You can also head up Linde Coulee, the big finger at the southeast side of the reservoir, in the spring and fall for some great opportunities. I checked on Moses Lake last week and found most of the lake ice free. I drove down to Blue Heron Park and checked on the boat launch. Winter is the most difficult season in which to catch Bluegill, but persistent anglers can find them in schools of like-sized fish offshore. Catch improves in Fall as waters cool, vegetation begins to die back, and prey becomes more available. In fact, weve boated 15 lb. Next morning, the sun was out, we decided to troll for pike. Panfish: Look for crappie, perch, and bluegills back in the sand dunes in the willows in 6-10 feet of water. In July and August troll very slowly with a 3/8 oz. Though it's been nearly 2 years, I finally made it up to Le Domaine Shannon for the free trip with my older son Ari. Walleye fishing on Potholes with BJ & Dave BJ and Dave fishing for walleye on Moses Lake Double click here to add text. Outpost camps are usually fly-in but many outfitters also have remote boat-to outpost camps. Bass are abundant in Potholes. Part of the fun of fishing any lake is learning all about the lake itself. Oh, and in case you didnt know, Potholes has some pretty great walleye fishing of its own. Fish move offshore into deeper waters through the fall as water temperatures cool making it more difficult to target them. The bag limits are generous, allowing for 8 walleye and 10 pike per license, as they are located in Zone 14. We kept the deep divers on, and sure enough I hooked into 3 pike that morning, only 1 was big enough to keep. The Lower Monumental area creates perfect habitat for pitching swim baits and other plastics. As our walleye bag limit was already full, we headed back to the main lodge to determine if there were other lakes we could attempt for some of the monster pike we saw mounted in the lodge. The scientific name for Walleye is Sander Vitreus. Well target as many of our spots that we have marked on the fish finder over the course of the day until we find a large population of fish. The lake is directly east of the Lady Evelyn Smoothwater Provincial Park and also the Obabika River Provincial Park which includes the southeast corner of the lake. Follow the contour of the shore staying in that depth range. Bluegill can be caught year-round, but fishing is best in the warm months of Summer. The lake was calm for the first time, slight rain falling. Fish a DS Fry or Bobby Garland Baby Shad under a slip bobber. Lady Evelyn Lake has nearly every kind of natural structure imaginable with its rock islands, sand islands, grass bays, long grass shoals, rock walls, stream and river beds, water falls and streams bubbling noisely as they enter the lake with fresh cool oxygenated water. Although we have 60 years combined walleye fishing experience, our guides continue to raise the bar. A couple minutes later, we spotted a mid sized black bear crossing the road. Winter is the hardest time because fish are offshore and slow moving. At times, the population of yellow perch at Potholes Reservoir is impressive, though the fish might run on the small side when they are so abundant and sizes can be larger when numbers are down. Mid-spring, around May, can be epic for walleye fishing. After filleting it and having a nice steak BBQ for lunch, we headed back to the lake. Potholes Reservoir Fishing Trips Potholes Reservoir is located about 7 miles south of Moses Lake and offers a variety of warm-water species fishing. Small creeks dump in and make for prime bait fish water. When Northwest Bass, a competitive fishing organization, held its first tournament at Potholes Reservoir in 2019, organizers thought it was going to be an annual occurrence. Send us a message with your guided Potholes Reservoir hunting or fishing trip questions or to book your trip! You wash your worms in spring water, lake water or well water. The most popular fish species for anglers on Lady Evelyn Lake are walleye (pickerel to Canadians), smallmouth bass and northern pike. One of the prizes was a week long, bear hunting and fishing trip to Le Domaine Shannon. Read all the details about the entire process by clicking on Mowatt Landing to Garden Island Lodge. Walleye tough, bass fishing good on Potholes Reservoir Alexander from the west side caught this beautiful Potholes Reservoir walleye while on a guided trip with Levi Rodello of Ross Outdoor. You can't use city water because it's chlorinated. Big walleye here can be pushing 30 inches and 10 pounds. Trophy walleye in general on Lady Evelyn will bite best during the last hours of daylight. There are multiple businesses around the area to rent boats, kayaks, canoes and other small watercraft. The other prominent panfish found at Potholes are bluegill, although they get relatively little attention here. During the