Finally Some Fishing

After almost a year of talking about when we were going to find time to go fishing, it finally happened. My wife and Maddy were out of town on a trip and I didn't work so I had a free day, and R-Dub Outdoor Pro-staffer Ron Oules had a free day to do what he wanted. Of course Ron wanted to go fishing.

I asked him what time he wanted to meet in Pateros, WA and he said 6 which meant getting up at 5 am to leave the house by 5:30. I arrived right on time, threw my bag and camera in the truck and away we went. Of course the first thing I asked was "Are your friends still catching lots of fish?" His reply of "No" did not instill a bunch of confidence.

We make the half hour drive to Manson, WA and see that there are already plenty of fishermen on the water. We put the boat in the water at Old Mill Park. Of course the first thing I do is forget my lunch and snacks in my bag in the truck, oh well.

You could not of asked for a more beautiful morning on the water. It was glass calm with a gentle breeze.

We get the rigs set up and I get a quick lesson in down riggers. The lesson was simple - "don't screw up".

About 10 minutes later it was "FISH ON". Now catching any fish is fun, but I can't say that these Kokanee are hard fighters. They also have a soft jaw so you can't just horse them in or you risk ripping the hook out.

About two hours in and we had landed about 10 fish. I was happy with the day at that point. The best part was that Ron lost the first fish of the day.  Of course I did not let him forget it. But as the fish "Karma" goes around and comes around I ended up missing a bite and losing a hooked fish by the end of the day. But hey who's really keeping track?

Now out in this area there are plenty of boats in a small area. Although I am not a freshwater fishing expert I do know that asking how deep or what are you using is against fishing etiquette. So the good old adage of "If you are not lying you are not fishing." came to mind.  So of course some other fishermen could not resist asking how deep we were. Our go to answer was haven't caught anything above 90 feet deep.  In reality we were between 70 and 50 feet the whole day. When they asked what we were using we said green cut plug with sweet corn. In reality we were using a pink squid.

Now you all should feel lucky that I was able to divulge some secrets of the trade. I hope it will work out for you.

At the end of the day we ended up with 15 fish.  When we pulled out of the water the other boats were only reporting one to five fish caught. But, I did not see their fish to verify their stories.

If you ever get a chance to go to Lake Chelan for a Kokanee fishing trip I would highly recommend it.

A Weekend of Steelheading

I have not been out much lately for Steelhead.  With the closure it seems to have turned off client interest.   They closed the Methow River and Columbia River near the mouth of the Methow.  Every thing else has remained open.   Unfortunately when people hear the Methow is closed they think Easter Washington Steelhead is closed.   The other waters in our area are still open including the Columbia and Okanogan River.  Sure I would love to be out every day with clients, but having some time off to get other things done has its benefits.

One of my buddies called Wednesday to “chat”.  He says he has weekends off for a month, and tentatively asks when I might have an open day to fish.  Normally all my buddies have to wait or schedule a ways out.  I instantly reply Friday is out, but how about Saturday and Sunday?  A brief pause and then he replied back “I’ll see you Friday night!”.  He tells me I have all my own gear now, so you don’t have to bring me anything.  Ok…sure I’m still bringing two BIG EYE rods, two stock spinning rods and a troller.  

Saturday morning he doesn’t ask anything other then what color I’m going to use.   I tell him and he replies back with what he will use.   I’m thinking…well ok if you say so, but I am going to kick your butt today.  Yes, FISHING IS A CONTEST and it is not EVERYBODY GETS A RIBBON DAY.   The first two areas were blanks.  We move around some and I miss a bite or two.  Finally around 10am I hook and land the first fish.   I hook and lose one, and then hook and land a keeper.   That would be every bite and fish for Ron with buddy zippo.   Oh yeah I am reminding him, and he has tried probably 5 different set ups.   My buddy gets his one fish for the day, and we end with 3 boated, 2 keepers and 2 lost.   For me lost means it’s hooked, you get to see it, and it comes undone before it’s in the net.  Swing and a miss doesn’t count for lost. 

Sunday we start where we caught fish the day before and skip the blank holes.   My friend finally asks as we are getting ready for the first drift “What do you think I should use”.   I point it out to him telling him “That is a fish catcher for sure”.  He rigs up and BANG not 20 yards later he has a nice fish on.   Fights it all the way to the boat and it is an un-clipped so it goes back.  I get ready to net it and as he lifts to bring it to the top…BINK…there goes about a 7lb hen.  BAHAHAHAAA…he lost his fish to a line break with the best lure he had.   Yes, I am laughing out loud at him and telling him how he is an idiot.   I look at the line ask him what it is…and then tell him to cut the crap off and tie up like I was.   He re-rigs up and we have a decent day ending with 5 boated, 1 keeper, and 3 lost.  Oh..Yes I out fished him again 3 to 2, so he bought the Fireball and Apple Juice.   

-Ron Oules           


If you want to book a Steelhead fishing adventure contact Reel-Lentless Guide Service