Northwest Fishing Reports

I know, I know. There's almost several Rufus Woods post. Searched and read through them. The g/f are going camping in May. With all the fantastic fishing reports at RWL, we wanted to give it a shot. We do not know the area at all, and it's going to be a long drive for us. So we're hoping for some information.

We're located in Kent, WA.

I see Bridgeport State Park, literally on the lake, but I dont see any fishing reports on it. I see it advertises fishing on the WA Campsite, but I prefer personal experiences. So, any of you out there camped or fished near Bridgeport State Park, and how was it?

Or is there somewhere else you'll recommend. We will be limited to shore fishing only.

PM GPC for some info. I know that he makes the trip a few times a year and might have the info you are looking for. Very nice guy too!

2000subaru wrote:PM GPC for some info. I know that he makes the trip a few times a year and might have the info you are looking for. Very nice guy too!

Don't forget northfork too:-"

The park is a nice camping spot and you can fish there, too. However, the better fishing is nearby on the Southside of the lake near the dam. The Corp Of Engineers maintains a public area at that spot and shore fishing is available. Current flows near the dam can be strong; so bring some lead and of course, be prepared for people.

Thanks kevinb:-$ He PM'd me a couple days ago and asked the same question. I couldn't help with the Bridgeport end of Rufus. Still trying to figure out how to target and catch the big fish at the other end of Rufus.

I dont have any experience with bridgeport. But, they do have a few campsites right above the net pens. I know you have to get permits. I have heard good things about the state park, but if you want to fish the net pens thats a good little run. I have also seen people camping right on the river a few miles down from the net pens. Legal, I dont know but one weekend there was people doing it everywhere and we ran into the warden twice, so he was out and nobody was moving camp.

Bridgeport does not take reservations, so for people like me that have to drive 400 miles to get there it is not worth the gamble.

Good Afternoon Guys

Hey this is what I know on the subject -You can camp at the Rufus Woods Tribal Net Pens on Columbia River Road 7 miles from Nespelem with a tribal camping permit and if you fish there you need a tribal fishing permit which can be purchased at numerous places (I buy mine at Wal Mart in Omak). The campground has three developed campsites and one outhouse (wide open though no trees, sandy/ rocky, and sage brush)

The Outdrsguy :-)~

Good Afternoon Guys

Hey this is what I know on the subject -You can camp at the Rufus Woods Tribal Net Pens on Columbia River Road 7 miles from Nespelem with a tribal camping permit and if you fish there you need a tribal fishing permit which can be purchased at numerous places (I buy mine at Wal Mart in Omak). The campground has three developed campsites and one outhouse (wide open though no trees, sandy/ rocky, and sage brush)

The Outdrsguy :-)~

FishingFool,
The camping at Bridgeport St Park is not bad,grassy tent sites with shade trees,nice RV sites,open so there is not a lot of privacy.As for fishing,there is bank access and dock access to fish from shore,But please get a Tribal fishing license so you are legal(if fishing from a boat it is not needed,Only on the north side of the river ,St Park is considered Tribal land).As others have mentioned,you can camp by the net pens, but it is small and rough.I think the best place to camp if you want to fish the net pen area is Banks Lk.The drive is about 30-40 minutes and there are 2 nice resorts to chose from and you can finish off your daily trout limit along with other species.( you can also rent watercraft to enjoy)If you decide on the State Park,you can drive back over to the southside of the river and fish at the park there above the dam or continue up the road to Brandt's Landing where there is more bank access.These spots do not require the tribal license, just the state's.

Just remembered that there is also Spring Canyon campground on Lake Roosevelt .It is about 7 miles uplake from Grand Coulee Dam.I have never stayed there but have drove through it and it seemed to be a nice campground.
Mike

produce2troutcat wrote:FishingFool,
The camping at Bridgeport St Park is not bad,grassy tent sites with shade trees,nice RV sites,open so there is not a lot of privacy.As for fishing,there is bank access and dock access to fish from shore,But please get a Tribal fishing license so you are legal(if fishing from a boat it is not needed,Only on the north side of the river ,St Park is considered Tribal land).As others have mentioned,you can camp by the net pens, but it is small and rough.I think the best place to camp if you want to fish the net pen area is Banks Lk.The drive is about 30-40 minutes and there are 2 nice resorts to chose from and you can finish off your daily trout limit along with other species.( you can also rent watercraft to enjoy)If you decide on the State Park,you can drive back over to the southside of the river and fish at the park there above the dam or continue up the road to Brandt's Landing where there is more bank access.These spots do not require the tribal license, just the state's.

