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Fishing Magician Report - May 27th

Fishing Magician | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 6 months AGO
by Fishing MagicianDave Graybill
| May 27, 2011 6:00 AM

I did something new and different last weekend. I fished for channel catfish off the mouth of the Walla Walla River, where it enters the Columbia. Don Huffman, a guide that lives in Wenatchee, goes down there every year in the spring, and this is the first time that I got a chance to join him. The numbers of catfish that enter the Walla Walla River to spawn is amazing, and the size that they get impressive. Huffman has put over 1,700 pounds of channel cats in his boat this spring, and the big fish are still there. He has caught many in the 20 to 25 pound class. The big spawning females will move into the river soon, but the smaller males come in later and they come in hordes. Thousands of them show up and the numbers that sport anglers catch is incredible. These are prime eating, migrating fish, and you can fill your freezer with them in June. Rollie Schmitten and Jim Passage, both of Lake Wenatchee joined Don and I on this trip, and I want to thank Bill Ballantine, who arranged the trip, but wasn't able to come. We had a great time and caught channel cats weighing over 16 pounds.

ARTICLES BY FISHING MAGICIAN

August 1, 2011 6 a.m.

Fishing Magician - New and exciting fisheries

There are a couple of new and very exciting fisheries pending here in Central Washington. Starting as early as August 1st, there could be an opening of fishing for triploid rainbow trout above Brewster. As most anglers know, there was a huge release of triploids from the net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir, and combined with the spill of water over Chief Joseph Dam a significant number of them are showing up in the Columbia below Bridgeport.

June 22, 2011 11:53 a.m.

Fishing Magician Report - June 22nd

I've made a couple more trips up to Rufus Woods and have had good fishing both times. Not the red hot fishing I had at the net pens on my first trip, but my fishing buddies and I came home with a cooler so heavy it was hard to lift.

July 27, 2011 6 a.m.

Fishing Magician: Big summer runs

Summer run salmon are pouring up the Columbia River, and although heavy flows continue to hamper angler's efforts, there are both Chinook and sockeye being caught. Many are still making it to the big eddy below Wanapum Dam, their destination, but fishing in the Wenatchee area is very much worth a try.