What an absolutely fantastic day we had on Potholes Reservoir catching Walleye! The fishing this time of year is fast and action packed; never knowing what species of fish you are reeling in! Of course, our target was Walleye but we also caught Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Perch. We were lucky enough to have the entire Upper Columbia Guide Service team on the same boat fishing together, as well as the Fishin' Magician Dave Graybill!

We had action all day long with the wide variety of species keeping us busy. We ended up catching 3 limits of mostly 15" to 18" Walleye with a 21" 'eye and we released a 28" 9lb. female as well! There were about 15 Catfish mixed in with half a dozen Perch and some small Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass,\; with 2 Largemouth Bass at 3lbs & 4lbs!

We found fish all over the water column today, from 10' of water out to 25'. With some of the weather shifting the last couple days with some clouds and colder temps the fish were a little scattered. That being said, when 1 Walleye was found, there were generally more. We had multiple doubles and triples, including a double to end the day with our 21" and 28" Walleye! Our main focus area was by the mouth of Crab Creek and the face of the dunes; towards the State Park on various drop-offs and humps. The drop offs are VERY steep in some places right now, it can go from 18'+ to 7' rather quickly. It seemed most of the Walleye are sitting tight to the bottom where there is structure.

We were trolling bottom bouncers (1.5oz to 3oz) and Mack's Lure Slowdeath rigs, in various colors and sizes. The water is still pretty green right now and temps were right around 58 degrees. We were trolling from .8 mph to 1.1 mph., mixing up speeds and sizes of the Mack's Lure Smile Blades to find what exactly the fish wanted. We had the most success with Chartreuse, Orange, Motor Oil, and Red bead with Cha Cha float, and Smile Blade combinations. We ranged from only 1 bead and a small Smile Blade to multiple beads and a Cha Cha Float with a bigger Smile Blade; everything worked well.

This fishing is going to continue to be 'hot' until the water temps dip below 50 degrees, plenty of time for fishing! The Walleye are very aggressive right now and feeding heavily before winter and colder weather. Good luck out there and tight lines!

If your would like a guided trip, we have openings the rest of this month and into November for Walleye at Potholes Reservoir. For more information you can visit our website at uppercolumbiaguide.com, call our office @ 509-264-7684, and/or email us @ info@uppercolumbiaguide.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

Premier guided fishing for Walleye, Kokanee, Salmon, Steelhead & Trout on the Upper Columbia River. Ranging from Bonneville Dam to Chief Joseph Dam. And also Wenatchee River, Drano Lake, Icicle River, Methow River, Okanogan River. Lakes include, Banks Lake, Potholes Reservoir, & Lake Chelan.

Upper Columbia Guide Service

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