Northwest Fishing Reports

As the weather gets colder and colder and the season comes to a close (not sure exactly when for lakes) where are some good lakes to fish this winter.

Let me preface by saying, I moved to WA last December (two days before the wind storm :shaking: ) so I haven't been around for October / November in WA yet.

I'm one of those die-hards that will fish in any type of weather, so I'm trying to get my lakes lined up for this fall / winter.

Thanks guys!!

Bassackwards

bassackwards wrote:As the weather gets colder and colder and the season comes to a close (not sure exactly when for lakes) where are some good lakes to fish this winter.

Let me preface by saying, I moved to WA last December (two days before the wind storm :shaking: ) so I haven't been around for October / November in WA yet.

I'm one of those die-hards that will fish in any type of weather, so I'm trying to get my lakes lined up for this fall / winter.

Thanks guys!!

Bassackwards

Oct 31st is when most but not all of the small lakes close

danielt wrote:

bassackwards wrote:As the weather gets colder and colder and the season comes to a close (not sure exactly when for lakes) where are some good lakes to fish this winter.

Let me preface by saying, I moved to WA last December (two days before the wind storm :shaking: ) so I haven't been around for October / November in WA yet.

I'm one of those die-hards that will fish in any type of weather, so I'm trying to get my lakes lined up for this fall / winter.

Thanks guys!!

Bassackwards

Oct 31st is when most but not all of the small lakes close

OOOOOHHHH CRAP....I need to get out there again.

Thanks for the heads-up!!

Beaver is open year round and had some decent fishing this afternoon. I'll keep hitting it up until the fish stop biting...

Beaver bass hold through the winter pretty well. But it's also when the trout plunkers all come and fish Beaver, the only open small lake around. They get quite annoying with how they get mad when you launch a boat or bass fish around them.

SWEET...that's my "home lake"

I'm gonna make it a point to "piss off the trout lunkers" with my NEW pontoon boat (when I get it )

Thanks guy!!

Eastside: PM sent.

Yea I'll be the guy with the newly patented Trout-B-Gone (haha). Then we can have the lake to ourselves. If that doesn't work, take the pontoon and the snaggiest lure you can find, then troll over all their lines.

Campbell Lake near Anacortes is another good lake for winter bass. Classic winter structure near the "hole". I wonder if the Christmas trees that my friend and I planted near the lip are still there or have since rotted away.

Back in '87, a buddy of mine and I hit that lake the day after Christmas because I got a new portable fish finder that needed to be tried. When we got there the lake was frozen except for a small piece of open water near the island no bigger than a basketball half-court. So we put my old jon boat in and would stand in the bow until the ice broke and then jammed the oars into the ice and pushed the boat back on top of the ice and would jump up and down on the bow until the boat broke through again. It took us more than two hours to get to the open water to fish doing that. Fished for a couple more hours and then went back to the ramp using our newly carved trail.

I can't remember if we caught anything or not, but we sure had an experience to remember. By the way, I ended up having to get new oars after that, those ones were shredded.

cavdad45 wrote:Campbell Lake near Anacortes is another good lake for winter bass. Classic winter structure near the "hole". I wonder if the Christmas trees that my friend and I planted near the lip are still there or have since rotted away.

Back in '87, a buddy of mine and I hit that lake the day after Christmas because I got a new portable fish finder that needed to be tried. When we got there the lake was frozen except for a small piece of open water near the island no bigger than a basketball half-court. So we put my old jon boat in and would stand in the bow until the ice broke and then jammed the oars into the ice and pushed the boat back on top of the ice and would jump up and down on the bow until the boat broke through again. It took us more than two hours to get to the open water to fish doing that. Fished for a couple more hours and then went back to the ramp using our newly carved trail.

I can't remember if we caught anything or not, but we sure had an experience to remember. By the way, I ended up having to get new oars after that, those ones were shredded.

Too good...LOL

I'll be the guy with hot chocolate watching you from the dock. Great story though. Thanks for the lake tip, I'm gonna look it up and add it to my winter file.

Anyone have a compiled list of lakes that stay open? Beaver Lake can't be the only one open.


Hot Chocolate + Winter + Irish Cream= Heaven I'll see you out there.

I am working on a list for myself...not completed yet, I will gladly share it once I have it done. The regulations have them listed as well, although not a nice neat tidy list.


Chad

I'll gladly share my list when it's done. It'd be cool if we could all "compare notes" in a few weeks, can't hurt. I forgot about the Irish Cream in the Hot Chocolate....GOOD CALL!!!! Drunk winter fishing....doesn't get any better!!! :geek:

bassackwards wrote:GOOD CALL!!!! Drunk winter fishing....doesn't get any better!!! :geek:

Only in the winter?:scratch:

I think Sammamish is open year round, but I haven't the slightest idea how the Bass fare during the winter.

I can't wait to see the trout guys' reaction to me backing my truck into the water at the boat launch this winter :thumright I'll make sure to give 'em a few healthy, albeit uneccessary, throttle blips for good measure.

For some reason or another bass guys/gals understand the redneck side of fishing whereas trouties try and make it elegant & artful.

Yes only in the winter. In season i try to stay sharp and on my toes. You never know when that pig will strike. In the winter its just fun to not expect much, throw a line and hope for the best.

Anyone know if sawyer is open year round? Is that even a good place to fish for bass in general????

dilbert wrote:

bassackwards wrote:GOOD CALL!!!! Drunk winter fishing....doesn't get any better!!! :geek:

Only in the winter?:scratch:

Grab a regs book to see just about all of the lakes. OR try this... http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/2007/2007sportregs.pdf

If you dont mind a drive, Eloika lake just north of Spokane has a nice wintertime smallmouth and perch fishery under the ice. Its pretty entertaining, not to mention exciting trying to not get hit by the snowmobilers.

E