Lake Chelan report 1-25-11

[Fishing Report]

What’s hot is our North Central Washington trifecta of winter fishing. Steelhead fishing on the Upper Columbia rocks on. Also hot is fishing for big Lakers as well as nice numbers of fish on Lake Chelan. This is also prime time for catching triploid rainbows at Rufus.



A 1/8th oz. Worden’s Maxi jig in that Calypso pattern under a bobber baited with Pautzke Fire Cured shrimp was very effective for Steelhead.



Fish on Lake Chelan above the Yacht Club with Silver Horde’s Kingfisher Lite spoons in chartreuse splatterback glow. Worden Lure’s T4 purple glow Flatfish, Mack’s Lures big Squid Rigs in Glow colors and Critter Gitter’s Rushin’ Salmon Wobblers in Purple Glow are also great choices.



As the surface water temp at Rufus cools below 40F, give up on casting and trolling applications more quickly than you would if the surface temperature was above 40F. Fish deep with Pautzke’s Firebait near the pens for best success.



Your fishing tip of the week is to think a little when determining your presentation. Specifically, if you know the targeted prey of your quarry, match the hatch. For non-fly fishermen, that means try to match the general profile, color and scent of your presentation with your quarry’s natural prey. On Lake Chelan, for Mackinaw, it’s Kokanee. At Rufus for Triploids, it’s hatchery feed pellets. Different strokes…



I thought of the kid’s tip of the week this morning, as I was getting ready to pedal the stationary bike. I set the egg timer to the desired time and pedaled away. It made me think of all the applications that I used that thing for raising Darrell. We used it so he could measure his progress against the allotted time when given a task. I used it when he was in time out as a reminder of when to process him out. We used it to keep track of time when he was rewarded with a certain amount of TV or video game playing. Really, it’s a simple and inexpensive tool to assist you with a developing a consistent method for disciplining and rewarding your child.



Your safety tip of the week is to stop and think, use light and an assistant when you are backing your trailered boat in at the end of the day. This is especially useful in the winter when you get so tired and the days are very short, you are always putting it away in the dark. You can prevent damage to your props, your boat and your buildings by taking those precautions. Not that I’d know from experience…



Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service, Anton Jones

(www.darrellanddads.com or toll free at 1-866-360-1523)



Pictured: 1-19-11 Dale Rees of Tacoma, WA with an 11.8 pound Hatchery Steelhead caught below Wells Dam. He added a nice bright hen and his limit of Rufus Triploids for his 2 venue trip!



Also Pictured: 1-22-11 Bob Robelia of Chelan Falls with his son-in-law Todd Schip of Wenatchee, his 9 year old granddaughter and and 5 year old grandson, Jude. They have their limits of Rufus Triploids. The big fish was 9 pounds.



Finally Pictured: 1-23-11 George Selvy of Lynnwood with a 10.8 pound laker. He fished with Don McAfee of Sammamish, WA. It was the second biggest fish of the trip (big fish was 12 pounds) as well as one of 11 they got in 3 hours of fishing!

[lakechelanadventures]

I have been fishing Rufus Woods now for over 14 yrs and been guiding Rufus since 2005..
I recently wrote a letter to WDFW stating that I am catching 1 out of 4 Triploid Rainbows in the Lower Basin of Rufus with Leaders that have been cut hanging from the mouths..This is a real concern to me as I have found dead fish also with leaders..

For all to know I do think that the Proposal that has been made for a Rule Change for 2011 at Rufus to Provide a Quality Fishery will make this a World Class Fishery for the future for all..The NO Bait rule should take place after this April..

You will catch fish at Rufus without the use of scent or Bait..It is an incredible Fishery and I am pleased to see this change!!!!