Northwest Reel Life April 2023 Volume 2 Issue 8 - Flipbook - Page 28
outdoors roundup
john kruse
Looking for some things to do outdoors in
the days ahead? Here are seven suggestions,
allowing you to get outside and do
something new every day this spring!
WILDFLOWER HIKES – The wildflowers are
blooming around Eastern Washington
and now is a great time to go on a hike
and immerse yourself in their presence!
A few of my favorite places to go include
Columbia Hills State Park in Klickitat County,
Hay Canyon and Nahahum Canyon near
Cashmere, Ingalls Creek south of Peshastin,
the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge south
of Cheney, and the area around Palouse Falls
State Park.
WATERFALLS – Speaking of Palouse Falls, this
is the best time of year to visit this state park
near Starbuck in Southeast Washington. The
spring runoff on the Palouse River sends a
voluminous amount of water crashing into
the 198-feet deep basalt basin below the falls.
Other waterfalls worth checking out right
now include Rainbow Falls near Stehekin,
Silver Falls west of Entiat, and Periwee (also
known as Peewee) Falls in Pend Oreille
County, which cascades 233 feet into
Boundary Lake.
BASS FISHING – The bass are in the shallows
and getting ready to spawn. This is arguably
the easiest time of year to sight fish for bass.
Casting finesse rigs like senkos, jigs or Texas
rigged worms and lizards can readily draw
strikes.
28 | NWFISHING.net
Look for these bass in thick cover and be
prepared to scratch up the boat a bit to get
at them.
TROUT FISHING - Most of those trout planted
prior to the lowland lakes opener are still
there, and this is a great time to go fishing
for them. If you are looking for places to go,
check out the WDFW derby lakes where
trout with blue tags have been planted. If
you catch one of these trout, they are worth
a prize, which could be anything from a gift
card to a canoe!
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/contests/troutderby
CATFISH FISHING - Another option for anglers
right now is to go after catfish. You can find
them in the lower John Day River between
the mouth and the falls as well as the mouth
of the Palouse River near Lyons Ferry State
Park. Channel catfish are also plentiful in the
Snake River.
DESERT HIKES – As the weather warms, desert
hikes become a lot less enjoyable, but if you
go now, you can still take advantage of the
great scenery and some of the lakes found
in these regions. Some of my favorite desert
hikes are the lower route to the Ancient
Lakes, Dusty Lake, (1.5 and 3 mike one-way
hikes respectively), and near Frenchman or
Winchester Wasteway in the Desert Wildlife
Area in Grant County. If you go, check
yourself for ticks at the conclusion of your
excursion.