Northwest Reel Life March 2024 Volume 3 Issue 5 - Flipbook - Page 8
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It’s hard to think of fishing for most of looking at iced in boat ramps and/or iced over
lakes but the ice will likely thaw by the beginning of March and you’ll have some great
opportunities for fishing when it does. Looking for some early-season trout and walleye
ideas? Here’s a few for you:
LATE WINTER WALLEYE
The Columbia River is the
place to be in March for
walleye as the big females
get ready to spawn. In
fact, this is the time of
year to land a true trophy
walleye. Traditionally, the
bigger females have been
targeted near the Tri-Cities
but quality walleye can
be found in The Dalles
and John Day pools as
well the Upper Columbia
near Hydro Park in East
Wenatchee, and in Rufus
Woods Reservoir as well
as the upper end of Lake
Roosevelt.
When it comes to catching
March walleye, try trolling
a small spinner worm
harness like a Mack’s Lure
Slow Death Rig at a very
slow speed (around 1 to
1.2 MPH). Once you find a
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school of fish you can jig for
them. In addition to jigging
for walleye with soft plastics
on jig heads, you can also
use metal blade baits or
vertical jigs like a Mack’s
Sonic Baitfish.
QUINCY LAKES TROUT FISHING
The Quincy Lakes trout
opener on March 1st is
either a boom or a bust
depending on the amount
of ice remaining on this
chain of lakes between
Quincy and George which
lie in a sizeable state wildlife
area. The most popular
lakes to fish are Quincy
and Burke Lakes, which
are both well-stocked with
rainbow trout. There are
also several small walk-in
lakes southwest of these
bodies of water that are
stocked with smaller
numbers of trout but which
receive less pressure.
The opener often finds
crowds of both day-anglers
and overnight campers
congregated close to the
shore of the main two trout
lakes, many of them in a
festive mood, especially
when early spring weather
and sunshine is present.
That isn’t always the case
though, The Quincy Valley
Chamber of Commerce,
which has hosted an annual
trout fishing derby with
prizes for kids and adults
in the first half of March, is
hedging their bets this year
(as to whether the lakes will
be ice-free) and will wait
until March 22nd and 23rd
to hold their event at Burke
and Quincy Lakes.
TUCANNON LAKES TROUT
The Tucannon Lakes,
nestled in the W.T.
Wooten Wildlife Area and
the Blue Mountains of
