The Fishing Magician Report - Jun 25

I hope you all had a great Father’s Day celebration. I sure

did.

I hope you all had a great Father's Day celebration. I sure did. Went fishing, of course with my Dad, Dave Graybill, and my brother Rick. We traveled to Billy Clapp Lake, which is east of Soap Lake. We hit a great day to be on the water. It was not to hot and not too windy, so conditions were very good to fish for the kokanee in the lake. Billy Clapp is known for really big kokanee. I caught some last summer that were 19 inches and very fat. The kokanee weren't too active when we visited the lake, though. We got a few hits, and lost of couple near the boat. One of the ones that got away confirmed what we had heard about the size of the kokanee at Billy Clapp. It was a whopper. We plan to get back to Billy Clapp later this summer and see if the bite is better in late July and August. That's when I did the best here last year. When I go back I am also going to take my bass gear with me. I understand that the smallmouth bass fishing at Billy Clapp is pretty goo, too.

Bass fishing is going strong on most of area lakes, and if you want to learn more about catching these guys, better plan on attending an event at High Mountain Hunting and Fishing Supply. The Sniper Lures Seminar coming up on July 3rd. There will be two or three bass pros on hand to give presentations and talk to those who attend from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be some super deals on Sniper lures during the event, too-buy two get one free. There will be product demos, a Sniper raffle, door prizes and more fun. This is a great opportunity to pick up some great tips on bass fishing from some real experts. Remember, Saturday, July 3rd, the Sniper Bass Seminar at High Mountain Hunting and Fishing Supply, located at 223 North Mission Street, Wenatchee, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I sure hope I can get there. I want to learn more about bass fishing. I have a great time on Evergreen Reservoir and Banks Lake, but I want to be better prepared when I try unfamiliar waters. We are fortunate to have a lot of very good bass lakes and rivers in our region, and I want to do more bass fishing.

I am going to have some great reports for you soon. I am going to try the fishing for a variety of species at Roses Lake, and then for the first time fish for walleye at Long Lake, near Othello. Roses should be good for trout, bass, bluegill and even catfish right now, and I going to find out. I have fished for everything at Roses before with good success, but have never tried for catfish. I've seen fish to 12 pounds come out of Roses, and have heard of fish much bigger. We'll see. I have also fished Long Lake, but that was years ago and my Dad and brother Rick and I had a ball catching small perch. This time I am after walleye. My buddy who is showing me the ropes down there says there may not be as many fish in Long as Moses Lake, but they are bigger and the quality is better. I hear there are some hazards to be aware of in Long Lake, that's why I want to go with someone that knows there way around before I try it myself. I'll be sure and let everyone know how I do at both Roses and Long Lake in future reports.

This is going to be a very busy end of the week for anglers here in the Wenatchee area. There are just a lot of things going on. Summer run salmon season opens on Thursday, July 1st, and Hooked on Toys has something special planned for salmon anglers this year. They are holding a free salmon derby the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July. Just bring the fish you caught on the Columbia to the store during business hours. They will weigh them and take a photo and the top ten biggest salmon will win one of ten one hundred dollar gift certificates to area businesses. Again, there is no cost to participate in the derby. On Saturday, July 3rd you'll want to be off the water by 11 a.m. so you can attend the Sniper Bass Seminar at High Mountain Hunting and Fishing Supply. There will be bass pros talking tackle and technique drawings, and some really deep deals on Sniper Lures. The seminar starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. Better get out early on Saturday and get your salmon turned into the derby so you have time to attend the bass seminar later in the day.