First time on Banks Lake

[ChrisB]

This weekend I have a club tournament on Banks Lake. I have been on the lake twice over the last 5 years, but never with my own boat. I am wondering if there are any areas I should stay away from as far as shallow areas that could ruin a boat When I was on the lake once I think we ran WAY south and there was a submerged island out in the middle, went from 30+ feet to 2 feet. On the North end I think its pretty safe as long as you don't cut any corners to sharp, true ?

Has anyone been on the lake recently, hows the bite ? I imagine they are biting like crazy, both LM and SM. I have always heard Osborne Bay is good for Largies, but are the LM spread out everywhere ? Is the Devil's Punchbowl a prime LM area ? I also plan on fishing for SM, primarily topwater if I can find a spot for day 2.

Thanks for any input.

[tagwatson360]

Chris,

Give me a ring on Thursday evening and I will give you the lowdown.

360-319-9779

Take care,

Tag

[kevinb]

Wish I was paying attention on my trips out here. Everytime out,we were fishing for walleyes and I was
the backseater...I just had to try to catch fish while my buddy had to navigate. Best of luck at the tourney

[Amx]

Get a 'Fish-n-map co's' map from Auburn Sports and Marine. Covers Lake Washington also.

Coolee Playland should have maps also.

Going into The Devil's Punchbowl there is a rock outside it. Stay centered to the left while traveling south from Coolee Playland, ect. If you go to the right stay real wide as there is a flat with grass on it about 50-100 feet west of that rock. The flat is about 70 feet long - east to west - and 30 feet wide - north to south. If the water is high enough you can go right over it, but don't try it.

Outside The Devil's Punchbowl and east side of the bay there are rocks that stick up. They are acually columns and there are others just below the surface. Go slow in there.

All these spots have smallmouth.

Largies along the west side of the punchbowl and south end in the reeds and such.

Roadbed on the west side a couple hundred feet from the shoreline. Another roadbed close to the east side with a bay back under the road that you drive on to get to the north end of Banks and to Roosevelt, etc.

Smallies anywhere in those areas.

The south end of Steamboat has smallies along the west side of Steamboat and rocks in the corner.

There is a LONG point that lots of it is under water, CAREFULL---GO SLOW down there. There will be smallies there.

South of that area there is a rock shelf all along the east side. It is called 'Million Dollar Mile'. And has been called that for a reason. STAY AWAY until you find it and know where the edge is or you'll lose a lower unit. It is ral east to find as there are rocks up on the shore. Smallies there in the rocks.

At the south end of Steamboat and across the lake there is a pocket with smallies and largies. Fish that, watch for rocks. Fish outside that pocket also.

Fish north of that pocket all the way up to the canyons. The LARGE flat is called Barker Flats and Barker canyon and another canyon. Fish all that and the rocks out front of the canyons.

To the east of that area, north and west of the north end of Steamboat, the point is called Eagle Rock, along the main lake. Fish it for smallies and wallye.

To the west of that is a canyon/channel that goes back into the cliff. Called 'Lover's Lane'. Take your wife in there and kiss her. Then fish the length. It comes out in a quarter mile or so into the main lake.

North end of the Punch Bowl there is an entrance to a channel that is good for smallies. It comes out into the "Entrance to the Punchbowl' and the main lake by where those columns are that I mentioned that is along the rod along the east side of the lake.

North of Eagle Rock and to the north end is good for smallies and largies in lots of the small airport bays, and the other bays.

[ChrisB]

Thanks for the info AMX ! I will mark all that down on my map, I have the Fish'n map co.

Tag, I will give you a ring thursday evening my man

[Bigbass Dez]

PM SENT !!! GOOD LUCK CHRIS !!

[racfish]

Ive fished Osborne alot because I camp at Osbornes.Its primitive campsite at a very good rate. Its close to Steamboat Rock which has real nice batroom facilities.With Showers.The campground there has a pretty basic launch.

[ChrisB]

Thanks for the tips and info to all that helped. My girlfriend and I didn't do fantastic, but we caught fish. I also didn't ruin the boat on rocks or a submerged island so the trip was successful :colors:

It was a tough bite saturday. Running around from area to area we wasted some time, but we got to see a little bit of the lake. We caught some fish at the north end of the Punchbowl. Late in the day we checked out Osborne bay for the first time and I got two LM in the last hour before weigh-in. Weighed a respectable 5 lbs LOL, but would of had 1 lb if not for the LM. Ok, laugh all you want, it was our first time on the lake
Sunday we had almost half the time to fish, so we had to work fast. I lost a TOAD smallie early on a spinnerbait. It came up to the surface after stripping drag and threw the bait back at me, trailer hook and all When I say toad, it was definetly in the 3 lb range, not a toad for Lake WA but you get the point. I was able to catch a limit of dink LM on a spinnerbait so I was happy to get my limit anyways.
My girlfriend only caught one fish on sunday, after missing a few on a dropshot. We'll be back, we definetly know a little about the lake now.

[Amx]

[Bigbass Dez]

Thanks for the tips and info to all that helped. My girlfriend and I didn't do fantastic, but we caught fish. I also didn't ruin the boat on rocks or a submerged island so the trip was successful :colors:

It was a tough bite saturday. Running around from area to area we wasted some time, but we got to see a little bit of the lake. We caught some fish at the north end of the Punchbowl. Late in the day we checked out Osborne bay for the first time and I got two LM in the last hour before weigh-in. Weighed a respectable 5 lbs LOL, but would of had 1 lb if not for the LM. Ok, laugh all you want, it was our first time on the lake
Sunday we had almost half the time to fish, so we had to work fast. I lost a TOAD smallie early on a spinnerbait. It came up to the surface after stripping drag and threw the bait back at me, trailer hook and all When I say toad, it was definetly in the 3 lb range, not a toad for Lake WA but you get the point. I was able to catch a limit of dink LM on a spinnerbait so I was happy to get my limit anyways.
My girlfriend only caught one fish on sunday, after missing a few on a dropshot. We'll be back, we definetly know a little about the lake now.

A Toad on the spinnerbait ! Sounds like a good bait for that lake Chris, i will have to keep that in mind next time im over there ..

[Anonymous]

I could tell you about spinnerbaits on Banks. But I have to have a secret to keep.

[Fish-N-Fool]

I know I'm a little late with this but I found 4 really good areas in the Devils punch bowl I'd like to share First is the road bed on the north end of the punchbowl. It is loaded with some nice SM as well as a few wally eyes. Fish it with spinnerbaits, cranks or tubes in about 6 to 8 feet of water. We did good on all of them.
Next is on the East side down in the middle were the road bed comes out. Got some real nice Sm on spinnerbaits and tubes here.
Next on my hit parade is the rock riprap along the highway on the east a little south of the road bed. Fish this whole stretch with white spinnerbaits it goes for about a 1/2 mile or more at the south east end of the punchbowl it is loaded with big SM.
Last spot is on the south west side for some toad LM. There are a bunch of small channels off the main lake with about 6 ft of water in them. They all have a good weedline that the big girls like to hide in. I got my biggest fish here. Fish them all as we got fish in most all then a couple had a ton of fish in them, Fish these with a horizontal fall bait like a Sink-N-Fool or Senko type bait.