Eastern Washington Fishing Report 05.30.19
Hard to believe June is just a few days away already. Make sure you bring your sunscreen this week because it's going to be sunny with summertime temperatures. If you fish with a four-legged buddy, make sure to provide them with some shade in the boat.
Current Conditions
Chopaka Lake (WA) – With the weather forecast calling for sunny and warm days, your best bet will be mornings and late afternoon. If there is any wind that puts chop on the water, this will help extend your fishing time. With the weekend pressure that this lake has, try hitting the lake during mid-week.
Omak Lake (WA) – This is one lake where bright overhead sunny days can shut things down quickly. With the spawn ending, the fish are going back into a strong feed mode. There are still a few visible shore cruisers, but they are not giving much notice to what's being cast to them.
Other Area Lakes - Weather is always a big factor on the lakes. Sunny warm days will limit your time to mornings and evenings. The broken clouds will help that’s for sure. All our lakes are fishing well. Reports have come in that Twin Lakes out of Winthrop were restocked to cover the winter kill. Blue, Rat, Aeneas and Green Lakes are in great shape and fishing well. If you're looking for something a little out of the way, try Blackpine Lake or Rock Lakes.
Okanogan River (WA) – The river is still running high and dirty but is showing signs of slowly dropping. Once it does, it will be time to chase after some of the nice size smallmouth bass that it has.
Methow River (WA) – The weekend rains bumped it up but, it’s starting to drop. The river opened this last Saturday and a couple of hard-core anglers had some good results. It is still not wader crossing friendly but there is a little bit of accessible shoreline.
Match the Hatch
Mayfly hatches are still coming off at most of the lakes, so a good selection of your favorite callibaets/mayflies is a must. The damselfly hatches are picking up more and more with the warming days, make sure you have a number of these blue buzzers in your box. Goes without saying, don’t forget to have a good supply of damsel nymphs. They are moving toward shore to hatch and the fish will be looking for them in the shallows. If you like chironomid fishing, the bomber sized ones are showing up more now.
With the fish in Omak Lake going back on a normal feeding mood, baitfish patterns are what you will need. I would recommend using small to large for what sizes to have. Balanced minnows are doing good right now. You’ll want to pick up some Rowely’s balanced baitfish, they have been the top producer lately. If you are going to hit the river, all I can say is -streamers. I would recommend Keller’s she demon, TFP stinging smolt, and the TFP bald eagle. Remember, the Methow River has a single barbless hook rule.
Need to fill the box before you go? Order flies online here.
Tips & Techniques
Sometimes the standard patterns don’t seem to be working very well. I would suggest switching over to what I call attractor patterns, buggers, and leeches in yellows, oranges, etc... Also, try fishing in parts of the lake where you normally would think of trying. One of the members from the fly club showed me a little trick he uses when fishing the lakes. He will use an un-weighted nymph, like a pheasant tail, then dip it into a bottle of Loon’s top ride, and fish it with a full sinking line. The top ride gives off small air bubbles that some nymphs give off underwater. If you are fishing a lake with browns in it, try using a small minnow pattern in the evening. Cast parallel about 10 to 15 feet off the shoreline, browns like to hunt these waters as it starts to darken up.
Did you know...
One of the most asked questions I still get is, about the road into Chopaka Lake. The road was repaired last fall and is open with no restriction. Speaking of lake access, Mission Bay on Omak Lake will open to shore fishing on June 1st. The boat launch though will still be closed until further notice and you will need to walk into the lake if you are going to fish the shore area.
Want to win a Winston rod? Stop into North 40 Outfitters on Saturday, June 15. Simply cast a Winston fly rod and fill out the raffle for your chance to win two Winston Rods of your choice.
See past reports from the Omak region, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.