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Rufus Woods Lake Report
Douglas County, WA

Details

01/12/2016
Rainbow Trout
Morning
01/12/2016
1
3287

Went out and tried my luck shore fishing at Bridgeport State Park on Rufus Woods. It was my first time out there. I knew I would likely have little to no action from the shore, but I needed to get out of the house and try anyways.

From reading other reports, it seems like an awesome fishery! With the promising triploid rainbow trout others have caught, I decided to leave my ultralight Shimano rod/reel combo w/ 6# test in the car and I brought my new Christmas gift from my parents.

Parents got me a Lamiglas Redline Med/Heavy Fast Action 9'6" rod and Pfleuger President LE Spinning Reel. I'm hoping to use it as my entry level steelhead/salmon rod. Needless to say, it was fun to break it in and let it fly with some weight.

I fished for about 2-2.5 hours with no bites. I'm running 20lb Trilene braid with 6lb flurorcarbon leader. I tried spinning spoons, and even threw on a Rapala shad rap for fun. No luck. Switched to baitcasting off the bottom as far out from shore as I could get (it drops off pretty quickly around the swim area). I tried shrimp flavored salmon eggs and then standard green powerbait, no hits.

Weather was lightly snowing, wind picked up around noon and it got cold.

Would love any and all advice/tips/recommendations on other good winter fisheries around the Brewster/Wenatchee/Omak/Okanagon areas as I live in Brewster.

If anyone is planning a trip and has experience, I'd love to tag along should you have an open seat in the boat. I'm relatively new but have most everything I need and gas $$$ of course.

Thanks!

Brad


Comments

afk
1/12/2016 7:35:00 PM
Hey bedawes, I'll keep you in mind when I get to head that way. I'll be on Rosy the 22nd & 23rd of Jan. with a buddy in his boat. Then I'm stuck on call for a few weekends. After that I might get to hit Rufus. In the mean time, you should focus on the opposite side of the river. Either right above the dam at the access or further upstream. Use corkies or marsh mellows on a long leader (3 to 6') to get your offerings above the weeds. Stay with 6LB or lighter leader. Use size 2,4 or 6 hooks. power bait or worms. The upside to fishing at the access site is being able to see what is working and or what is not. Hope this helps. Good luck!
bedawes
1/12/2016 8:28:00 PM
That would be awesome. I've passed by Roosevelt a few times on my way to Pullman for games and have always wanted to give it a go. The fishing reports always seem pretty great from there. So are you saying pretty much straight across from the state park on the opposite bank? I'm assuming there's a public area down there you are referring to. How deep is the area you are recommending targeting? Good for casting? I'm stuck on shore until I can muster up $$$ for a small aluminum + truck.

I have bait now that says shrimp flavored salmon eggs but it's marshmellow form. Then I also have standard salmon eggs and 3 jars of various powerbait. What do you mean by corkies?

So since I'm relatively new and typically just use standard spinners and bait, maybe you could help me visualize the setup. So my braid is running to my ball bearing swivel. I have about 3/16oz. weight above the swivel. Then I'm running my 6# leader (high quality, can't remember brand because I got it today at North 40) down to my hook presentation. I was only running about 2-3 feet of leader so I can extend that for sure. Baitcasting for me is frustrating because I'm typically a spincast guy and like the active retrieve but the cold water and inactivity of the fish aren't helping me out.

Thank you for the pointers though, hopefully I can try again this week when it stops snowing and post some pictures with results!
atroutfisherman
1/13/2016 6:36:00 AM
There are numerous public spots to fish on the opposite side from the State Park. Drive up that road and take every turn to your right until yo find a spot You like! There are several opportunities right near the Corp of Engineers boat launch, including a dock at the soccer field. Have fun and keep a tight line!
afk
1/13/2016 6:23:00 PM
Hey bedawes, google is our friend.(Corkies and yarn) Like atroutfisherman says, Corp of Engineers has great access. And, there are a few spots along the bank all the way up to Brandts Landing. Use Google earth and look it over! Good luck!
hcolvin1953
2/10/2016 3:19:00 PM
www.cctfwfishtags.com
This website has information about all of the access sites on Rufus Woods and fishing. It also advertises scheduled triploid releases and updates regularly.
Thank you
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709