FRESH NEWS: Waterfowl season starts, Perch, Crappie and Bluegill biting
CONTRIBUTED REPORT/MARDON RESORT/NATHAN LAFRANCE | Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 4 weeks, 1 day AGO
Matt Romack, left, and Max Kleyn, right, hold up their limit of crappie after a successful outing on the Potholes Reservoir.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS/MARDON RESORT
Waterfowl season started with a BANG! This year’s opener brought above-average temps that are not ideal for waterfowl hunting. But that didn’t stop the waterfowlers from heading out predawn. The sportsmen were rewarded for their hard work at daylight with mixed bags of Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Spoonbill and Greenwing Teal. A few lucky hunters were able to connect on some trophy White-Fronted (Specklebelly) Geese.
This week Potholes Reservoir has risen from 1029.9 feet to 1032 feet for a gain of 2.1 feet. Water temp was 59.6 degrees Monday afternoon. With the water temp dropping below 60 degrees the Walleye bite will intensify as they start their heavy feeding! The weather forecast for Potholes Reservoir continues to provide very comfortable temps for outdoor activities.
Perch, Crappie and Bluegill
We are finally getting reports of good numbers and sizes of perch being caught. Anglers are finding the perch in 5 to 10 FOW along the northwest side of Crab Creek channel while pulling worm harnesses. The Crappie and Bluegill bite has continued to be insanely good over the last week. Most of the larger Crappie 11 to 16 inchers have been coming off structure that is deeper than 15 FOW. The best way to locate these larger fish is to use your map to locate different areas with structure then scan with sonar till you locate the active fish. Once located start throwing Strikeking XD3 and XD5 Crankbaits to entice these fish to strike.
Bass
Over the weekend Largemouth Bass was king. Many anglers reported 100+ fish days. Most of these 100+ bass are 1- to 2-pounders, but they make for a fun day of catching. Work the shallows 1 to 6 FOW along Crab Creek and Frenchman’s using a 4-inch Swimbait or NEKO rigged Senko. Working a three-eighths ounce ball jig tipped with a Yamamoto Hula Grub in 196-pumpkin has been producing larger Smallmouth along the Dam.
For more info or help choosing tackle, stop into the fully stocked MarDon Resort tackle shop. The shop also carry ammo, boating and hunting accessories and is open daily all year. Call the MarDon Resort Tackle Store for current conditions and fishing information at 509-346-2651