winter, early-spring, and fall months, trout fishing can be very good for rainbows up to and exceeding 20 inches. It takes roughly three hours from there. Temperatures can reach the 90s so if youre interested in swimming with a 10-foot sturgeon, combine your walleye with a sturgeon trip. Corral and Blythe lakes have continued to produce keeper-sized trout and a few holdovers. Green pumpkin color works well through here. Fishing peaks before and after the spawn, with the spawning period (April) being more difficult. We could have fished out the whole school, but our second bag limit was full again, and the mission was accomplished. Lodges: Most lodges in Ontario offer multiple levels of accommodations, which is usually a main lodge with lakeside cabins or cottages. The islands found in the main lake will offer fast smallie action, so target the usual hard cover areas and have fun. This lake is perfect for every all water sports, fishing and just taking in the sun. You can also use a 3-way swivel rig with a 1 oz. We get asked the question a lot, when is the best time of the year to fish. The city of Moses Lake has all the amenities you may need, and its namesake lake also has excellent walleye fishing. Walleye have a slot limit of 12 - 22 inches at the fork, and pike must be over 24 inches. A cooperative net penoperation between WDFW and MarDon Resort releases 50,000 sub-catchable(6-8 inch) Rainbow Trout. Fishing, bird watching, kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, swimming, and the list goes on. According to WDFW regional biologist Jeff Korth, it provides decent fishing for walleyes up to 8 pounds. Tributaries from small rivers and creeks create perfect spawning areas. The southern end is loaded with rocky structures that smallmouths rule. I was sure it was over the slot limit, but as it only measured 21.5 inches at the tail fork, so we kept it. Kayak angling is an excellent option for getting into the shallower areas at the back of the reservoir. These toothy critters arent the most aggressive biters, so you need a rod with a sensitive, fast-action tip. The Snake has many turns and bends to its winding waterways. The reservoir is starting to fill slowly as water is released from Moses Lake. First I tried washing all the dirt off the worms and putting them in a container with damp moss. While both school up, perch are more of an open-water fish than crappie. For example: If you fish the Niagara River you can actually see chemicals boiling up from under rocks forming oily slicks on the surface of the water yet the government lists the Niagara River as one of the top 5 fishing destinations. Learn how to adjust to a beautiful, calm summer day for some great walleye fishing on Potholes Reservoir with guide, Shelby Ross. The 28,000-acre lake in Central Washington stays open year-around and is home to Walleye fishing, Bass fishing, Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill. With this in mind, youll find a little more fishing pressure. The majority of Walleye were caught by anglers during May and June, with many anglers fishing the mouth of Crab Creek and along the face of the dunes. Watching the water explode as a bucket mouth smacks the jig is one of the best adrenaline rushes. Potholes Reservoir is located about five miles south of the city of Moses Lake off Highway 262, depending on the part of the reservoir youre going to. The Snake typically fires up a little earlier than its big brother, Columbia River. Here are some more techniques and helpful tips for yellow perch fishing. We find schooling walleye on flats inside current breaks. Walleye fishing in the Pacific Northwest has vastly become one of the hottest destination fisheries in the United States. I bet you would not even think about drinking one glass of water out of Lake Ontario. Summer is a slight lull though dawn/dusk hours can be very good. Summer is a slight lull, while Fall sees an improvement as waters cool, vegetation dies back, and prey becomes more available. Our Columbia River fishing covers Tri-Cities, Umatilla, Boardman, Irrigon, Crow Butte, Hanford Reach, Lake Wallula, Lake Umatilla, McNary Dam, John Day, Rufus and Kettle Falls. We guarantee at least 8 hours of fishing, cleaning and bagging your catch, and a great overall fishing experience. Whether you target largemouth or smallmouth, there is a place for you at Potholes. Launch or moor your boat. Watch as Mark. Vernon used worms from the store and I used my clean newspaper worms. All speices and any time. The Columbia River has lots of channels adjacent to hard bottom flats that extend up to points creating breaks from the rivers current. Potholes Reservoir is one of the waters on which we conduct our annual Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN) surveys. Fishing this section offers us the luxury of accessing the Columbia river. From a boat troll Dick Nite