Before it gets hot enough in the Columbia Basin to grill your burger on the sidewalk, this is a good time to hit Potholes Reservoir, arguably the best mixed-species water in the state. Crappie fishing on the MarDon Resort dock started early this year, and big yellow perch are on the bite — two species that a lot of folks say make better table fare than walleye.
Rob Harbin at the MarDon tackle shop said bass fishermen are throwing flipping jigs, senkos, creature baits, spinner baits and a variety of 3- to 5-inch grubs. There’s even been an excellent frog bite using S Pro Popper Frogs or the Lunkerhunt Frog series, Harbin said. The recent Potholes Open Bass Tournament weighed in just under 3,000 pounds of largemouth and smallmouth, a record for the 34-year old event, and all those fish are back in the water, alive and well.
Walleye limits are coming in from the west side of the sand dunes, Crab Creek and Lind Coulee. Wally Pops and crawler, or Slow Death jigs with crawlers are reportedly the hot gear.
The trout bite is heating up, with surface temperatures reaching 60 degrees, and rainbows to 6 pounds have been caught at Frenchman’s Wasteway and the mouth of Crab Creek on Wedding Rings, Needlefish, Rapalas and Flickershads.
Soda Lake, just below the reservoir, continues to provide good action on walleye, bass and some nice perch in 40 feet of water.
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