Fresh News Fishing Report 9/20/2016

Freshnews

Potholes Reservoir has been producing some very large yellow perch at the mouth of Frenchman’s Wasteway in fifteen feet of water where Crab Creek enters Potholes and the Goose Island area.  Crappie action has been reported as being good where Winchester Wasteway enters Potholes.  Channel catfish have been reported in the Lind Coulee arm of Potholes. 

Bass fishing has been very active near Goose Island, using jigs.  One group reported 21 smallmouth and two walleyes to 24 inches.  The sand dunes have been very good for largemouth. Be very cautious when driving a boat in the sand dunes this time of year.

The 2016 MarDon Marathon Dock Tournament will begin this Friday at 6:00 pm.  We fish all night Friday and all day Saturday and Saturday night into Sunday until 11:00 am, when we present awards and trophies.  We have a raffle on Sunday to support CWFAC (Central Washington Fish Advisory Committee).  After the awards and raffle, we have a fried chicken dinner and pie social.  This dock event  was the idea brought to us by the late Sue Madison, which has provided many people years of enjoyment and a fun finish to summer.  Remember no boats, just dock and bank fishing.  The entrance fee is $40.00 per person.  

The Potholes water level is currently 1030 compared to 1028.8 last year at this time. 

We have (3) RV  12X55 Covered storage units, with electricity available for $175 monthly.

Hunters Special:  RV Site October to March 1^st, plus electricity for the 5 months is $1190.  This rental includes RV site with full hookups, (water, electricity & sewer).   For more information, call (509) 346-2651.

Robert and Mary Riggs caught their Walleye yesterday fishing with Shelby Ross on Potholes.

Greg and Nick Johnston of Lake Stevens had a great Dove shoot on Royal Slope.

Levi Meseberg with a load of habitat boxes to be placed on the floor of Potholes Reservoir.

September Fish Report 9/8/2016

Fish Report from Rob Harbin, Storekeeper at MarDon

As the water temperature cools on Potholes the fishing is slowly improving for walleye and perch.  Surface temperatures are in the mid-60’s now, which is down 10 degrees from August temperatures. 

This seasons walleye action has been very tough due to 89’ and 90’ degree temperatures in April of 2016, this created a huge amount of bluegill, crappie, perch and bass nursery stock.  With an abundance of new fish, the walleyes feed on the new fish and have been very full and quite large.  This past week we have seen some large crappie and perch.  One angler filleted a 3lb bluegill not knowing the Washington State record is 2lbs 4 oz. caught in Potholes Reservoir.  Jim Mahan from Puyallup landed a 16-inch crappie fishing near Potholes State Park on a Berkeley flicker shad.  That crappie weighed 2lbs. 4 oz. after it was cleaned.  Originally Jim’s crappie was over 3bs.  Some surprisingly big Largemouth over 6lbs and smallmouth over 5 lbs. have been reported this past week.  Night fishing in the Lind Coulee arms of Potholes has been producing Channel catfish over 14 lbs. this week.  If you catch Channel catfish know the limit is five fish per person.  There is no limit on Brown Bullhead or Yellow belly catfish.  Using spinner and worms, catfish and bullhead have been very abundant, while targeting walleye.  Fish near Frenchmans Wasteway for catfish and bullhead.

The guys fishing plugs in 6 to 14 ft. are picking up walleye on the front of the dune area from the State Park to the mouth of Crab Creek.  Worm fisherman are also taking fish in the same area and some of the humps farther out in the lake.  The Bass fishing is good too excellent for both largemouth and smallmouth.  Fishing creature baits or senkos has been good in the on points and beaver huts in 4-8 feet of water.  The rock piles off Goose Island have been good for smallmouth in large numbers.  Some nice perch are also being fished off Goose Island with crappie jigs and maggots.  You can also fish worms and slow death hooks in this area for walleye and perch.  As we go into October the fishing should be at it’s best for all species in the lake.

 

September 16-18 is our Annual Marathon Dock FishingTournament.  We pay out the two biggest fish caught on 9 different species.  Cost to enter is $40.00 and concludes on Sunday with a potluck and pie social at noon.  MarDon and The Beach House provide the main course, pies and eating utensils.  There is also a raffle for CWFAC Fish Habitat.

Mike Meseberg with a 22-inch largemouth caught and released in the sand dunes on Potholes Reservoir.

Crappie caught at the mouth of Frenchmans Wasteway on a Berkeley Flicker-Shad  is 16- inch 3 lb.

