclear war and he was the sole survivor. This ...

Author: John Kruse

Posted: 4/5/2020

COLUMBIA HILLS STATE PARK – A NICE PLACE TO VISIT WHEN YOU CAN Last week’s edition outlined all of the public lands that were open in Washington State, albeit with several restrictions. We edited that column several times, trying to keep up with the rapid changes coming at us as state and federal agencies revise rules while combating the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, changes continued ...