Dave Graybill: The Fishin' Magician

Good news for anglers that like to catch trout in the region.

The Colville Tribe has put another batch of triploid rainbow into Rufus Woods Reservoir. In late March there were just over 9,600 triploids released, and they weighed between 1.75 pounds and 2 pounds.

These are nice fish, and much larger than anglers can expect from most of our local lakes. These fish were released at the upper end of the reservoir, but it always surprises me how fast they make it down to the bottom end at Chief Joseph Dam.

I have had good success fishing for triploids in this area. I have found the triploids eager to hit a variety of gear. I like to troll small dodgers and an Apex for them near the "can line."

I have also had very good luck trolling flies, mostly large Wooly Bugger patterns. The ones with lots of Crystal Flash or Flash A Bu in them work the best. Sometimes I just cast a fly on a sink tip line and retrieve.

I have caught as many triploids doing this as any other method at times. Anglers should expect to find fair numbers of these triploids all throughout the reservoir now, and there are still some larger fish available on Rufus Woods, too.