Late Summer on Banks Lake

A weeklong escape to this 30-mile long lake in the high desert turned out to be more about swimming and tubing than Bass fishing, which was a good thing since my flies were not doing a good job of getting down in the deep water where the fish were hunkered down in the heat. My brother-in-law, Terry, did the best, jigging a Muddler Minnow in deep water from shore and catching several nice Smallmouth.

His son, Josh, did well early one morning from my boat, catching a mess of 6-12 inch Bass and having a ball (see photo below). At one point he even lucked into a larger Walleye but it wiggled and fell overboard before we could get a picture.

I resolved to care more about enjoying where I was than about catching fish, convenient since I wasn't catching a whole lot... Although, during a little midnight fishing I did manage to catch a fat Rainbow Trout which both surprised and tickled me - it was only the second Trout I've caught on Banks.

We left content, having enjoyed the good company of family and the beauty of a lake which offers up rocky high-wall canyons, grassy coves, and fiery sunsets and sunrises. Simply beautiful and relaxing. Everything you want from a final week of vacation before summer comes to an end.

August Exploration

August is coming to a close soon and the truth is that I haven't been out fishing much. Of course, that is typical for me in August. I prefer the cool temperatures of spring and fall and find the bigger fish more agreeable then, as well.

But I did get down to southwest Washington in the Mossyrock area with my son, Terry, to spend a few hours on Riffe Lake and Mayfield Lake, neither of which produced much in the way of fish but it was still a fun adventure. We enjoyed getting the boat out on the water and running up and down such long lakes.

By far the most obscure fish caugh was the majestic Pikeminnow in Mayfield Lake. State officials feel so warmly toward this species that they planted Tiger Musky several years ago in the hope of cutting down or eradicating the Pikeminnow. The one pictured here was seventeen inches long and put up a whale of a fight... for all of about ten seconds before it gave up and I landed it.

Summer Sea-Run Cutt's

Everyone has a secret spot or two where they like to fish in solitude and under the sometimes mistaken belief that no one else knows about the place. I was fortunate enough last week to have David Dietrich take me along to one of his and I have to tell you that this tidal creek we went to was about as remote and rustic as you can find and stuffed full of good-sized, Sea-Run Cutthroat.

That's all I'm going to say because I'm sworn to secrecy and I don't want anyone else to find it. See how quickly our altruistic, fishing brotherhood, one-for-the-planet perspective devolves? I don't want any of you bums on that creek. It's mine, I tell ya...

Oh, wait a minute. It's David's. Dang...