Nice job.See what i told you about being jealous of all your reports.Sure hope i make it out there soon .

Hey BuzzBait, my philosophy is if you put your hook in the water often enough, you will sooner or later catch a fish. Cindy tells me if we go often enough she will catch her over-ten-pounder sooner or later. Hence we do alot of RW fishing cause she really wants to land one of the bigger tripps. The bite at RW is picking up, so better time are on the way.
Thanks for your comment.

Thanks for the report. Rufus Woods is one of the places I want to fish. As well as Alaska. Although I will probably get to Rufus Woods sooner than Alaska. Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see the 10lber.

This may be a dumb question but what the heck... I have never jigged for trout, what are the differences from jigging for bass, or walleye? How do you rig your jig???

Hi Toni, When the time comes for your trip to Rufus Woods be sure to let me know. Some folks think we should broaden our fishing horizons (go somewhere besides RW), but this is a place relatively close to home, and we really enjoy eating the triploid trout, not to mention the size of the fish. So we continue our drive to RW and enjoy a boat ride to the various fishing holes. Always see some wildlife, like yesterday saw some deer, some Bald eagles, and waterfowl everywhere. So for us it was a nice sunday drive. thanks for your comment Toni, and hope to see you on this side of the mountains some time.

Hey ya Gigstead, no dumb questions if a person wishes to learn something. I'll try to work up a description of "our" jigging technique for the RW trout. When we fish the pens, it is exactly the same technique for jigging cover for bass. We try to envision where the trout will be in relation to the nets and present the jigs to that area. Some days it's finesse, and other days it's action that gets the bite. I have a busy week ahead of me, so It will be later in the week before I can put some pics and things together for a "blog" post. As far as rigging, Sometimes a plastic minnow or crayfish or critter on a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jighead, and will do the carolina rigging if working the weedlines.
Anyway thanks for the comment/question, and I'll try to get on the posting to the blog

Blufin Loui, thanks a lot, I appreciate that, and can't wait to see the pics... I love fishing at Rufus, but I have only trolled Rapala's,
Thanks again!

Hey blufin loui. Are you just kinda mooching your presentation with the current drift, or are you actually jigging specific areas? Just curious - thanks. Always enjoy reading your reports. I would like to fish Rufus more often, but it's a bit of a drive from Spokane for one day.

Hi ya riprap101
Most instances we are jigging specific areas, although we will use the drifting, mooching technique to locate the fish if they are reluctant to cooperate. One twist to the mooching is to drift with the current about a half cast distance from the pens, and cast to the edge of the pens as you drift by. Letting the jig, spoon, fly or whatever your offering is sink as it is drifting along the edge. That way the lure presentation is at different water depths in relation the area drifted. We run into days where nothing we try works, so just mix it up with any and all offerings. Sure appreciate your question and comments, and I agree it is a long way for a day on the water. Hope ya get to get over and hook into a big one soon. as the water temps fall, we've got "Great Expectations".LOL

Stay safe and enjoy your time out on the water.

My fishing partner spoke with a ranger about the regulations on this body of water. He was told some things we were not aware of. I'm sure many already know, however for those who don't, you must retain the 1st two trips you land if you are using any type of barbed hook. You may only catch and release fish hooked on a single barbless hook. The ranger informed him that 75 citations were handed out this past week for this. Just a heads up - good luck and fish on! Keep the reports coming. We are going to make the trip next week while I'm on vacation, very excited!!

Thanks riprap101 for your input on this controversial subject on the RW "Barbed vs Barbless" issue. It has come up several times both before and after the "new" rule changes, and without going ito the "virtues of fishing barbless I will add this Note.
From the April 30, 2009 FISHING RULE CHANGE fro Rufus Woods Lake, it reads: (pertaining to barbless hooks)
"Effective date: May 1, 2009 until further notice.
Species Affected: All Species
Location: Rufus Woods Lake (Douglas/Okanagon County)
IMPORTANT ANGLER NOTES: When fishing with bait or scent, all TROUT are counted as part of the daily limit, whether kept or released (Statewide rules for TROUT, p. 31 of pamphlet). Anglers are "ENCOURAGED" to use artificial lures or flies with single barbless hooks if intending to release fish AND to only release uninjured fish. Fish hooked in the gills or tongue will generally die after release"
That said, I called the Region 2 Fish Manager's office (509-754-4624) and had the pleasure of speaking with Kathy, asking the question of barbed/barbless hook use and fish released. She stated there is no rule in place stating all trout caught on artificial lures/flies with barbed hooks had to be retained as long as the were uninjured as stated in the regs. That being said, IF we were using Scent or bait on said artificial lure/fly, then we are required to retain the first two fish regardless of the barbed or barbless.
As I mentioned this is a topic that surfaces on a regular basis, and the rangers are kept busy on RW with "bait" fishermen catching and releasing fish. As we spend lots of time on this body of water, we have watched rangers check (and sometimes ticket) boats of fishermen, and it has usually been keep over the limit of fish or releasing bait hooked fish and keep fishing. If I were to be ticketed for this issue (releasing uninjured fish caught on a barbed hook) and could not be shown in writing (officially) I would have to fight the action (writing of course), but if I were in the wrong, I'd pay up and request a better source of clarification source for questions. Sorry if I have muddied the waters, but just wanted to share what I was told by one of the WDFG employees. And I have no issues with fishing with a single barbless hook either. I haven't experienced any noticeable increase in lost fish by using barbless hooks. Hey riprap101, let me know where ya plan on fishing while over on RW and what to look for and I'll keep my eyes peeled if I'm on the water. Always enjoy meeting the folks from WL.
Stay safe out there and keep the info flowing. Thanks Man

Thanks Louie and 101 for the info. I personally, see no reason to ever use a barbed hook for trout. I don't think the loss ratio as Blufin said...goes up at all. However, a barb plays a lot of unwanted havoc with a lively fish that you intend to release by the boat. Another word of advice is to always keep the fish in the water if you plan on releasing them. A lot of fish perish due to handling them too tight or with dry hands wiping the slime off. Always keep pliers nearby. That can help a lot also.

Keeping the fish in the water is an important part of C&R. Wife uses 8" forceps, and I use a "grip the handle-close the jaws" type hook remove which is 8-12" in length. These guys make it easier to reach over the side of the boat and grasp the hook or lure while the fish is still in the water. No net used, no flopping around on the floor of the boat (fish that is), and no actual handling of the fish. While technically legal, netting the fish, rolling it around getting the hook out, holding it up for photos, and then tossing it back over the side sure cuts back on the survival rate of the released trout. Enjoy the water and catch lots of fish everyone.