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My husband and I have moved the last child out and now IT'S OUR TURN! We want to go fishing THIS March for walleye. So of the Eastern WA lakes where and when. We have a 16 ft alum boat and we can do Lake Roosevelt down to Potholes resev. with not any problem. We fish the Clarkston /Lewiston area for Bass A LOT. But never went Walleye fishing. So any help would be great. We have an outboard motor so no FAST water for us.

 So When to fish, Where to fish, and what Bait...The sooner we go the better!

And THANK YOU in advance!

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Blade Baits fished on some of the rocky shelves on Potholes is a popular early season technique for Walleye and Smallmouth.

A worm rig with a nightcrawler or even a jig with a night crawler on it works well on Potholes. You will also find they work well in Porcupine Bay on the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt. Trolling the worm harness with a bottom walker or just drifting with the Jig bumping along the bottom. I've caught some nice walleye at Porcupine Bay even in February, like 12 and 13 lbs. and lots of 4-7 lbs. Just make sure you stay on the non-reservation side if you only have a WA license! Good luck!!!

non - reservation side? I have Idaho and washington lisence... I dont know where Porcupine Bay is.. Looks like I have some "looking this up" to do. 

My husband is gonna be ready to go so this is great news that early fishin is good..

steve frye said:

A worm rig with a nightcrawler or even a jig with a night crawler on it works well on Potholes. You will also find they work well in Porcupine Bay on the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt. Trolling the worm harness with a bottom walker or just drifting with the Jig bumping along the bottom. I've caught some nice walleye at Porcupine Bay even in February, like 12 and 13 lbs. and lots of 4-7 lbs. Just make sure you stay on the non-reservation side if you only have a WA license! Good luck!!!

So is March a good time to begin catching walleye on Potholes? and has anyone stayed at mardon resort? just wondering what everyone thinks. We have NEVER been.

Also IF we dont get walleye :(  would any other fish be bitting there then?

So do you use the same riggin at potholes Resevior? My husband has chosen to fish for walleye there.

 

The same rigging can be used at either place, but at Potholes I use the worm harness more because you can locate them quicker and cover more area. Mardon is okay to stay at it is clean but older not fancy. More of a fishing camp type cabins, no frills and old.

Danielle Irby said:

So do you use the same riggin at potholes Resevior? My husband has chosen to fish for walleye there.

 

Thnks for the info. I dont mind no frills as long as it's clean.. It's that or dive to and from a motel so we can spend the entire weekend..

steve frye said:

The same rigging can be used at either place, but at Potholes I use the worm harness more because you can locate them quicker and cover more area. Mardon is okay to stay at it is clean but older not fancy. More of a fishing camp type cabins, no frills and old.

Danielle Irby said:

So do you use the same riggin at potholes Resevior? My husband has chosen to fish for walleye there.

 

On Lake Roosevelt it is even more difficult unless you aare a camper as you have to stay at a motel in Davenport (21 mi away) or at the Blue Willows Motel 5 miles North of the Two Rivers Casino. The Blue Willows Motel is very good for a fishing area Motel though! If you ever go to fish on the lower end of Roosevelt that is the place to stay. There are a lot of walleye at the Potholes and Banks, but I have found that they on average run a little smaller than on Roosevelt. That is not to say you can't catch an occasional 7-10 pounders on the others. Also, on Roosevelt the non reservation side is the South side of the lake and river when there is a reservation on the other side, each reservation requires it's own fishing license.(They are very strict and patrol it often) Anyway good luck and good fishing(catching) on the Potholes!

Danielle Irby said:

Thnks for the info. I dont mind no frills as long as it's clean.. It's that or dive to and from a motel so we can spend the entire weekend..

steve frye said:

The same rigging can be used at either place, but at Potholes I use the worm harness more because you can locate them quicker and cover more area. Mardon is okay to stay at it is clean but older not fancy. More of a fishing camp type cabins, no frills and old.

Danielle Irby said:

So do you use the same riggin at potholes Resevior? My husband has chosen to fish for walleye there.

 

Thanks Steve. Potholes it is.. And it is closer to home so we can do more "catching"

steve frye said:

On Lake Roosevelt it is even more difficult unless you aare a camper as you have to stay at a motel in Davenport (21 mi away) or at the Blue Willows Motel 5 miles North of the Two Rivers Casino. The Blue Willows Motel is very good for a fishing area Motel though! If you ever go to fish on the lower end of Roosevelt that is the place to stay. There are a lot of walleye at the Potholes and Banks, but I have found that they on average run a little smaller than on Roosevelt. That is not to say you can't catch an occasional 7-10 pounders on the others. Also, on Roosevelt the non reservation side is the South side of the lake and river when there is a reservation on the other side, each reservation requires it's own fishing license.(They are very strict and patrol it often) Anyway good luck and good fishing(catching) on the Potholes!

Danielle Irby said:

Thnks for the info. I dont mind no frills as long as it's clean.. It's that or dive to and from a motel so we can spend the entire weekend..

steve frye said:

The same rigging can be used at either place, but at Potholes I use the worm harness more because you can locate them quicker and cover more area. Mardon is okay to stay at it is clean but older not fancy. More of a fishing camp type cabins, no frills and old.

Danielle Irby said:

So do you use the same riggin at potholes Resevior? My husband has chosen to fish for walleye there.

 

I just fished Potholes Reservoir last week.  It was tough.  Our best spots were still under 4" of unsafe ice.  The water temp over the four days ranged from 34.2 - 35.6.  The main lake was ice free from the edge of the dunes up to the spillway (not the canal).  We found a few walleye to 5.5 lbs. in 30 feet towards crab - blade baits.  A few smallmouth to 3 lbs. dropshotting.  The fish may be starting to stage prior to spawning up crab.  We were in the boat- not on the ice.

Thanks. I would for sure be in the boat. WITH my propane skillet to make breakfast! I seriously need a map with all these things (places) on potholes labled. I am clueless where Crab  is or anywhere for that matter... ANYONE have a handy map to post for me :)  or tell me where to find one?

Pete Fisher said:

I just fished Potholes Reservoir last week.  It was tough.  Our best spots were still under 4" of unsafe ice.  The water temp over the four days ranged from 34.2 - 35.6.  The main lake was ice free from the edge of the dunes up to the spillway (not the canal).  We found a few walleye to 5.5 lbs. in 30 feet towards crab - blade baits.  A few smallmouth to 3 lbs. dropshotting.  The fish may be starting to stage prior to spawning up crab.  We were in the boat- not on the ice.

The map(s) to get is made by FISH -n -MAP CO.  There are at least two you should have.  One has a great map of the Potholes Reservoir with Moses Lake and Sammamish on the other side.  The other has Banks Lake on one side and Lake Washington on the other.  Both maps have GPS coordinates that help you get going and are printed on a waterproof plastic.  You can find them at most good tackle shops.

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