Northwest Fishing Reports

Well the Wife and i are going on or yearly camping trip again the first week in april and we are tired of going to the potholes. We are looking for something in easter Washington that has some one day hike in lakes for some bass or even trout. Any place that does not get very much fishing pressure would be prefurred. When we go to the potholes we always take a day and go back to the piller and wiggen chain and farther in for some good trout fishing, except the last couple years has not been so good. A small lake with not much pressure where i could drop my small boat in would work too, just trying to get away from the generall public is the idea. So any suggestions for some new areas would be awsome. Thanks for reading my post all. Keep on fishing and stay safe out there.

I think Bonney Lake is exactly what you want, if you don't mind really roughing it. It's about an hour from Spokane south of Cheney, south of Chapman and north of Rock. You can't get in there with anything larger than a 14 foot boat because you have to go about a mile up a stream that's 6-10 feet wide. There's an island in the middle of the lake that you can camp on, so everything you want to take with you has to fit on your boat. You may see 2-5 other small boats out there in a 2 day trip if it's a busy weekend. Tons of bass, crappie, and huge perch. We've caught upwards of 100 bass in an overnight trip there before. Normally I would say early April is a bit early for good bassin there, but due to the winter we've had you might be able to stick some big ones by then.

Ancient Lakes just outside of Quincy are great for bass fishing! The hike is about 2 miles if I remember correctly, very easy. During the summer it is too hot so spring time till about june would be good. Largemouth are there along with a lot of panfish. Im not too sure if there is any trout, but the lake is beautiful and the hike is very scenic. Let me know if you need some help finding them or if you would like any additional info.

I've thought about Bonnie Lake and camping overnight, but I'd be concerned about leaving my vehicle a mile away and accessible only via boat to get back to it. Otherwise, it DOES seem like a pretty ideal place to visit. Watch out for the poison ivy (heard it's overgrown on the island) AND watch out for human waste as the dirt on the island's only 2" deep and not enough to dig a "poop hole." Landowners request you park at the big curve before the bridge, as they have large trucks that are blocked in if you park by the bridge and launch there.

Here is a map of different ways to hike in to these lakes

http://www.justgetout.net/ClientFiles/8 ... s-Best.JPG

There is a ton of lakes in that area as the map shows. The shortest way into the lakes is from the top. Its the 1.1 mile hike trail, great scenery! Let me know if you want some more info.

Here is some info on the hike.
http://www.justgetout.net/Wenatchee/15441

You guys are brave !! Im afraid that i might hear something out there that makes a rattling noise and has vampire like teeth .. too creepy for me , enjoy !!

Just be careful if you choose the Quincy lakes area there is a lot of vandalism that goes on out there. Just a heads up. Pretty sad that you cant feel comfortable going out to enjoy these beautiful lakes without someone messing with your vehicle.

Hey Nik how deep is that creek that you have to access for bonnie Lake?

I have been to Ancient Lakes numerous times, never had any problems with people nor seen any rattle snakes.

I have only camped once when I fished Ancient Lakes. I camped at the trailhead by Judith Pool... The trail head by the winter parking gate. I fished the first lake you come to on that trail and had the best luck with Smoke Flake Gitzits Texas Rigged. I fished the other two lakes when I was a small kid and vaguely remember fishing them. The more round one is deeper I believe but again the first one is the best one I fished. As the map shows its only a mile hike in... You can camp at Evergreen Reservior or Burke Lake. All those lakes down there have bass in them. The Evergreen Pumping Plant I have caught quite a few bluegill and crappie. Let me know if you need anyother info

lonnie197272 wrote:Hey Nik how deep is that creek that you have to access for bonnie Lake?

deep and wide enough for a 14 foot aluminum easily in the spring, you can usually idle up it using your outboard. in the fall not so much. it is a little concerning leaving your vehicle so far away where you cant even come close to seeing it; the only consolation i can offer is absolutely no one goes down that road (it's dirt for several miles) so if you secure it and make sure to leave nothing of value in the truck you should be ok.

Nik wrote: if you secure it and make sure to leave nothing of value in the truck you should be ok.

You cant secure glass! Leave your truck or car unlocked and use a steeringwheel locking device! I've had windows broke
even when there is nothing of value to steal. Better to let them look than break out your window then look. You need to
get into this mind set with the sign of the times and the other issues people are caught up in. Especially in remote areas!