Northwest Fishing Reports

Usually when Memorial Day weekend comes close we begin planning our trip to Banks Lake for camping and Walleye/ SMB fishing. I was thinking that we might try something new this year, but we haven't ventured to other lakes in the past. I've been reading the reports, and it seems like these three might be options.

What would you all suggest as a place to really get into some SMB and walleye? Our only requirement is that we can park for the weekend, and have bank access so that we can pitch a tent and sleep with some rattlesnakes.

Potholes, Evergreen, Billy Clapp, Other???

I would not suggest Evergreen for family camping. It's dry camping, the sites are limited and the company can get a bit, shall we say, questionable? Also, walleye are not that abundant in Evergreen and if I remember correctly it is more of a largemouth fishery than smallmouth. Potholes is a good choice and offers a wide variety of camping sites and aquatic creatures to pursue from the bank. I don't have any experience with Billy Clapp lake so hopefully someone else will chime in on the subject.

Evergreen might be great for a little day trip but the walleye fishery is limited.
Potholes would be a fairly good choice,fishing is typically decent around MarDon's
and then theres the state park but you might want to make some phone calls to check availability.

Thanks. For sure we DO NOT use campgrounds. I take some of my buddies and the wife will stay at home. We will drive until we find a semi-flat beach area, and that's home for a few nights. I was thinking about Potholes as my first option, I'm just not sure if the bank is accessible, and if we'll have any luck there. Totally new to us.

If you are going to rough it, you can hit the Lind Coulee area just east of the dam. You can get a preview of the area using google maps. There are also many areas to be found below the dam along the seep lakes along with some potentially great fishing.

I agree with Potholes being the best bet. There is Mardon Resort near by for limited supplies, food, and gear. The city of Moses Lake is also a short drive. For camping there are several spots on the Lind Coulee arm. Soda has several designated camping spots of your looking for a flat spot with a park bench, and is a short drive from Potholes.

I've been to Billy Clap several times but never really fished it.

From my experience I'd chose Potholes.

Alright, I think that we'll try Potholes then.

Now it's just a matter of reading ALL reports and trying to figure spots to fish, then view satellite images for possible camps.

I really appreciate all of your info and persuading me to branch out and try something new.

Another day trip from the campsite might include a drive over to Moses.
On or around Memorial Day weekend of last year,I recall chatting with a few buddies
that were doing very well on walleye from the bank. Might even browse previous reports
and see if there is any mention of it.
Good luck!

Check out a map of all the seep lakes just south of Potholes. Quite a few have camp sites that are free and are warmwater fisheries. Use the lake reports on this site to scope your options...

There is no place to camp at Billy Clapp, and bank access is limited.

Osmiumfoot wrote:There is no place to camp at Billy Clapp, and bank access is limited.

Tru dat....

Ok. Well it really looks like Potholes and a possible trip over to one or two of the Seeps is a possibility. Is there overnight parking available somewhere at Potholes, or will I have to pay the resort?

All the Seep Lakes have free campgrounds. Most likely have to pay at Potholes, as I do not believe you can camp at Medicare Beach.

Just drive along Hwy 262, the stretch from the dam to Rd M-NE is your best bet to camp along O'sullivan dam for free. There arent alot of spaces so on Memorial day it might be tuff finding a spot. Soda has camping and if u want rattlers this is the place and a few horseflies to boot. There are some camp spots if you travel west on Frenchman Hills RD along Frenchman Waste way. And if you really want some solitude head back into the job corp dikes area (well maybe not complete solitude that weekend) there is some great bass and walleye fishing back there just walking along the banks and some of the small ponds that you can hike into. Just PM me if you need more info.

Thanks Lonnie. I will send a PM your way sometime next month. We would like to find a place to park and launch the boat, then take the boat to a place to camp. If that's possible down there where you were describing, we're game to try something new. Thanks again.