This cold spring has delayed the perch fishing that is usually available by now. Typically the ice is off the marina at Coulee City and anglers are pulling huge numbers of perch from the little bay from the shore. I drove by a week ago and it was still frozen.

The ice if off Moses Lake, but the water is so cold no one is fishing, that means the perch aren't biting. That's okay, though, because the steelhead fishing on our area rivers is fantastic.

I am getting e-mails and calls describing amazing experiences on the Methow and Wenatchee. The Okanogan is a stream I like to float this time of year. The first place I'm going to launch my new boat is going to be on the upper Columbia somewhere. I know that there are tons of steelhead still milling around. Last time I talked with Shane Magnuson, he limited just below the mouth of the Columbia in the area known as the Rocks.

Keep an eye on the newsreleases from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, steelhead seasons could close soon, but until they do I am going to be out there after them! From the bank or boat it won't matter.

Friday, March 25

I got a call from my fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten the other day, with an invite to got steelhead fishing. I jumped at the chance. H wanted to show off the new electric motor and depth sounded he had installed on "Barb's Bateau" and we ran up to Pateros and tried out luck at the Rocks. No luck there, but he hooked and released a nice fish he hooked near the bridge over the mouth of the Methow. We put the boat on the trailer and then tried the Methow River. He put me onto a very bright wild fish not far up the valley. We tried a couple of other holes, without success and a rainstorm sent us home. Not a bad day. On Sunday, my wife Eileen and I made our maiden voyage in the new Jetcraft from Bob Feil Boats and Motors. What a dream boat for fishing around here! We launched it at Bridgeport and she christened the boat with a big buck. I got one myself, too. I plan to get back up there before the season closes. If you haven't heard, there are some big things happening at High Mountain Hunting starting on Saturday; lots of seminars and specials. I'm doing one, on kokanee fishing on Wednesday the 30th, starting at 6 p.m.

Monday, March 28

High Mountain Hunting Supply continues its NCW Fishing Expo this week, featuring local guides and professionals, like Anton Jones, brad Wagner, Bob Loomis, John Kruse, Mike Bohr, Bob Aykers, Casey Kelly and even me! I think I'm kicking off the seminar series on Wednesday night, starting at 6 p.m. I'll be talking about where to find kokanee in our region and how I catch them. I would check in at the store to see what else is planned for the week and weekend. There is a bunch of stuff going on. As spring struggles to arrive in our region, there is reason to gear up for trout fishing. The April Fools Opener, which is the April 1st season opening day for many of the lakes in the Columbia Wildlife Refuge, located between Potholes Reservoir and Othello. The lakes open this coming Friday, and there should be some excellent fishing available on many of them. A couple of annual favorites are upper and lower Hampton Lake. This one always seems to produce some really big rainbow, and I mean over 20 inches. I am also watching Moses Lake closely. There should be some great fishing for jumbo perch from the shore happening there anytime.