by Dave Graybill, November 25, 2013

Bhrrrr. It’s getting chilly out there. The good news is that there continues to be sunshine to offset the cooler weather. Having the sun makes a huge difference when you are out on the water, and the fact that we haven’t had any wind to speak of either, really helps. This weather should last for a while, too.

Last Wednesday my fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten and I took advantage of this good weather for a trip to Bridgeport. I really wanted to spend some time on Rufus Woods, but since we were in the area we had to make a few drifts for steelhead below Chief Joseph Dam. We spent just a short time in three different holes and then headed up to Rufus Woods.

We ran up the reservoir a ways, to a spot that Schmitten wanted to try for walleye and put the gear down, which consisted of spinners and a nightcrawler. The lures weren’t in the water too long before he got a hit. He lifted his rod, missing the fish, dropped it back down and the fish inhaled it. I could tell by the way his rod was bent over that there was a good one on the end of the line. We got it to the surface and slipped it into the net. I dug around and found a tape measure and the walleye stretched it to 23 inches. Nice fish. We turned around and put the lures out again and Schmitten hooked another one. This one looked as big or bigger by the look of the rod bend, and then the line broke—bummer. We were short on time as I had to get back to Leavenworth for a meeting. We made a few drifts with our bobbers and jigs for triploids, but didn’t turn up anything.

I hated to leave the reservoir. Conditions were great. The walleye were biting and I know we could have caught some triploids if we would have had the time to spend fishing for them. This is the time of year when the triploid bite turns on and the weather is so nice. The water temperature was 53 degrees, so it is still warm enough to keep the walleye biting, too. I am very eager to get back up there again.

On Thursday I got to join a group of people that were getting an update on the major repairs going on at Rocky Reach Dam. I visited with the mayors of Entiat, Chelan and Wenatchee prior to the meeting and then we all got a tour. We were taken down to the floor of the generating room where one of the enormous turbine assemblies was dismantled. It turns out that the alarm systems were sending signals that something was wrong, and they were right. We got to see one of the shafts that was being etched inside the turbine and if it hadn’t been stopped and removed could have failed and done a huge amount of damage. Four of these turbines are being removed, repaired and replaced. There is a race against time. Not just for the loss of revenue while they are down, but to have the work done prior to the annual spring runoff. This could have negative impact on water quality below Rocky Reach Dam. Erratic flows and nitrogen saturation were my concerns, and they are shared by the crew working on the repairs. You can learn more and get updates on the progress of this project by logging onto chelanpud.org.

By far the biggest gathering of anglers in North Central Washington wasn’t at any of the popular fishing areas in the region. It was at the Coulee City Assembly of God Church. Here friends and families gathered to say their last goodbye to Gordon Steinmetz. The church was overflowing and a hundred others watched on a television screen in the adjoining reception hall. Many of those in attendance shared their stories of their fishing experiences with Steinmetz, and also their working relationships with him and his wife Marge at Big Wallys. It was a wonderful tribute to a man whose life touched so many in the Coulee City community and beyond.

As we approach the Thanksgiving celebration I am thinking of all the things that I am thankful for. The love and support of my family is number one. I am also blessed with a kind and patient wife, Eileen, who not only puts up with my fishing absences but also has made huge contributions to what I do. She made the videos that got the Fishing TV Show started, and continues to edit my columns and feature stories. I am also very thankful for all of the sponsors that continue to support my activities. I hope you all understand that I couldn’t provide the information that I share with you in my reports or the videos of the fishing in our region without their advertising through my newspaper and radio reports, on my video shows and my web site. Please let them know if you appreciate what I do.

Also, I have the information on the trip to Belize this spring available on my web site. If you have ever wanted to spend some time in this friendly country fishing and enjoying this tropical paradise, check it out. You can just go to my website (FishingMagician.com) and click on the Travel button at the bottom of the navigation list.

All my best to you and yours for the Thanksgiving Holiday and I hope you get a chance to celebrate the long weekend out of doors!

By Dave Graybill

FishingMagician.com