Monday, December 31st

One of the events that I look forward to every winter is the Annual Game Feed and Banquet held by the Wenatchee Sportsmen's Association. This is very unique as the dinner features wild game, donated by members and friends and prepared by master chefs. Typical dishes at the banquet will include specially prepared moose, elk, bear, duck and other items that most folks only see on a menu at this banquet. The tickets sell out early for this one, as space is limited, and the annual affair has been going on for over two decades. The banquet is well known not only for the incredible fare served up at the dinner, but also for the amazing bargains available through the silent and lives auctions. This year's event will take place on Saturday, February 9th, and will be held at the Wenatchee Eagles, located at 1208 N. Wenatchee Avenue. The doors will open at 5 and the fun begins right then, as those that attend can purchase raffle tickets for a wide variety of items and can begin perusing the tables at the silent auction. I would check in with Hooked on Toys and High Mountain Hunting Supply for tickets. It may seem early, but tickets go fast.

Wednesday, January 2nd

I made another trip to try fishing from shore below Wells Dam. Last time I used a bobber and jig and the current was so fast my bobber was whizzing through the hole so fast I just didn't think a steelhead would chase it down. This time I used a Corkie set up. I thought I could slow down my drift and have a better chance of presenting my lure to a waiting steelhead. Well, the current was very heavy again, and although I got in a few good drifts I was still frustrated. I only spent about an hour here and packed it up. There was one other angler there and he had the same result. Wells is worth the effort if you can fish the bar below the launch from a boat. You get longer, controlled drifts using a bow mount electric, and it can pay off. It did for my buddy Shane Magnuson. He fished below Wells the next day and got four keepers for his efforts. I know there are fish below Wells Dam. It is just a matter of being able to put a bait right in front of them. I have often had the best luck here in the month of January.

Friday, January 4th

Fishing at Rufus Woods Reservoir has improved, but it can still disappoint anglers on certain days. The weekends can be particularly tough, due to the lack of flow on the impoundment. I did a swing through some of the popular spots at the lower end of Rufus last Saturday. Flows on the Columbia River below Chief Joseph and Wells Dam have been very heavy of late, and I thought there would be some current on Rufus. That would be an advantage to anglers fishing on Saturday. It wasn't the case. I first stopped at the spot below the power line at the end of Fishery Road and found two people fishing here. They had two small fish when I arrived, and those were the only fish I saw the rest of the day. I checked on a couple of other groups of anglers off Murphy road, near the launch, and then headed up to Brandts Landing. The people I visited with here had good luck during the week, catching four nice fish in two hours. They had only one bite in four hours on Saturday. Try to fish Rufus during the week if you can. Having current makes a huge difference.

Monday, January 7th

I get a lot of e-mails this time of year from folks wanting know what the ice conditions are on the lakes in the region. Here are ways to get some current information on the lakes. For Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee, go to www.lakewenatcheeinfo.com. There is a web cam on Fish Lake that you can access through this site. When I see people fishing I go up and double check on it and then report the conditions. For Patterson and Davis lakes, up the Methow Valley, I call Sun Mountain Lodge. They have cabins for rent in the winter on Patterson and will know if people are fishing on the ice here. The number for the lodge is 1-800-572-0493. To see if there is ice on Moses Lake and people are out fishing on it call the Best Western, right on the shore, at 509-765-9211. To check on the ice and road conditions at Rat Lake near Brewster, call Bob at the Triangle Exxon at 509-689-3473. When I want to know if there are perch being caught at the marina in Coulee City, I call Big Wally's at 509-632-5504.