Adventures of a flatlander in a strange place - 2021

[Prairie Rambler]

I moved to Washington state about 9 months ago and after a 2020 of missteps and failure I've learned alot. The Cascade mountain's and Columbia river are a stark change from the prairie of South Dakota.
I'm excited to share my 2021 adventures and struggles while I learn more about the PNW. I'm starting it a bit early I can't wait.

 

[ntodwild]

Welcome to Washington. Hopefully you are on the east side somewhere. Most people are moving in the opposite direction but since you're here it's time to enjoy some of the most lucrative big game hunting in the west. Washington is a hidden gem because it is so un friendly to out of state hunters that most do not even attempt a draw. If you are a meat hunter you will love it here.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

The big game seasons were a bust for me, but I've definitely reinvigorated my love for fishing. This past week I've been able to check 2 big boxes, first whitefish and first brook trout.

The lake whitefish came on the banks of Banks Lake, an offshoot of the Columbia. Most people target walleye here but Dec-Feb whitefish come into the shallows at night in preparation to spawn. WOW! There's so much meat on these bad boys.

The brook trout came from a local lake, Sacheen. I was in search of perch but trout will suffice. It was my first time using an ice fishing camera and it was a blast watching trout destroy my jigs.

As we get older, we experience less "firsts". I honestly felt like a kid again. Heres to more firsts hopefully around corner.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

Welcome to Washington. Hopefully you are on the east side somewhere. Most people are moving in the opposite direction but since you're here it's time to enjoy some of the most lucrative big game hunting in the west. Washington is a hidden gem because it is so un friendly to out of state hunters that most do not even attempt a draw. If you are a meat hunter you will love it here.

Thank you. I'm just south of Spokane Washington is a gem if you know how to play the game I've learned.... I made the mistake of picking modern firearm for all my big game tags.... not going to do that again. So far it's been fun but I feel like I've only scratched the surface. Looking forward to 2021s season already!

 

[ntodwild]

Archery for elk (middle of the state), archery in the Colville area (just north of you) for white tail. Black Bear in the Blue Mountains (Oregon border) and modern special hunts for Mule deer and Elk. Apply for Cow tags for archery (plenty given out). Apply for moose points every year and of course you have the St. Maries River Valley of Idaho just east of you for Big Bulls out of state. That should get you started.

 

[ntodwild]

You're in Fishing heaven if you like fishing. Everything from high mountain lakes in the cascades on backpack trips to brook trout in the valley rivers. Plenty of bass lakes in your neck of the woods and of course if you are looking to land some Salmon in the Western Washington Rivers it's all here. Bird hunting is off the hook in this state as well.

 

[WestKyHunt]

I hear the waterfowling is top notch in Washington. Might be worth looking into?

 

[Prairie Rambler]

You're in Fishing heaven if you like fishing. Everything from high mountain lakes in the cascades on backpack trips to brook trout in the valley rivers. Plenty of bass lakes in your neck of the woods and of course if you are looking to land some Salmon in the Western Washington Rivers it's all here. Bird hunting is off the hook in this state as well.

Yes! I'm definitely enjoying the fishing. I've done a little bird hunting but I did see a crazy amount of birds out mule deer hunting. I just got a Brittany pup for next fall upland and waterfowl!

 

[Prairie Rambler]

I hear the waterfowling is top notch in Washington. Might be worth looking into?

It's definitely good in the central/western WA. I don't have a boat and just got a Brittany pup, but I did get out a couple times this year. It was tough finding spots that I could retrieve my own birds.

 

[WestKyHunt]

It's definitely good in the central/western WA. I don't have a boat and just got a Brittany pup, but I did get out a couple times this year. It was tough finding spots that I could retrieve my own birds.

A cheap sit on top kayak painted camo is usually my answer

 

[Caseknife]

You will like Washington, it offers just about everything you can do in the outdoors and just about every habitat. Other states have better opportunities in some regards, but for sheer variety, Washington is hard to beat.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

You will like Washington, it offers just about everything you can do in the outdoors and just about every habitat. Other states have better opportunities in some regards, but for sheer variety, Washington is hard to beat.

Agreed! I'm hoping to make it out to the west side and do some salmon and saltwater fishing after this Covid BS is over with

 

[Prairie Rambler]

1/1/21
Hit up a local small lake named Jumpoff Joe. The lake is semi famous for its stunted perch, but I was ok with that because I'm sick of catching trout. Got up to the lake just before daylight. Almost immediately got on the fish, landing approx 50 fish from 7am-10am when the bite dropped off completely. All in all I took home 13 med-small perch in my own small attempt to help thin the perch population.

