Northwest Fishing Reports

I have a 5 day vacation and want to take family camping and fishing. I will be camping in a tent with the family. We would need water and toilet facilities and don't want crowds or "resort style" camping. I live near Spokane, but don't want to have to buy an Idaho fishing license. I have a couple of portable boats (Porta-bote and a pontoon).

Any suggestions?

Reel Man

PS- the History Channel ad for "Top Shot" just bugs me: It shows the bullet with its casing flying through the air. I guess the contestants will throw the bullets at the target....

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Bridgeport

Bridgeport State Park is a 748-acre camping park with 7,500 feet of freshwater shoreline on Rufus Woods Lake. Set directly behind Chief Joseph Dam, this lake is actually a segment of the Columbia River. The park provides 18 acres of lawn and some shade in the midst of a desert terrain. "Haystacks," unusual volcanic formations resembling their name, are the park's most striking feature.

Campsite Information:
The park provides 14 tent spaces, 20 utility spaces, one dump station, two restrooms (both ADA) and two showers. Maximum site length is 45 feet (may have limited availability). Since the park is heavily used, mid-week is the recommended time to locate a vacant campsite. The campground is situated on a lawn with many shade trees. Most facilities are modern. All campsites are first-come, first-served.


Group Accommodations:
The park offers a group camp that accommodates 20 to 72 people. Fees vary with size of the group. To reserve, call the park office at (509) 686-7231.



Camping Fees:
Please note that the following general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not all fees will apply to all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).

2010 Fees
Basic camping fees are:
Standard campsite, $21.
Full utility campsite, $28.
Partial utility campsite, $27.
Primitive campsite and water trail camping, $14

I've camped at Bridgeport before. 2 years ago I think. I like Steamboat much better, but it is a little more crowded.

Potholes State Park could be good since you have a pontoon and you could bring it onto the smaller lakes. You could even just fish right off the beach off Potholes State Park, seen some largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, and catfish pulled out in that area from shore. It gets crowded on the weekend though. The weekdays there's pretty much no one there though.

reelman wrote:PS- the History Channel ad for "Top Shot" just bugs me: It shows the bullet with its casing flying through the air. I guess the contestants will throw the bullets at the target....

I didnt notice that but it looks like a cool show.