Author: Lance Merz

Posted: 1/4/2015

It’s that time of season again. Sportsman’s shows are popping up everywhere around the countryand it embellishes a sort of feeding frenzy; especially for fishing. There are many fishermen who go to these shows to see what’s new and exciting for the new fishing season and many are filling up their tackle boxes in preparation. These shows are not just about shopping however. It’s also a place to lea...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 1/4/2015

NCW Nickel Ads for Week of January 8th Although the weather has been chilly to greet the New Year here in Eastern Washington, there is a trend for warmer temperatures and that is good and bad news. It is good news for those who like to get out and fish the various waters available to us here, but bad news for those who enjoy ice fishing on lakes in our region. I beat the warming trend a...

Author: Washington’s Anglers

Posted: 1/2/2015

Wild fish handling - ITS A HUGE DEAL! Probably the most important thing an angler needs to know. Wild steelhead being held out of the water.....It is illegal in Washington State.... Here's why- Dr. Bruce Tufts is a professor of biology at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He has studied the physiological effects of catch and release fishing since the late 1980’s. The findings from...

Author: Jason Brooks

Posted: 12/31/2014

It’s time for the Holidays and of course that means festive parties, social gatherings, and time with family and friends. Each year I dig through my freezer and on the first day without rain in December I stoke up my smoker and make some special treats for the holiday’s ahead. Smoked salmon and steelhead is a Northwest favorite and luckily most of us who fish like to smoke them as a way to say tha...

Author: Mike Carey

Posted: 12/26/2014

It’s winter and your saltwater boat has been put away for the season. Steelheading is on your mind but the rivers are blown out. What’s a Puget Sound angler to do? Well, if you can’t float a jig through your favorite slot there is a fishery that comes alive in the winter. I’m referring to cephalopods- of the order Teuthida… ah heck – squid! Yes, calamari (as known on the dinner menu) journey from ...

Author: Rob Holman

Posted: 12/23/2014

I moved to Spokane a few years ago after a lifetime living around the Puget Sound. Fall and Winter always meant great fishing chances and smoked salmon for Thanksgiving. I'm still learning what's what here in the Inland Northwest, so when my pals from washingtonlakes.com (Mike Carey & Aaron Borg) told me last summer about our planned trip to Lewiston to chase Steelhead in November I was cautiousl...

Author: Mike Carey

Posted: 12/3/2014

This year WDFW lost a significant case regarding steelhead hatcheries and plants of early winter hatchery smolt in various Washington Rivers. Because of this court ruling, over 340,000 steelhead smolt that were to be planted in our rivers were instead planted in various lakes throughout Washington. WDFW decided to rear these smolt to catchable size fish. What became a loss of opportunity for river...

Author: Lance Merz

Posted: 12/1/2014

The holiday season has crept up on us already and many are chomping at the bit for the spring fishing season to come around again. Just because we are in the middle of winter and many parts of the country are already embedded in snow, it doesn’t mean that fishing has to stop. There are still many opportunities to get out there and fish, whether is for Salmon, Steelhead, Walleye, Trout, Panfish and...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 12/1/2014

I could see the snow and cold weather coming so I got a couple of steelhead fishing trips in last week. I was able to test the waters on the upper Columbia River from Wells Dam to Bridgeport. Steelhead were caught everywhere I went, but some areas were better than others. Some one told me that the steelhead fishing at Wells Dam was fantastic, so I called my fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten an...

Author: Jason Brooks

Posted: 12/1/2014

December often finds me scrambling for last minute gifts in hot stuffy and over-crowded malls. As I stand in another line slowly shuffling my feet with the cash register nowhere in sight I begin to daydream about steelhead. Envisioning the upcoming winter season as snowflakes drift downward and I hear the oars lift from the water. The air is cold, my fingers are numb, but my soul is warm. Winter s...

Author: whorde

Posted: 11/13/2014

Our weekend started Saturday - you can read posts from Lakes Julia and Smelling. So on Sunday, beat up and tired already from the day before and minus the force of nature to help carry things, Mr. B and I set forth on our most ridiculous adventure yet. If by some miracle you didn’t find us completely insane already, this should fix that. The force of nature, by wisdom or luck, chose to not accompa...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 10/29/2014

I had a very interesting week, doing some different things. I toured the new Grant County PUD hatchery at Priest Rapids Dam. I shot video footage of the King of the Reach Salmon Derby that supports this hatchery. I also managed to get a steelhead trip in and put the first steelhead in the boat for the season. Last Thursday, I was part of a media tour that took place at the new hatchery fac...