The Fishin' Magician

May 6

Kokanee fishing is still very good at Lake Chelan, but you may have to look in different areas to find them. I got a note, with photos to prove it, that fishing near the Yacht Club is very good right now. Eric Granstrom, my fishing side kick and video producer, got a bunch here recently, and they ran from 14 ? to 18 ? inches. I have also heard that the area near the Monument on Chelan is also producing good catches. There are still fish further down the lake, in the lower basin, but I would advise anglers to be willing to pull up their gear and do some hunting if the bite fails. Granstrom also was fishing late in the day. I have always tried to be on the water as early as possible. There is often a good early bite, and then a lull in the action that can start as early 10 a.m. If that occurs when I am out next time I will run up lake and try different spots rather than troll and wait for the bite to improve. Granstrom was fishing 40 to 60 feet deep at the Yacht Club and using the R & K hoochies baited with a mix of white and purple stained corn.

May 8

Jumbo kokanee are still being caught in good numbers on Lake Chelan, but the early birds are having the best success. I tried my luck on Chelan recently and although I was on the water before eight o'clock the hot morning bite was long over. I ran from Mill Bay to below the Monument on the other side and found that the anglers that had been there since day break had several fish in their coolers. They were trying hard for each fish after that. We missed a couple of bites here then ran up to the Yacht Club. We put a couple of big ones in the cooler here, but the bite just wasn't fast enough for me. We headed down to the Blue Roofs and did find many fish. We tried off Mill Bay without success, and then ran back over to where we started the day. When we finally threw it in we still just had the two fish we got at the Yacht Club in the cooler. I am not discouraged though. The great kokanee fishing is far from over on Chelan. I plan on getting there must earlier next time, and not spend so much time zooming around. Patience!

May 10

There is an event coming up that you'll want to plan on attending. It's the annual Northern Pikeminnow Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Quincy Valley Tourism Association, the same folks that bring you the Trout Derby at Burke Lake. The derby headquarters is at Crescent Bar, and the event will take place on May 17, 18 and 19. There is a good chance that you could win one of two fishing boats that will be raffled at the end of the derby. One is 12-foot Smoker Craft Alaskan, with motor and trailer. The other is a 10-foot Smoker Craft john boat, with motor and trailer. In addition to these two boats there is $9,000.00 in cash prizes to be handed out. There will be cash awarded to the top 20 with the largest cumulative catch over the three days of the event. Cash is also provided to the top ten biggest Single Catch on Saturday and Sunday. There is cash being paid to the top three Single Catch in the Youth Division on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for the Youth Division, age 15 and under. Tickets are available at Quincy Valley Hardware, Hooked on Toys, High Mountain Hunting Supply, and on-line. To get a complete list of the rules and registration forms you can go to www.quincyvalleytourism.org.