Rufus can sometimes be difficult to get along with.
He can play slow and dirty; he can be cold and intimidating.
But get to know him, and he can be a sport fisherman’s best friend. He can lead you to amazing rainbow trout fishing — certainly tops in the state and, some would argue, comparable to the best in the U.S.
Rufus Woods Lake, the reservoir behind Chief Joseph Dam at Bridgeport on the upper-middle Columbia river, has quietly become the premier trout fishing destination in Washington for both “natural” and triploid rainbow running from 12 inches up to the current state record of 29-plus pounds.
“And I, personally, can’t think of anywhere else in the country where you can consistently catch 5- and 6-pound rainbow, all day long, can you?” said Joe Heinlen in a recent interview.
Not just offhand, I can’t.
Heinlen is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery employee living in Chelan who moonlights as a fishing guide on several waters in the upper Columbia Basin — most notably for Mackinaw (“lake trout”) in Lake Chelan, and the big trips of Rufus Woods. He said he has already started notching 30-fish days on the reservoir, and that the numbers will increase for the peak of the fishery in November, December, and January, and on into February. Fifty- to 75-fish days are not unusual during the winter months, Heinlen said, and there’s always the possibility of breaking the century mark.
The reservoir’s ‘bows are of two types — standard diploid fish planted as fry by the WDFW from Spokane-strain stocks, and the triploids, raised privately in net pens on the river and planted under an agreement with the state. The Spokane-strain fish are up to 16 or 18 inches now, Heinlen said, and the trips — sterilized, so that their energy goes into growth instead of reproduction — will average 2 to 6 pounds, with a fair percentage in the teens, and the occasional fish in the 20s. Some 6,000 triploids, weighing 2 1/2 to 6 pounds, will be stocked in three plants of 2,000 fish each this winter, Heinlen said — the first plant last week, the second in November, and the third in December.
“I saw a 28-pounder caught just above the dam, and I’m absolutely convinced there’s still a new state record waiting in the lake,” Heinlen said.
He said that during much of the year, the larger fish are taken around the net pens, 26 miles above Bridgeport on the Colville Reservation side of the river. But during the winter, excellent fishing moves down to the lower 14 miles, making it unnecessary to drive — or boat — the extra distance.
The problem with Rufus’ best fishing being during the winter, of course, is the weather and the difficulty in crossing the Cascades. Heinlen believes it’s worth the effort, however, and said the Corps of Engineers keeps its facilities in top condition, and usually provides a barrel of sand at its excellent launch facility just above Chief Joseph Dam, on the south side of the river via Fisher Road. But bring chains, just in case, he said.
The Corps provides bank fishing spots, with fire pits (bring your own wood or charcoal), scattered up and down the southside road which runs upriver five or six miles from the dam to its dead end at Brandt’s Landing. Heinlen said bank fishermen generally do pretty well there. “They catch a ton of fish along that stretch of river every year,” he said.
Bank anglers mostly use bait — Powerbait or a worm/marshmallow combo, on a simple slip-sinker rig. Toss it out, leave a little slack in your line to act as a strike indicator, and let it soak.
Bank fishing is also available upriver at the net pens, but you need a Colville tribal permit to fish there.
The WDFW monitors this fishery pretty closely, Heinlen said. Be sure to have your license, and be aware of the special rule in effect on Rufus: If you use bait, you keep the first two fish you catch and you’re done for the day. Use artificials and you’re allowed to catch and release as long as you want. “They’re serious about that,” Heinlen said. “They issue a lot of citations.”
Using a boat is the best way to fish Rufus Woods, and you can either launch at the Corps of Engineers ramp (above) or at Bridgeport State Park, a mile above the dam on the north side of the river. If you have a choice, the Corps’ facility is probably the best bet, Heinlen said.
There are two general techniques: drifting along either shoreline, casting to points, islands, and other structure, or trolling. The first is more fun, Heinlen said. It’s hands-on, it’s active, and you can often see big fish chasing your lure back to the boat. Use spinning tackle and toss spoons such as the Kastmaster or Little Cleo in one-quarter or three-eighths ounce, green or silver patterns, or quarter-ounce spinners such as Rooster Tails, Panther Martins or Blue Fox, in black, brown or red. Start your retrieve quickly, to stay above the milfoil, then slow it down.
Heinlen said his top lure is a Super Rooster Tail — more like a spinnerbait and difficult to find, but a real banger.
Trolling is probably the single most effective way to fish the reservoir, and Heinlen said he takes probably 80 percent of his rainbow that way. Troll flies on a flatline, right on the surface, with no weight or very little. Use large, black, muddler or woolly bugger-type flies on a 2/0 hook, Heinlen said. A good trolling alternative is a Wedding Ring or Kokanee Pro (Mack’s Lures), tipped with a worm or not, on 3 feet of 8-pound leader behind a 2/0 or 4/0 prism/silver dodger. Heinlen likes orange or chartreuse in color patterns.
Heinlen said there is also good bank fishing for big perch available around Brandt’s Landing, at the end of the southside road, east of Bridgeport. Use a worm/marshmallow combo on the bottom, or hang a worm under a bobber, for fish to 14 inches or larger, and a pound and a quarter in weight.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
