On Chelan, fish the deep water on either side of the Narrows near the Yacht Club. Our “go to” lure here is a T4 purple glow flatfish. However, the big fish of the week came on Silver Horde’s Ace Hi Fly. Mack’s Lures Cha Cha Squidders in glow colors also works great in this area. Fish out to the 380’s bench before turning around. Most fish have been biting from 260 to 340 feet deep.
Fishing with Fire Bait near the lower pens on Rufus has been very good. Atomic Garlic was the flavor de jour on our last trip up there. We continue to be able to get fish to bite jigs for some catch and release action.
Roses Lake froze over with safe ice during the past reporting period. Those cold nights really thickened the ice. Anglers are mostly dangling dough baits through the ice. Subtle takes are the order of the day here, so use light gear. Remember when using floating dough baits when ice fishing, use a little split shot just above the bait so it doesn’t double back and foul your line up. Slip sinker rigs are unnecessary when fishing vertically.
Your fishing tip of the week is to refine your fish smoking technique to better utilize your excess fish. My neighbor and pro fish smoker Donn Vey advises the following. First, use quality fish with high oil content. Our Lakers from Chelan and Triploids from Rufus make incredible smoked fish. Our Columbia River salmon and steelhead that are dried up from the long swim up the crick, not so much. Second, don’t over brine them. Third, watch your time and temperature to get them done just right. Lastly, check out our website for a nice recipe to start with.
Your kid’s tip of the week is to involve your kid in that fish smoking and weave some life lessons into creating a delicious treat. Have them help in the preparation, checking the fish as you go and especially in the cleanup. Providing food for family and friends is a sacred rite. Having the: prepare, do and cleanup process ingrained at an early age is a priceless life lesson. Your safety tip of the week is to stow a spare set of clothes in case of an unexpected dunking. Particularly footgear is a great idea. Slips at the launch and dock are common this time of the year with ice on both. Cold and wet feet are awful and dangerous.
Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service
1-866-360-1523 or http://www.darrellanddads.com
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Pictured: 1/14/12 - Our guide, Jeff Witkowski with a 14 lb. 4 oz Lake Chelan Laker. We took out Guide Emeritus, Andy Byrd for a few hours to catch the big one. Come see it on ice at the Puyallup Sportsman's Show.
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Also Pictured: 1/10/12 - Ron & Don Duckworth from Poulsbo with Pastor Dan and their catch of Rufus Triploids.
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