Fishing Articles
How to Really Pre-Fish a Bass Lake!
I was lucky enough to spend a week in Fort Worth, Texas this month covering the Bassmaster Classic, an annual event put on by B.A.S.S. called the “Super Bowl of Bass Fishing”. This year’s three-day tournament took place at Lake Ray Roberts, a reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1980’s. The lake, with over 29,000 acres of water, has brush piles in the deep water for habitat...
Members Hot Reports for June
Welcome to our new monthly featured, Members Hot Reports. Each month we’ll look back at some of the great reports members of NWFR have posted. It’s a great way for you to see what locations are heating up and find some new places to fish and explore you may not have heard about. While you’re at it we encourage you to sign up at Northwestfishingreports.com and start posting reports. Every week we a...
Planer Boards 101
I'll never forget the first time I saw planer boards. We were in the Cowlitz River, wading up to our chests in freezing cold water and casting our corky/yarn setups all day with no bites. With cold legs and sore arms, we began the long journey back to the truck. On our way back, we saw 3 fishermen sitting around a fire with their feet up and downing beers. 4 beautiful, chrome king salmon graced th...
Pre-Season Fishing and Boating Preparation 101
With the standard forecast of sunny weekdays and rainy weekends a fisherman may be nervously cussing out the weather man. If so your energy would be better spent getting ready for this year’s kokanee wars. Spend the time making sure everything is tip-top condition. Check out your boat, gear, tackle and develop a game plan for keeping the smoker filled with the delectable mini salmon. Following are...
Bank on Summer Steelhead
Bright sunny summer days are what makes the Pacific Northwest tolerable during the cold and rainy winter months. Summer steelhead are heading upriver in our favorite streams and waterways which often lead high into the Olympic and Cascade mountains. It is hard to beat days like this and they are too few. It was one of these bright and warm days where we found ourselves floating along a drift enjoy...
Leaded Line for Kokanee and Trout
When it comes to trolling there are multiple ways to get your gear in front of your quaries eyes. Downriggers and dropper lines are very popular for kokanee and trout fishing and are well known to anglers. They are effective and easy to use. There's another way of getting your gear down to the fish that many are less familiar with but can be even more effective. I'm talking about using leaded line...
The Washington Outdoors Roundup
June offers lots of low-cost opportunities to fish and play on our public lands. Here’s a roundup of what’s available.
FREE FISHING AND PARKS PLAY - June 12th and 13th are free fishing days in Washington State where no license is required to wet a line. These are also days where no Discover Pass is required to visit a Washington State Park for the day and several state parks offer excellen...
Oh Shad!
It’s primetime for shad fishing on the Columbia River! This year’s run is about a third less in size so far than the mammoth runs we’ve seen in recent years but with 40,000 plus shad crossing Bonneville Dam on June 2nd alone, the big push is definitely on and should continue into July.
The American shad is historically a popular food fish along the east coast and was introduced into California...
Blackened Crappie Tacos
This blackened Crappie tacos recipe is easily manageable for a weeknight dinner. ‘Blackening’ is a flavorful technique for cooking fish, and it’s fast.
The most important thing to know about making blackened fish is that it creates a lot of heat and smoke. An outdoor grill is ideal, but if you’re cooking indoors be sure to use a cast iron skillet and turn your exhaust fan to the highest setting...
Ten Prime Bass Destinations in the Inland Northwest
Here are my top 10 Bass fishing destinations of the inland N.W. Whether you like catching Ditch Pickles (AKA L.M . Bass) or River Turds (AKA Smallies) here are some of the best waters to fish here in the N. W.
10. Eloika Lake, Wash.
This lake is 629 acres and located seven miles north of Chattaroy off Highway US-2, with a year-round open season. Fishing for Largemouth bass in spring and fall...
Aluminum Boat Polishing
Aluminum boats are extremely popular in the Pacific Northwest for a good reason. They are durable and hardy enough to withstand the choppiest water and nastiest weather. They are generally lighter than fiberglass boats and hold their value more. However, the downside is that after a few years, that nice shiny finish will inevitably begin to oxidize and dull. Luckily, there is a way to bring that c...
Billy Clapp Lake Kokanee Saga
"Look at all those fish marks - kokanee for sure - darn things aren't biting though!"
It was a tough weekend of fishing for my wife JoAnn and I - lots of fish marks, but just a couple bites. Such is kokanee fishing. Kokanee anglers know this and accept our lot in life - some days can be lights out, other days you're scratching your head in frustration.
Kokanee anglers are always looking for ...
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