Late July is here and it is time to enjoy the summer heat at Potholes Reservoir. Our sandy beach is starting to show and become more available as the water lowers. This past week the crappie fishing off the MarDon Dock has been very active. During a trip to pump boat gas at the MarDon Marina I saw seven 9" and bigger crappie being caught. For bass action the beaver huts, willow points and clean sand banks would be your best bet using plastics, spinner baits and top water lures. As the water level lowers bass fishing will only improve on Potholes Reservoir.

The sand dunes are great until you run out of water as the reservoir goes down. At low water fish the face of O'Sullivan Dam around Goose Island for some nice smallmouth bass. But beware of all the rocks around Goose Island; they can be very treacherous for propellers. Trout are gigantic at Medicare Beach, use a Rapala Shad-Rap, Needlefish and Mac's Lure Double Whammy with a crawler for walleye or trout action. The humps off the face of the sand dunes can also be great for a nice walleye this time of year.

The seep lakes below O'Sullivan Dam have had very little fishing lately. Soda, Long, and Crescent Lakes are showing rainbow around 20 inches and smallmouth bass are also very available at the lakes on the Potholes Canal System. For some early morning trout action, consider Upper Hampton in a float tube or small boat (no gas motors are allowed on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge). Hutchinson and Shiner Lakes, also on the Refuge, are good options for quality largemouth bass, blue gill, and yellow perch.

The water level on Potholes Reservoir is 1036.40 with full pool at 1046.

For more information or a fishing report please call the MarDon Tackle Store at (509) 346-2651.