The Fishin' Magician - Dave Graybill

Although the main stem Columbia River has closed to sport

fishing for spring salmon above Bonneville Dam, Drano Lake remains

open.

Wed., May 12

Although the main stem Columbia River has closed to sport fishing for spring salmon above Bonneville Dam, Drano Lake remains open. When I checked in with Shane Magnuson, Upper Columbia Guide Services, he was having a ball catching springers. He is limiting early in the day in most cases. The springers are hitting bait-wrapped Mag Lip Flatfish and prawn spinners. Drano Lake is known for its crowded conditions, and with the main stem Columbia closed, it will really be packed. It takes an experienced boat driver to navigate the pack. When I last fished there, a couple of weeks ago, there were 93 rigs parked on the highway, and another 60 in the parking area. Fishing will get even better through this month as fish move into Drano off the main river. Magnuson finished the season last year fishing with bobbers and ghost shrimp. What fun! The closure of the lower Columbia is good news for anglers who like to fish the Icicle River at Leavenworth. An exceptionally large run of spring salmon is expected this year. Although efforts are being made to open the Wenatchee to spring salmon fishing it doesn't appear that the required paperwork can be completed in time.

Fri., May 14

The extremely high winds that battered our region have subsided and angler can now get out and fish for trout, bass and walleye on our area's lakes. It was hard to get a

good report on the bass and walleye fishing on Banks Lake and Lake Roosevelt, but after this weekend I should have a good handle on what anglers can expect from these waters. I did check in with Blue Lake Resort, near Soap Lake, and anglers that fish early morning and evening are continuing to take limits of fat rainbow from the lake. Similar luck should be expected at Park Lake. I got a chance to try out my new Lund on Fish Lake, near Lake Wenatchee. The trout fishing here is very good. Anglers who troll the High Lakes Special that can be purchased at the Cove Resort store can limit on rainbow of 10 to 13 inches in about an hour. I am excited about the coming weekend. I am going to visit Curlew Lake, near Republic and see how the trout and bass fishing is going up there this spring. I am also finally going to get a chance to fish for smallmouth bass on Lake Osyoos.

Mon., May 17

One of the most popular events for kids in the region is the annual Kids Fish-In Day at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 5th this year. There should be 500 kids and their families at this year's event, and I want to remind everyone that they must pre-register to attend. Registration forms are now available at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee, and registration forms can be downloaded by going to Events for Kids on my web site, FishingMagician.com. In spite of the many budge cuts with the State of Washington, the Kids Fish-In events will still be held in twelve communities this year, and for the five dollar registration fee, the kids will receive a free t-shirt and a rod and reel combo that they get to keep for future fishing trips. I want also want everyone to know that the t-shirts are being provided by the generous donations made by many sponsors in our local area. You will see these companies and organizations on the entry blanks and t-shirts, and be sure to thank them. Be sure to get your registrations in by the end of the month. I'll see you there