there. Your best bet? Stop in at the shop
to find out the latest info on the lakes.
With the local rivers running too high to
fish, I’ve made a few trips to the upper
part of Rufus Woods on the Columbia
River. There’s some good water to use
the Spey on. Using my 6wt and a couple
of my hand-tied BDLs, I was able to have
a good day swinging up a fair number of
rainbows in the 16” to 18” range. I’m still
on the hunt for the bigger bows and the
big browns that haunt these waters.
Holding a full size spey rod is not
necessary, considering where the fish
are currently located. A 6wt to 5wt will
do the job nicely. All the fish I hooked
were within 30’ of the shoreline. One
thing about the rainbows on Rufus
Woods, they don’t hesitate to chase after
a minnow pattern. With the possibility
of a 10 lb. or bigger bow in the mix, keep
your leader and tippets at least in the
8 lb. test range. Some areas offer good
wading space where you can move out
from shore a little bit, but most of the
shore line is limited to a few feet. Still
plenty of room to make your cast.
I’ll be making a lot more trips to this area
of the Columbia from now on. If you plan
on fishing from the Colville tribe side
of the river, you’ll need a tribal fishing
license and you can find that here at the
store.
One final bit of information to remember.
It’s that time of year when the area sees
a lot of thunderstorms moving through.
Don’t take any chances when the sky is
rumbling and flashing. Get to the proper
shelter and stay safe.
–KEITH
Omak Fly Shop Manager