A secondary thought, if any of you are hitting the hard water too. I'm absolutely in love with my Marcum Recon 5 with the Marcum panner.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

1/4- First work week of the new year and I had Monday off because I start a 4 week leadership and management course tomorrow. Dam right I hit the hard water! Most hunting seasons are closed or coming to a close, but the perch bite is HOT on Lake Thomas near Coville, WA. A buddy and I kept a combined 30 perch, with the numbers leaning in his favor. I still love my Marcum Recon camera but its effective depth is definitely 20ft and shallower(depending slightly on water clarity). I think it may be time to pull the trigger on a Garmin Striker 4.

*9" victorinoux boning knife for size reference*

 

[ntodwild]

1/1/21
Hit up a local small lake named Jumpoff Joe. The lake is semi famous for its stunted perch, but I was ok with that because I'm sick of catching trout. Got up to the lake just before daylight. Almost immediately got on the fish, landing approx 50 fish from 7am-10am when the bite dropped off completely. All in all I took home 13 med-small perch in my own small attempt to help thin the perch population.

A secondary thought, if any of you are hitting the hard water too. I'm absolutely in love with my Marcum Recon 5 with the Marcum panner.

Been by that lake a million times to our whitetail property. Never thought about fishing it.

 

[Prairie Rambler]

Been by that lake a million times to our whitetail property. Never thought about fishing it.

I had a good time. Like I was saying in the post, it's over run with little perch but if anglers keep enough then the remaining will hopefully get big. I've seen a feel pictures of jumbo perch that were caught there!

 

[Prairie Rambler]

1/16- Yesterday was hands down the best day of ice fishing I've ever had. Curlew Lake near Republic, WA does NOT disappoint. 52 perch and 3 trout retained in 4 1/2 hrs of fishing.... don't ask how long it took me to clean them all. I actually spent more time driving there and back then fishing, but after I had my 5 gal bucket full of fish I just decided to leave. Can't wait to get back up there on Monday. The classic perch drop rig(small spoon, 2" of line, and small tungsten jig) was the key for me. I was fishing 60 FOW and saw other guys struggling to get there bait down while mine dropped like a rock. Hope everyone else is getting out on the hard water!

 

[Prairie Rambler]

1/18- Another good day on the hard water. Fished Sacheen lake again in NE Washington. Had a hard time initially finding fish. I just kept covering ground, reading my lake map, and trying to find drop offs with fish. Eventually after popping 20ish holes and moving over 250 yrds drown the lake edge I found some very reluctant fish. I kept at it and grid patterned the area with holes. Hole hoping for 2 hours yielded 6 perch and then bam! The mother load of perch appeared out of no where at 9:30am. They hardly let me bait get down to them without a bite. All in all, went home with 22 perch and a slab of a crappie after 5 hours of fishing. I'll be loving all these perch filets come spring when I've got my mind on turkeys.

Amateur Tip of the Week:

I've fished the Midwest my entire life until last year and its come to my attention that most ice fisherman and women are unaware of the perch drop rig. It's extremely effective when your fishing more then 25 FOW. I run a Swedish pimple, 2" of mono, and a very small tungsten jig. The benefits being your bait drops like a rock and the spoon acts as an attraction. It also helps to have braided line on your pole for the light bites. Try it out! You won't go back

 

[Prairie Rambler]

I discovered yesterday that my wife must at least kinda listen to my hunting and fishing rants because she bought me a CVA Accura v2 for valentines day! She's definitely a keeper! A little back story, last fall was a serious bust for me big game hunting.... so in all my research it became clear that the majority of hunters in WA go during the modern firearm season. As an example, GMU 124 had approx 4,000 rifle hunters and only 180 muzz hunters reported in the 2019 deer season. For those of you unaware, in WA you have to pick a season: archery, muzz, or rifle(unless you get a multi season tag in a drawing). I decided I was going to switch to archery elk and muzz deer in 2021 to avoid the high pressure seasons. I'm super excited to get into muzz hunting, even though I've never done it before now if only I can find 209 primers

 

[Prairie Rambler]

Went out and did a little ice fishing this morning. Couldn't find anything with any size so I kept a dozen extremely small perch for cut bait later on in the season. The real excitement was seeing 80ish elk a half mile down the road from my house! Apparently I need to reevaluate what unit I hunt and start sweet talking the local ranchers. The picture is only about half the herd.