Spoons, bobber fish or still fish on the bottom. A spec. Your chances of limiting out on decent-sized walleye is quite good in the spring and fall. We bumped into some American anglers that make the 600 mile trip from Pennsylvania each summer to fish Lac LeNotre for walleye. Bigger fish are being caught farther back in the dunes in 4-10 feet of water by anglers fishing swimbaits, swim jigs, chatter baits, and flukes. Smallmouth feed best near long points and islands that have lots of fist sized broken rocks. Since the original damming was done without government permission the area was never officially cleared or prepared for the flooding. Potholes experiences a summer/fall draw down as irrigation draws water from the lake to support local agriculture. If you are planning on staying for an extended time, check out the private rentals available nearby. Email me at gary@walleyeheaven.com. Fishing is year-round. This time, the waves were a lot bigger than the previous day, made trolling just about impossible. Walleye, smallmouth, largemouth bass. By the time they reach 30 inches it's most likely around 20 years old. Lady Evelyn is a massive lake region which can be divided mentally into four distinctly different fishing sections. Lake whitefish native to the upper Midwest have populated much of the Columbia River and its interconnected reservoirs over the years. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for updates on Canada Fishing Trips, Trips, and more to help you plan your perfect Canada fishing trip! Try tossing them a bubblegum trick worm on a 3/0 hook. , Walleye, Bass, and Trout, Walleye have been bitting macks worm harnesses and Blade baits also try using the new Big Als 49er's. Trout have been found hugging the bottom worms with a piece of power bait on the tip . Potholes is considered by many to be one of the best bass fisheries in the Pacific Northwest, especially among locations with good numbers of both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Though cyclical in nature, at times Potholes Reservoir really earns its status among the best crappie fishing lakes in Washington. We also fish hard around the Irrigon, Boardman, Patterson, Crowe Butte and John Day areas. PLEASE PLAN AHEAD- I AM NOW BOOKING TRIPS FOR SPRING 2023. In the hope that you catch a trophy, well be happy to take measurements and pics for your taxidermist. The Potholes Reservoir is part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. Fill out the info below and someone from will get back to you. Ontario has thousands of the best lakes and Walleye fishing is more popular and in more demand than all other sportsfish put together. We arrived at our cabin around 8:00 AM, unloaded out gear and loaded the boat. Apparently their dad has been going there for 47 years! Lady Evelyn Lake is no exception and is located within a geographical area that is steeped in such a rugged and spectacular history that it is far too encompassing to give complete details here. Largemouth bass: The largemouth fishing continues to be good back in the sand dunes. I hooked my first walleye of the trip with 5-10 minutes, a nice 16 inch keeper. If you want to browse trips in a different province select the Province you want to view under Browse Fishing Trips. copyright 2023 Columbia Basin Herald Also, considered the Burbank Heights, this section still belongs to the Snake river. Fishing Sturgeon With Herring & Squid. Walleye were introduced to this part of the country in the early 1960s and since have flourished in our river systems. Potholes Reservoir is a 28,000 acre man-made lake contained by O'Sullivan Dam, which is the longest earthen filled dam in the United States. Today access to Lady Evelyn Lake is accomplished by crossing the Montreal River and then a short hike around the Mattawapika Dam to the docks located on the lake. They can be caught in good numbers on the hard deck, along with the occasional walleye or other species mentioned in this article. The wind and cloud cover helped, and within a few minutes I hooked into a bigger walleye, turned out to weigh 4.5 lbs. You are now viewing trips in Quebec. Grab your 5- or 6-weight rod and as many bass poppers as you can because the sand dune islands supply great action. Crappies are found in good numbers up Crab Creek around the beaver lodges. Potholes Reservoir is a very large freshwater lake located in Grant County, Washington. You could say mining, forestry and Walleye drive the northern economy. MACK'S LURE, MACK'S LURE LOGO, DOUBLE WHAMMY, KOKANEE KILLER, HOT WINGS, PROMISE KEEPER, FLASH LITE, WALLY POP, SLEDGE HAMMER, WEDDING RING, SMILE BLADE, GLO HOOK, ROCK DANCER, HUM DINGER and CHA CHA are trademarks of Mack's Lure. The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and forms most of the border between Washington and Oregon. Small hooks with natural bait such as a garden worm