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Rufus Woods Lake Report
Douglas County, WA

Details

01/10/2009
Trolling
Rainbow Trout
None
Black
Plug
All Day
01/13/2009
3
1321

Hi all, Went to Rufus and arrived on Friday afternoon. There were 7 in our party and we brought two boats for a weekend stay at "Cabin by the river." The cabin is great as well as the hosts. Had no problems with the launch as it is well maintained. Cabin is small for 7 guys but comfy and secluded. From the launch it is about 10 minutes to the first set of pens and about 28 minutes to the upper set closest to Seaton Grove. On Friday we fished the pens closest to cabin. One fish caught in our boat was just under 7 lbs and a rippin minnow trolled just below the surface did the trick. Other boat in party fared better boating 5 fish. Someone from that boat will have to chime in some for particulars....lol

Saturday it snowed all day. We started the day by making the run to the upper set of pens. About 10 boats in the area, some trolling but most drifting and jigging. We hooked 1 6lb on a plug in front of the pens. Other than the two boats that were tied to the pens, and casting in between the pens, didn't see anyone else boat a fish. These boats were killing them but seemed to us to be on the wrong side. We were under the impression where they were fishing wasn't allowed...or very sporting for that matter. We trolled the hump across from the pen as well with no success. Lures and rigs were changed often, same results. We tried several locations on our way back down the the lower pens and did not have any hits and did not see anyone else boat a fish. Our other boat in the party was now fishing next to the pen and seemed to be doing well with a jig provided by Bluefin and his wife who were fishing nearby. Very nice of Blufin to hook them up with the gear and tip. We then decided this was the way to go and threw out a anchor next to the pens and proceeded to jig. We tried various combinations with no luck. I guess when we pulled in the bite was off so everyone else left. We stayed and actually had some fun fishing with a pink steelhead worm drifted with a sinker behind the boat. After a bit, the bite was off again. Might have had something to do with the 4 boats rafted together nearby shooting ducks and bottle rockets....not sure.

Saturday night brought a little poker playing and spirits for the night and did not get out on the water till about 10AM. Will have to consult with the others on this one as I left without fishing and headed back to Spokane. Cabin was great and recommend to all who wish to stay the weekend and fish. Can contact them via the link on WL or at cabinbytheriverllc.com. Everyone have fun and be safe on the water. DannyP








Comments

blufin loui
1/13/2009 10:08:00 PM
Hey DP
Another cool thing about fishing RW is the variety of techniques that will produce fish. We like to fish deep and slow, or in the shallows, and you caught that one just under the surface trolling. And look at the variety of baits/lures used. MAN, what a place to spend a day on the water.
Great report and happy to hear you guys enjoyed your trip
Later Dude
bigbowkes
1/14/2009 11:49:00 AM
i'm heading over there this weekend and are staying at that same cabin!! Our group is only 5 of us but we are all stocked! We dont have a boat but thats not going to stop us from fishing. Do you know how the people fishing from shore are doin? Any tips on fishing bait? All I'm bringing is worms and good ol' powerbait and a few jigs. How was the drive to the cabin? Is it hard to find?
DannyP
1/14/2009 12:51:00 PM
bigbowkes, Not sure which direction your coming from, but from Coulee Dam you want to turn left at intersection with Community Center off the left and a fire sign by road. From there go to Timm Ranch sign on left side and follow signs. Not hard to find, roads in good shape. Not sure how the shore fishing is going. Talked to a few the other day and they had not caught anything. There appears to be some good spots near the cabin and launch to try. Plenty of room for 5 of ya. Good luck and enjoy. DannyP
bigbowkes
1/14/2009 1:15:00 PM
We're coming over from N. seattle proably going to take HWY 2 over. It doesn't look hard to find just thought I would ask. Well look for my report in the future hopefully it will have the record breaking bow in it! Except that outdoor chris on this site has some of the biggest bows i have ever seen! Thats why we heading over! Keep a look out for 5 bank anglers blufin. If you see us just call out to Aaron thats me and i might just take you up on a guided trip...if you're offering :)
blufin loui
1/14/2009 3:42:00 PM
Sorry bigbowkes, don't do "guided" trips, we got a site sponsor that handles that sort of thing and does it well, besides, a day of fishing in tight quarters with me would most likely put a person off fishing for a lifetime. :o) only way the wife handles it is she had 30+ years to get used to it. also if you guys are going to fish from shore be sure to bring some mini marshmallow along. Not the flavored bait kind, but just the plain white eatin kind. Had a friend who fished with me before he moved, and we would have his young daughter with us, he would have a bag of those things for her to snack on. On a couple of trips we had to leave the water (due to schedules) and needed our last fish. He put on a couple of those thing on a hook behind a slip sinker, plunked it out , and BAM. fish on. Needless to say I begged a few from his kid, and put my second fish in the boat pronto. Happened a couple of times , so might be worth a trip.
Chris does post some mighty good pics, but he is another one who has paid his dues and reaps the rewards of many hours developing a great technique. I hate to admit this, but I watched the guy fish, and thought Man, I'm going to boat the big ones next time. Wrong. I just didn't have his touch. I would have fish interested, but not enough so. But I'm still trying.
We heading up on thurs, and hope to do it again sat. will keep an eye out. Have some different spots we want to disturb, so don't know when we'll be where.
If we happen to miss you guys, have fun and be safe.
bigbowkes
1/14/2009 6:31:00 PM
thanks guys for all of your support and advice. I will let you know how it goes on monday.
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Available Guide

Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service

Phone: (509) 687-0709