FISHING
After a long, often fogbound Columbia Basin winter, March represents a great chance to sample a range of fisheries across the region, including the big rainbow trout of remote Coffeepot Lake, which are partial to flashy flies and trolled lures. (RICH LANDERS)
Cabin Fever Beaters: Basin Trout, Walleye As spring sneaks into the 509, its many rainbow lakes and the plentiful walleye in the Columbia make for great fishing season kickoffs. By Jeff Holmes
H
ere in the Columbia Basin in mid-February, at least in my yard near the banks of the Columbia River, spring has reared its head. Grass is greening. Daffodils and crocuses are blooming. Waters are warming, and fishing is heating up on the Columbia River for walleye and in lakes across the region for
rainbow trout. Eastern Washington fishing opportunities will widen further as waters warm in March and into spring. But for anyone looking right now to get away for a few days of lucrative fishing amidst a warming and greening landscape, March is prime time for walleye in the Tri-Cities area and for rainbow trout in many of the region’s lakes. The general opening of fishing
season won’t occur until the fourth Saturday in April, as always, but there’s no reason to wait if you have cabin fever. Lake Roosevelt, Coffeepot Lake, Fourth of July Lake, Rock Lake and the lakes along the Tucannon River in the W.T. Wooten Wildlife Area are some of the excellent March trout fishing opportunities available east of the Cascades. Anglers with and without boats have lots of opportunities for nwsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2022
Northwest Sportsman 105
