We've been coming to rufus for a good while now, but just this year have we checked out the pens seriously, so we stayed up at grand coulee and launched out of seatons cove , about 20 min upstream from the upper pen. the first day we started at the upper pen tied off to a bouy. i've got to say it's pretty impressive seeing all those large fish just hanging around there. it's also a bit irritating when you can see these monsters time after time make a run at your lure and then dart away at the last minute. after a while it's like they are mocking you, lol. we threw everything we had read about here and most of the stuff in our tackel boxes to no avail. we did get a good solid hit on a wedding ring, but the line broke and we never saw the fish. later that day and the next, we went to the 1st (or lower) pen. we trolled around the area and landed a few fish, but did best when we anchored off the lower end and fished off the bottom. flies and jigs worked well, but honestly, when you found the right color, power bait did the trick every time. my buddy bubba landed his all time best one day at 6lb,7oz, and another at just over 6lbs. to some that doesn't sound very impressive, but when you're used to fishing on the coast, it's a helluva nice fish. we limited out every day we were there, and the lure of one of those lunkers, along with the beautiful scenery, will keep us coming back.

dockhan

8/11/2009 10:34:00 PM

Thanks for the report Dave. I've fished Rufus many times at the Chief Joseph Dam end but haven't tried the Net Pens yet. I'm thinking of doing so as you did from Seaton's Grove boat launch. How far is the launch from Grand Coulee and what condition is it in? Is there a dock there to tie up to as I'll be launching and retrieving my boat alone?
Thanks.

Big D

8/12/2009 12:48:00 AM

Hey Dave, Thanks for the report. I'm in the process of selling one house and purchasing another so my fishing trips have been limited. It's nice to know RW is still holding some nice sized fish.

dave g

8/12/2009 1:45:00 AM

the launch is about a 15 min drive from the dam, if that. you have to keep an eye out for the turnoff. the ramp is concrete and in pretty good shape. unfortunately, there's not a dock there so you have to launch and put the boat on the beach. i saw several guys do it without a problem. one word of caution however : it is extremely shallow there, so be sure to leave your motor up (i put a ding in my prop the first day), and be sure to stay between the buoys coming in and out.

scottpratt

8/12/2009 9:07:00 AM

Big D: I am buying a new home and hopefully selling the old one too. So, like you I do more reading about fishing than actually doing it right now. I did go to Lake Spokane yesterday and caught a few bass before dark.

dockhan

8/12/2009 4:20:00 PM

Thanks for the feedback Dave! This is exactly what I needed to know. I've always considered Rufus to be a cold water lake but I see that even in summer, anglers are doing well. It appears that walleye fishing might be good as well.

dave g

8/12/2009 6:00:00 PM

yeah dock, i talked with a couple of guys at the gas station in grand coulee that were fishing for walleye at banks lake. they said they were doing fairly well there, but also told us about going upstream from seatons grove and fishing for them there. we didn't get a chance to try, but they said they did pretty good there as well.

Leave a Comment:

Login

Flag

×

Why is this comment inappropriate?

Close Submit

Delete this comment? Provide reason.

No Yes

Edit

×

Cancel Save