It’s hard to think of fishing for most of looking at iced in boat ramps and/or iced over lakes but the ice will likely thaw by the beginning of March and you’ll have some great opportunities for fishing when it does. Looking for some early-season trout and walleye ideas? Here’s a few for you:
LATE WINTER WALLEYE:
The Columbia River is the place to be in March for walleye as the big females get ready to spawn. In fact, this is the time of year to land a true trophy walleye. Traditionally, the bigger females have been targeted near the Tri-Cities but quality walleye can be found in The Dalles and John Day pools as well the Upper Columbia near Hydro Park in East Wenatchee, and in Rufus Woods Reservoir as well as the upper end of Lake Roosevelt.
When it comes to catching March walleye, try trolling a small spinner worm harness like a Mack’s Lure Slow Death Rig at a very slow speed (around 1 to 1.2 MPH). Once you find a school of fish you can jig for them. In addition to jigging for walleye with soft plastics on jig heads, you can also use metal blade baits or vertical jigs like a Mack’s Sonic Baitfish.
QUINCY LAKES TROUT FISHING:
The Quincy Lakes trout opener on March 1st is either a boom or a bust depending on the amount of ice remaining on this chain of lakes between Quincy and George which lie in a sizeable state wildlife area. The most popular lakes to fish are Quincy and Burke Lakes, which are both well-stocked with rainbow trout. There are also several small walk-in lakes southwest of these bodies of water that are stocked with smaller numbers of trout but which receive less pressure.
The opener often finds crowds of both day-anglers and overnight campers congregated close to the shore of the main two trout lakes, many of them in a festive mood, especially when early spring weather and sunshine is present. That isn’t always the case though, The Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce, which has hosted an annual trout fishing derby with prizes for kids and adults in the first half of March, is hedging their bets this year (as to whether the lakes will be ice-free) and will wait until March 22nd and 23rd to hold their event at Burke and Quincy Lakes.
TUCANNON LAKES TROUT:
The Tucannon Lakes, nestled in the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area and the Blue Mountains of Southeastern Washington, offer another March destination. Speaking with Kim Andersen at The Last RV Resort (the closest resort to these lakes), I learned two small lakes (Blue and Spring) are open all year and have historically received plants of 24,000 and 15,000 trout respectively.
Four additional lakes open on March 1st (Deer, Watson, Rainbow, and Big Four), though Anderson says since the area flooded a few years ago, Big Four Lake doesn’t really exist as such and should not be considered as a viable option. Asked which lakes fish best in early March, Anderson said Spring, Deer, Rainbow, and Watson Lakes all fish well when ice-free.
The Last RV Resort near Pomeroy has cabins, RV, and tent sites available along with a coffee bar. Anderson says they still have openings available for the popular March 1st opening day of trout fishing. www.thelastresortrv.com
LAKE LENORE TROUT:
If you are looking for some big trout to catch and release, consider a trip to the Columbia Basin north of Soap Lake and cast a line into Lake Lenore. You’ll find Lahontan cutthroat trout here, a species native to Nevada that was stocked in this very alkaline lake decades ago by WDFW. The trout commonly weigh two to three pounds but five to six-pound fish are not uncommon and there’s always the possibility of landing a ten-pound trout.
This was a very popular spring fishery in the 1990’s and early years of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, poaching efforts knocked down this fishery. Why anyone would want to take home fish that likely taste like soap, I do not know but enough people did that the fishing suffered.
Fortunately, the fish population has rebounded but despite that, the word hasn’t gotten out to most anglers and this place fishes under the radar. It is a selective fishery lake, where only single barbless hooks are allowed. If you are in a boat, you can only use an electric motor and your fishing net has to be knotless.
If you do decide to take a fish home you only get to take one and it must measure at least 18 inches long. There is plentiful shoreline access along the east side and at the north end of the lake though there are a couple of areas closed (marked by signage) by the inlet stream and irrigation pumping station towards the upper end.
Lake Lenore is a wonderful place to fish. The scenery of sagebrush and basalt cliffs is pleasant and the chorus of geese, ducks, chukar, and other wildlife add to the experience. The best times to fish Lake Lenore are in the spring (March and April) and again in the fall (late September through November).
In the spring, most of the trout are found at the northern end of the lake, cruising the shoreline in depths as shallow as three feet as they prepare to spawn. Fly fishing anglers target them from shore or float tubes and pontoon boats. The “go to” offering is a small black chironomid, fished under a strike indicator, in sizes 12 to 20.
Hardware anglers have success as well. You can use a spinner but you’ll likely be frustrated by all the grass floating in the water which limits the effectiveness of the spin itself. Instead, consider using a spoon. I’ve had good luck with Luhr Jensen Krocodile lures in 1/8th to ¼ ounce size. Hammered brass and orange as well as a frog-colored pattern have both worked well for me.
In the fall, the fish will be found further to the south, especially around the islands in the lake and casting or trolling for them from the boat can net you and your partner up to 35 fish a day if fortune smiles upon you. We’ll save that fall conversation for later though, because right now, it’s March and we’ve got fish to catch!
John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com