Fresh News 8-11-2016

Bass fishing on Potholes Reservoir has been great.  Our water level on Potholes is beginning to go down.  Current water level as of today is 1034.65 and will be dropping at 2/10 per day.  On 8/8/16 I went bass fishing on the Potholes and drove my walleye boat to the Job Corp. dike, which hasn’t been possible since after Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980.  Our farmers didn’t buy irrigation water because of the volcanic ash which sealed in moisture.  With our unusually high water on Potholes many largemouth in the dunes are putting on additional weight.  Many beaver huts near the Job Corp. dike are filled with a vast number of new bluegill, crappie and perch under 1 ½’ in length, plus an amazing number of 3” to 4” largemouth bass.  Each beaver hut looks like an aquarium, with an over abundance of feed. 

Walleye always feed on all of these minnows that have not left the sand dunes, hence, walleye action has been slower for most.  As the lake lowers and the new feed leaves the sand dunes the walleye will follow the bait!

With Central Washington weather forecasted for well above normal temperatures through October, we can only hope farmers use vast amounts of water to irrigate crops into October, this will move the walleye to traditional locations in Crab Creek, Frenchman’s Wasteway and Goose Island. 

In the meantime, this past week MarDon dock has been producing crappie, perch, bluegill, catfish, some bass and trout.

This weekend Saturday and Sunday 8/13-14/16, the Championship for the Washington Walleye Circuit will be held at MarDon Resort.  The event starts at 5:30 AM both days and concludes at 2:30 PM.  Everyone is welcome to attend the weigh-in.  The Central Washington Fish Advisory Committee (www.cwfac.org) will hold a raffle of donated items.  All monies earned by CWFAC will be used to build more habitat boxes to be placed in Potholes Reservoir.  The raffle is on Sunday afternoon. 

Another CWFAC Fundraiser Event is on August 27, 2016.  The Lake Games and Beach Party.  Call (509) 346-2651 to join in the fun. 

Jadon Seibel of Port Angeles with a 9.4 Walleye off Goose Island with a double whammy.

John Pegee and Susan Easton of Tacoma with nice crappie caught off MarDon dock.

Fresh News 7/21/16

July’s full moon is called the “Buck Moon”.  Each year this July moon is when mother nature sparks the growth of mule deer antlers.  The dynamic Mule deer we enjoy on Potholes Reservoir are amazing.  Deer hunters are so happy when they win a Desert A hunting permit.  Last year we witnessed a 420 lb. monster mule deer harvested on Frenchman Waterway, I didn’t know mule deer could be so huge. 

This past week was a great time for our Habitat Project on Potholes Reservoir.  (www.cwfac.org) Our volunteers built a new vessel to deposit habitat boxes on the floor of Potholes Reservoir.  At this time, we would like to thank our partners for donating The African Queen, our first boat to deposit habitat boxes.  The African Queen allowed us to put twelve boxes on it.  Thanks to Seth Davis and Jeff Ackeridge Now the queen has been retired and placed in our habitat museum.  The new vessel can deposit twenty-five boxes at a time.  The Fish and Map Company maps of Potholes Reservoir show the area where we may place the habitat boxes. They are placed in an area and depth that is five feet below the lowest Potholes Reservoir can be, drawn down.  This prevents boating and swimming accidents.  We will be placing 232 new habitat boxes, which will give first and second year fish a safe place to live and grow.  Another exciting habitat project will begin in February of 2017.  Under extreme diligent, The Columbia Basin Walleye Club under President Mike Schlueter and many other Walleye club board members have been working on a Habitat Project on Moses Lake.  After over three years of hard work, President Mike Schlueter has won the permitting battle.  Now the habitat on Moses Lake is beginning.  These structures will allow perch, crappie and bluegill to vastly increase.  The future of fishing on Moses Lake will rapidly improve.

Cool temperatures lately have hindered walleye anglers on Potholes.  Bass fishing just keeps going well.  With temperatures predicted in the 90’s this week, fishing will rapidly improve on Potholes.

This amazing mule deer photo were taken on July 17, 2016 at 11:00 am in the sand dunes on Potholes Reservoir by our good friend Travis Cyr from Yakima, who allowed us to share this.

The new vessel for planting habitat boxes on the floor of Potholes Reservoir.

William Lowe (10 yrs old) from Des Moines, with jumbo crappie to 13" from the MarDon dock.