Does the park have running bathroom water? If it's just a toilet in a hole, gotta scratch that off the list, because the GF will not go.

She likes running toilets.

Does the park have running bathroom water? If it's just a toilet in a hole, gotta scratch that off the list, because the GF will not go. She likes running toilets

This park is a full service park with running water and showers.
Campsite Information:
"The park provides 14 tent spaces, 20 utility spaces, one dump station, two restrooms (both ADA) and two showers. Maximum site length is 45 feet (may have limited availability). Since the park is heavily used, mid-week is the recommended time to locate a vacant campsite. The campground is situated on a lawn with many shade trees. Most facilities are modern. All campsites are first-come, first-served"
Your GF will be happy........... Get over there and go fish.

Nearly impossible to get a spot at Bridgeport SP on the weekends. Weekdays aren't bad, but there a lot of retired folks who usually fill up the spots. Camping at the net pens is rude, crude, noisy, and the lone porta potty stinks so bad you have to be really desperate to use it. If you have a boat you can rough camp along the lake in multiple spots. If you need the amenities and want to camp go to Banks Lake.

wolverine wrote: Nearly impossible to get a spot at Bridgeport SP on the weekends. Weekdays aren't bad, but there a lot of retired folks who usually fill up the spots. Camping at the net pens is rude, crude, noisy, and the lone porta potty stinks so bad you have to be really desperate to use it. If you have a boat you can rough camp along the lake in multiple spots. If you need the amenities and want to camp go to Banks Lake.

If you are planning on tent camping I would still check out the park before moving on. The park has a marine park upstream about 7 miles but there are no amenities for the GF. Yes, most of the RV sites are being used by us retired folk and we don't like to sleep on the ground. Check it out!

Sorry you missed my 2 return posts that didn't go through!@ This site sucks for dialup when you're out camping! I think you have most of your info that you need. Coulee Playground is a big pay camping area on the N. end of Banks Lake with everything you need. Just down the road is Steamboat Rock SP and Crystal Springs SP is just up the road (3 miles)on Roselvelt Lk.

I'm not into pay camping, so there are options for free camping in many areas off the reservation. There is NO camping on the reservation other than the designated spots that are $15 per night or $35 for 3 days. There are 5 sites at the pens in a open rocky area. All you have is a metal firepit and a picnic table. No water. Stinky nasty outhouses, so don't think your GF would be happy there. When I camped there 3 weeks ago people were up at 5 am!...making a hellish amount of noise. Generators, banging around, talking, slamming doors. Geez, you don't have to be up at the crack of dawn to catch fish there. Hello!......sleep in till at least 6 am or till sun comes up.

There are free camping spots on both sides of Banks Lake. I've been camping there the past 10 days commuting all over the area to fish. It's about a 30-40 min commute to the net pens. You don't need to fish the net pens. There are plenty of fish throughout the river/lake that is much closer to Banks Lk.

Closest free camping is about 2 miles south of Electric City. WDFW access site on Banks. I did quite a bit of exploring on both sides of the river/lake and there are options if you don't need running water that are free. I met farmers on the river in Bridgeport that will allow you to camp on the river for $. They weren't sure what to charge. I said $10 a night would be fine and they thought that was too much. If you want to camp on the south end of Rufus PM me and I can give you the particulars. There's an old trailer you can rent too that's clean. I don't know if there is water. There's plenty of bank fishing on the south end near Bridgeport between the dam and Brants Landing (5 miles) My earlier fishing down that way this winter found much bigger fish than the net pens. You won't catch 50 fish a day like the pen area, but they'll be much larger.

Be warned the ticks are nasty all over the area and I pulled off at least 30-40 from my dog Rocky. 5-6 off me that hadn't latched on yet. Snakes are out now too and found one small rattler riverside. Saw about 100 deer on my wanderings, so think I found a deer hotspot for next Fall. There's still some patches of snow up on the plateau above Banks, so what a late spring we are having. Banks Lk sucked for fishing, so won't even bother with a report on that.

Ticks? Gross, lol. I've never seen 1 in person before..

Thanks for the tip all. Now I just hope the weather cooperates when we go.