Northwest Fishing Reports

howdy folks, first time user here so bare with me. I rented a house for 7 days on lake roosevelt 3/20/10 to 3/28/10 I will be located in 7 bays. my question is where should a begginer walleye fisherman start looking for these fish. I also want to try for some trout in case the walleye have lockjaw or vice versa. any suggestions would help.

Shore bound or with a boat?

bought a 2009 lund 1725 rebel sport last year, kinda small for roosevelt but it was all I could afford. anything larger wouldnt fit in the garage.
60hp 4 stroke merc
8 hp 4 stroke merc kicker
minn kota pro v auto pilot 70lb
lowrance nav.

wallbanger wrote:howdy folks, first time user here so bare with me. I rented a house for 7 days on lake roosevelt 3/20/10 to 3/28/10 I will be located in 7 bays. my question is where should a begginer walleye fisherman start looking for these fish. I also want to try for some trout in case the walleye have lockjaw or vice versa. any suggestions would help.

The fish are and will be running up the Spokane Arm to spawn. Check the regulations before you fish so you will know where you can and cannot fish for walleye.

The flat across the lake from 7 bays can be pretty good for walleye, but it is pushing out fish now, so come that late in the year I cannot make any promises. Try blade baits at about 40' early, with gobies or sculphin patterns progressively shallower as the day warms up.

Remember to practice catch and release on the biggest dudes, they are females heading to spawn.

Ditto what AA offered, and you can also try working the flats near the mouth of the Spokane Arm off the point as well as the area known as "outhouse flats" just around the point and up the reservoir a short distance. You'll know where it is by the park like grounds.

Your Lund is in no way "small" for Roosevelt, and you'll find it will do just fine there. Many folks fish out of 12' & 14' open skiffs there, so you'll be in good shape for sure.

Trout fishing is slow now compared to the last several months. You can try trolling in front of 7 Bays either side of the marina, but most fish have followed their food source downstream from there. When we were there a couple weeks ago, we had to run to the mouth of the San Poil river, just across from Keller, to find trout. That's a good 30 minute boat ride one way at about 38 - 40mph on the water. If trolling doesn't work for you, beach your boat in the back of a bay and try still fishing off the bottom using a slip sinker. You may find your best luck that way.

Enjoy your time there!

thanks for the tips guys. my first time fishing for walleye was last year around the end of may out of hunters campground( beautiful campground) I caught six my first trip with a bottom walker crawler set up. nothing huge but if I caught one she would would go back in the drink to make more . hope to catch some on jigs this year never fished with them.
making cabelas rich with all the gear I have been buying. any ideas on a good jigging rod and reel I need one.

If you're not having luck near the Spokane River, try the entrance to Hawk Creek. Sometimes I have had luck here, If you can find the right depths. This area is sandy bottom, so slow walk a crawler harness. If that does not work, try a rootbeer colored jig and just drag it along.

For a good walleye rod, try a 7' spinning rod in a light action. Because you usually need to let a walleye eat and eat, a light rod will let you keep the bait in their mouth longer giving you a better chance of a hookset. I usually use lighter line too... 8lb or 6lb depending on the average size of the fish I'm catching.

wallbanger wrote:thanks for the tips guys. my first time fishing for walleye was last year around the end of may out of hunters campground( beautiful campground) I caught six my first trip with a bottom walker crawler set up. nothing huge but if I caught one she would would go back in the drink to make more . hope to catch some on jigs this year never fished with them.
making cabelas rich with all the gear I have been buying. any ideas on a good jigging rod and reel I need one.

There is no one best rod or reel. I prefer a 7' Med action with a fast tip for my jig work. I feel the bites quicker and like Bill Dance says, if you feel the bump, the fish is already on the way to spitting it out.

On the other hand, if I am working walking rigs, then I go with a 6 to 7 foot, light action. This is one time where a slow set is best.