or piece of nightcrawler will do the trick, usually fished near the bottom. Our guides never get tired of catching walleye, perch, bass, bluegill, and crappie on the 28,000 acres reservoir in Eastern Washington. I think right now the regulations are an experiment. The rivers sections have unique characteristics that make for variable fishing techniques. A few of us old timers still slip once in a while and call them Pickerel. Last year I drove down to check on the conditions at Burke and Quincy lakes and was surprised to see a bunch of anglers fishing on the ice at Burke. In addition to walleyes, Potholes has a good population of perch, crappie, smallmouth, largemouth, and bullheads. Keeper sturgeon can be retained in the slot between 53 and 63 inches, measuring from the tip of the snout to the middle fork of the tail. Lady Evelyn smallmouth bass are so prolific you will probably need to scale up your tactics and lures to consistantly catch the trophies. We chase walleye year-round on Pacific Northwests premier rivers and reservoirs. A large private resort, a state park, and several developed public access areas provide all necessary amenities for this large reservoir. Until the ice is off the lakes and the walleye start there pre-spawn staging. I also have tons of fishing tips, techniques and interesting research information to look at. There are many times well jig fish up in 30-40 foot of water and other times we catch them in 7-10 foot, pulling cranks or casting blade baits. I went with a Wally Diver, my son used a Blue Fox diver. Support our Sponsors! The docks are great for fishing as well. Summer fishing is excellent, with a lull during the heat of the summer, while Fall sees an improvement as waters cool, vegetation dies back, and prey becomes more available. The walleye in Potholes grow big from eating the abundant smaller fish found throughout the lake. It is located south of Moses Lake and is fed by water from Moses Lake which is part of the Crab Creek Reservoir. Please check out my deep water Walleye tactics from the menu above. Ratings and Reviews Powered by TripAdvisor. Walleye feed best on the shorelines and bays that are receiving the wind and therefore blowing in the baitfish. Over the next 2 hours, I managed another 2 walleye, my son landed 1 and lost 2 more, all keepers in the 1.5 - 2 lb range. Potholes experiences a summer/fall draw down as irrigation draws water from the lake to support local agriculture. We returned to the cabin just as the rain started falling, as we had been inside a cloud all morning. #1) Four fish with an Ontario sports fishing license and only one can be over 18.1 inches. Target the shelf and troll around 0.8-1.0 mph in the spring. The worms came back to life and became plump and juicy but no fish would not touch them; not even Perch. There are several lakes in Grant County that open on this date, but in recent years most of these lakes were still covered with ice. They have regulation #2 on that lake and in the last 5 years I have seen the Walleye fishing get better and better. It made the way in and out of the lake treacherous, as it's only about 1 foot deep in some spots, and is filled with boulders. There is one thing for certain: Walleyes everywhere love worms (night crawlers). There are also species of smaller baitfish like cisco but experienced anglers in Lady Evelyn . http://freshwaterphil.com/ledomaineshannon.cfm. However the lake also has lake trout (specks or speckled trout to Canadians), whitefish, yellow perch and bluegill. In the summer I find white and perch color are the best. We did mark a lot of fish on the fish- finder but had only caught one walleye before this big fish took my lure." . Fishing through the summer months can be enjoyable with nice warm weather and schooling fish. Once you find them, probably the easiest approach to catching bluegill is simply fishing a worm, mealworm or cricket under a bobber near hiding places. There are two boat launches on the reservoir's south end, and a Bureau of Reclamation campground. In the lake the Walleyes start to spawn as soon as the ice along the shore starts to melt. There are so many outdoor activities that you can do here. Walleye September - November Potholes Reservoir is a super popular fishery for the locals but in my opinion, a hidden jewel for anglers wanting to catch warm water species. Find more crappie fishing tips and techniques in our how-to article. First, it is best to ask the lodge owner what works. Noticing big schools of walleye on the sonar, we tied on bottom bouncers, followed by a 4 foot lead with a simple hook and worm on my rod, and a worm harness on my son's rod. You can't scare a northern pike when they are feeding! We did mark a lot of fish on the fish-finder but had only caught one walleye before this big fish took my lure." . 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