Rufus Woods Reservoir is the hot spot for big trout right now in Central Washington.

Rufus Woods Reservoir is the hot spot for big trout right now in Central Washington. I have made two trips to the bottom end of the reservoir in the past week and have had good fishing both times. I was there this past Tuesday, and once again caught rainbow averaging 5 pounds.

Most all of the fish were wearing Colville Tribal hatchery tags, and I called the hatchery to find out when they had released fish and how many. They told me that the fish we are catching now came from their net pen two weeks ago.

There were 780 triploids released at that time, and they averaged 5 pounds each. This accounts for the spike in good fishing above Chief Joseph Dam, and for the size of the fish being caught. When I was there on Tuesday there were six other boats on the water, from small prams to boats like my Kingfisher 2025

Everyone was catching fish, including the guys trolling with fly gear. I spent most of my time along the can line, and even got one fish past the anchor point toward the bottom end of the barrier. I would get to Rufus soon, while the fish are plentiful and hungry.