Banks Lake

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pete Fisher on March 11, 2013 at 11:44am

That's some cold water!  I just walked back from my dock on a small WWA lake and the water temp is 46 and should hit close to 50 over the next few days - warm rain coming.

I have done okay on Banks and on the Potholes Reservoir in cold water (34-42) on 1/2 oz. blade baits - for both walleye and smallmouth.  Never had big numbers, but have hit some big fish.  I have run into some big walleye on blades in about 30 feet at this time/temp.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Lunde on March 11, 2013 at 11:59am

Pete Fisher said:

That's some cold water!  I just walked back from my dock on a small WWA lake and the water temp is 46 and should hit close to 50 over the next few days - warm rain coming.

I have done okay on Banks and on the Potholes Reservoir in cold water (34-42) on 1/2 oz. blade baits - for both walleye and smallmouth.  Never had big numbers, but have hit some big fish.  I have run into some big walleye on blades in about 30 feet at this time/temp.

Pete,,

Thank you for your response. I have never fished blade baits. A lesson on them would be appreciative. 

Permalink Reply by Pete Fisher on March 11, 2013 at 12:30pm

I found a decent video that demonstrates it nicely.  Google "Blade Bait Fishing with Scott Dobson".  It's a you tube video.  The blade works well even below the temp range he states, and you can fish it vertically through suspended fish you mark.  We do very well through mid Spring on deeper largemouth as well.  The video pretty much covers it, and I think conveys the technique better than I could explain it.

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on March 11, 2013 at 1:41pm

Kevin- I don't know where on the lake you were but I have found some huge schools of white fish on that lake suspended just as you described. I have even caught a few of them. I find them pretty consistently in Barker Canyon cove on the steep side.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Lunde on March 11, 2013 at 1:59pm

Josh Potter said:

Kevin- I don't know where on the lake you were but I have found some huge schools of white fish on that lake suspended just as you described. I have even caught a few of them. I find them pretty consistently in Barker Canyon cove on the steep side.

We found these fish on the main lake point going into osborn, in 40-50' and the other side of the lake directly across from osborne in 30-45' of water.. there were fish everywhere and a few large ones relating to the steepest drops. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin Lunde on March 11, 2013 at 2:12pm

Pete Fisher said:

I found a decent video that demonstrates it nicely.  Google "Blade Bait Fishing with Scott Dobson".  It's a you tube video.  The blade works well even below the temp range he states, and you can fish it vertically through suspended fish you mark.  We do very well through mid Spring on deeper largemouth as well.  The video pretty much covers it, and I think conveys the technique better than I could explain it.

Thank you Pete, great video..

Permalink Reply by Nate on March 12, 2013 at 11:50am

Kevin,

I would say those fish could very well be trout, this time of year is when I usually catch them while I am bass fishing in that area, their sacks are filling up and they are moving shallower. Banks is also awesome for Yellow perch coming up about now. Josh might be right about the white fish also, I catch those on Wallula prespawn as they get real aggressive probably due to their spawn. And those guys seem to school up good.

I was on Moses Lake the day before, pretty much same story but the surface temps where all over the place, as low as 38º and as high as 49º. Located fish but they where more isolated and not really schooling. I found good numbers by the I-90 community hole but I am pretty sure they were trout. I did catch a Rainbow (just under 5 lbs) and got one other bite that I think was a panfish. Otherwise skunk city on bass. DS,football jigs, and carolina most the day, I also spent about 1.5 hours cranking the entrance to spawning flats (where the temps were 47-48º) with no luck (probably a lost cause due to the fact that the water was pretty clear and I did not see any activity). Ill try er again in a couple weeks.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on March 12, 2013 at 8:27pm

Totally agree with ya, I have seen and done the same thing on Banks. All my money is on whitefish.  I have seen them suspended in alot of different places and pretty good schools.
 
Josh Potter said:

Kevin- I don't know where on the lake you were but I have found some huge schools of white fish on that lake suspended just as you described. I have even caught a few of them. I find them pretty consistently in Barker Canyon cove on the steep side.