Taking a couple young kids camping and fishing for the first time. We will be staying at the State Park and would love to see them catch their first fish. I haven't lake fished for trout (outside of fly fishing) in years and am wondering if anyone has any insite on this lake as to where, how and when. We are taking the boat so we will have good access to the whole lake.

Many thanks for any tips. Hoping to start tomorrows' fishermen off right!

Steve

Dawg, Shouldn't be a problem to get the kids some fish over there. I've fished there 2 weekends in the last month and have done quite well on both trout and walleye.

If you launch at the state park, hook a left around the point and try Frenchmans wasteway. Usually trolling weddingrings tipped with worms will kill the trout here. Other good bets are the face of the dam, goose island, crab creek and lind coulee.

Mardon resort has a web page with a reports section that could help. I think it's www.mardonresort.com

Good luck and let me know how you do.

Big_Jim

Since you're fishing with kids who are not fishermen, don't waste a lot of time searching for trout or walleyes if they're not biting or if the wind is such that you can't fish the big reservoir.

Head into the dunes through one of the main channels and find a bay with panfish-- perch, bluegill, or crappie should do the trick. Use a bobber setup with a minijig and either a piece of nightcrawler or maggots. You should get plenty of action. Be aware that there are special regulations for both crappie and bluegills on the Potholes.

Perch Island (one of the dunes that is submerged part of the year) is an excellent place to find fish as well. It's between the state park and Winchester Wasteway. You can also fish along the face of the dam for just about everything in the reservoir-- and it's a great place for bluegill and crappie as well. I would fish a slip bobber there as the bottom is grabby.

Since the wind is a factor at the Potholes, I would take an anchor and plenty of line. I would also think about a second anchor as well so you can keep your boat in one position. Don't anchor near the dam, and be careful about anchoring in standing timber.

If you fail to score in the big reservoir, load up and try Soda Lake. Also, ask at the Mar Don tackle store; they will usually give you the straight scoop on where the fish are biting and on what.

Have fun! The Potholes is a great place to fish.

Keith

Trolling a Rapala style minnow plug, especially if a front hook is tipped with a small piece of baitfish or shrimp (nightcrawler scent works ok too) is a consistent producer also. I usually long line them off the back, and fish a few feet under the surface.
For easy action for the kids, buy a dock pass at Mar-Don's resort. Fish very small jigs tipped with bait (especially pieces of fish), lots of action on small panfish.

Try asking your questions on the washingtonlakes.com forum That forum is specifically for still water fishing.

Thanks for the help guys. The weather turned pretty crummy fast on Sat. afternoon so we only got in a little fishing with not much going on. Sounded like most folks found it to be slow going. Next time...