Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc. March 2018 Volume 25.3

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1 Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc. March 2018 Volume 25.3 Macks Lure Slow Death Rigas are great for walleye 1

2 2 Macks Lure Spin Drift Walleye Rigs are a great addition to any anglers tackle box and they also work for Kokanee too.

3 Macks Lure Super Slow Death Rigs are great for walleye and are very productive. 3

4 A FEAST FOR THE FISHES!! FISH WILL LINE UP FOR A SHOT AT YOUR LURE LIKE HUNGRY LUMBERJACKS AT A BANQUET WHEN YOU RE USING OUR DEADLY EFFECTIVE PRODUCTS!! Available at your local sporting goods supplier in more than 40 different blends GUARANTEED to work better than any scent/attractant on the market! Choose from our wide range of Gels, Sticky Liquids and Species Specific FEAST blends. Catcher Company / Smelly Jelly Hillsboro, Oregon Dealer Inquiries (503)

5 2018 Dan Tuinstra Pounds Caroline Handsaker 6.00 Pounds President Lyle Amundson (503) Vice President Kevin Hollingsworth (503) Secretary Lonnie Handsaker (360) Treasurer Jim Gurtisen (503) Editor Larry McClintock (503) Membership Chairman Louise Moudy (503) Web Master Jim Gurtisen (503) Activities Committee Jerry Haase - Chairman (503) jhassejr@gmail.com Lonnie & Caroline Handsaker lonniehandsaker@msn.net Club Meeting Place Grace Baptist Church, 200 SE 76th Ave, Portland Oregon 2 blocks north of Stark on 76th 7:00 pm Club Dues are due January 1st and expire December 31st of each year. New Member Dues Individual $30.00 per year Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 Renewable Dues Individual $25.00 per year Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 Lifetime Member $ Hard copy of newsletter +$15.00 per year for lifetime member Make all checks payable to: Lower Columbia Walleye Club, Inc., PO Box 30454, Portland, OR Our Members are our greatest asset to the Chapter. We welcome visitors to join the Lower Columbia Walleye Club. 5

6 MARCH 1 General Meeting 3-4 Don Merrill Memorial Fishout Maryhill 11 Daylight Savings Time Begins 17 St. Patrick s Day 21,22 Klineline rod building 23 Possible rod building APRIL 1 Easter Sunday 3 Board Meeting 5 General Meeting 7-8 Norm Flener Memorial Fishout Maryhill 13 Klineline Kids Fishin Special Needs Kids 14 Klineline Kids MAY 1 Board Meeting 3 General Meeting 5-6 Fishout Maryhill June 5 Board Meeting 7 General Meeting 9-10 TBA Fishout Boardman JULY 4 Independence Day 10 Board Meeting 12 General Meeting Fishout TBA 31 Board Meeting AUGUST 2 General Meeting 4 Fishout Camas 5 Fishout and Picnic Camas SEPTEMBER 3 Labor Day 4 Board Meeting 6 General Meeting 8-9 Fishout Camas OCTOBER 2 Board Meeting 4 General Meeting 6-7 Fishout Camas Tom Schindlbeck Memorial Fishout Boardman 30 Board Meeting 31 Halloween end of 2018 Big Fish Contest NOVEMBER 1 General Meeting 4 Daylight Savings Time Ends 11 Veteran s Day 22 Thanksgiving 27 Board Meeting DECEMBER 1 Christmas Party 25 Christmas Day The best btter mix you cn buy and itis exceptionally good for walleye and other fish too. 6

7 First Fish-out of the Year The forecast for the February fish-out was not good as strong winds were predicted. Saturday morning was very nice and the wind was calm, but the fishing was slow. In the late part of the morning the wind went from zero mph to what seemed like 50 mph in a matter of about two minutes. We all made it safely to the boat ramp with only a few problems due to the wind. The forecast predicted a possibility of snow and strong winds in the gorge and we thought, to be on the safe side, we better head back to the Portland area. However, David Dicky did stay and fish on Sunday morning. Saturday Boat #1 Frank Bryan and Lyle Amundson Boat #2 Shawn Gomnes and Kathy Gillis Boat #3 David Dicky Boat #4 David Fischer Sunday Boat #1 David Dicky We are hopeful that the weather will be cooperative for the next fish-out in March. See you on the water, Lyle Amundson 7

8 February fishout 8

9 Sport Reward Fishery May 1 through September 30, pays $5 per fish! pays $6 per fish! up pays $8 per fish! Tagged fish worth $500 Notice: To obtain payment, all vouchers must be received at the payment office no later than November 15, Any issues preventing payment (missing information, voiding of voucher for program violations, etc.) must be resolved by November 15, 2018 or the voucher becomes null and void. 9

10 march -- ROb phillips W/phOTO COLD-WATER WALLEYE Anyone who fished for walleye in the Columbia River and the Snake too last summer knows that it was, for the most part, really good. Due to the warm water year in 2015, the spawning success of the buggy-eyed predators was very good, creating plenty of keeper-sized fish all year long. And the walleye fishing continues to be pretty good. Of course, winter time fishing is not as pleasant as it is in warmer temperatures, but those anglers who have been braving the cold have been finding continued good fishing. They have been catching some pretty big ones too. Anglers working the waters below McNary Dam have been finding lots of 17 to 20-inchers with some bigger spawning fish too. Reports of some real slugs, up to 16-pounds were coming in from that part of the big river during late February. Many anglers fish blade baits and jigs during the colder winter months for walleye on the Columbia, but this year s warmer January and February seemed to make the walleye just as eager to bite a night crawler when fished right near the bottom. You need to troll a bit slower this time of year but they will bite a worm harness rig. Most anglers will include spinner blade or a Spin-N-Glo with their worm harness, but sometimes something as simple as a small Corky ahead of the worm for a little floatation and attraction will work too. Depending on what part of the Columbia you are fishing try to stay in water that is 15 to 50 feet deep. And again, because walleye live right on the bottom, you need to have your worm rig just up off the river floor. Below The Dalles, John Day and Mc- Nary Dams there are several different areas that can hold fish so doing some scouting with the fish finder will really help to determine which areas are worth spending your time on. Look for water that is 15 to 30 feet deep as that is usually where you will find the walleye this time of the year. But if they aren't in the more shallow waters try checking out the deeper spots too. During late winter it is not uncommon to find walleyes in holes as deep as 35 to 50 feet. A couple of years ago the Department of Fish and Wildlife basically did away with all limits and size restrictions on walleye on the Columbia River system in an effort to try to reduce the numbers of the fish. They are known predators of small fish, with plenty of salmon and steelhead being gobbled up during certain times of the year. Last summer there were lots of stories and photos of anglers catching dozens and dozens of walleye, day after day. Even then it seemed like there were still lots of fish in the river. And as the fishing in recent weeks has indicated, that looks to be the case. Of course other waters in Eastern Washington hold walleye. The Snake River has had some really good walleye fishing in the past year. Potholes Reservoir, Banks Lake, Moses Lake and Scootney Reservoir. The problem is, even with this milder-than-normal winter, often times these lakes are iced over. In the big reservoirs like Potholes, which is pretty much ice-free, concentrate on the deeper waters. Walleyes will hold on the bottom in 30 to 40 feet of water. While fishing any of these bigger waters try different techniques to get the walleye to bite. In recent years blade baits such as the Showdown have been pretty productive. These lures can be jigged, cast and retrieved or trolled with good success and are excellent on walleye that are lethargic and holding in the deeper holes. Like other kinds of fishing, try different colors of lures, but start out with a nickel or chartreuse finish, as they seem to be the most productive. And for winter fishing, where the fish are deeper, using the heaviest sizes will be the most effective. Most of the best walleye fishing is done by boat, again either working a blade bait or trolling a worm harness rig, but walleye can be caught from the bank or fishing docks at Potholes and Moses Lake. A couple of years ago a young angler fishing off the MarDon Resort fishing docks at Potholes landed a 16.1 pound lunker walleye. Every year this time of year a few 10-pound plus walleyes are caught and it s not uncommon to catch fish in the 5- to 10-pound class. So even though we re not quite to spring yet, and it can be a bit on the sketchy side weather-wise, now is not a bad time to fish for walleyes on the mid-columbia or some of the reservoirs in Eastern Washington. A little effort can pay of big, with some excellent-eating walleye. Caroline Handsacker, a member of the Lower Columbia Walleye Club based out of Portland, OR, caught and released this nice 8 lb. walleye while fishing the Dalles Poole in January this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOWER COLUMBIA WALLEYE CLUB This article was in The Reel News and Caroline s photo was a perfect one for it..