THE WASHINGTON OUTDOOR REPORT week of January 8

2023 is sizing up to be a busy year. First off, I’m moving out to the Columbia Basin in the next few months. It’s the region of the state I find myself going to more often than not when it comes to fishing for trout, bass, walleye and panfish. It’s also the place I go to hunt birds whether they be doves, ducks, pheasant, quail or geese. Throw in the fact my best friend lives next to Potholes State Park and our shared bass boat is there and you can begin to understand the reason I’m moving that way.

Second, I’ll be exhibiting again at two big sportsmen’s shows here in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll be at the Washington Sportsmen’s Show at the fairgrounds in Puyallup from February 1 - 5 and at the big Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s show at the Expo in Portland from February 14 - 18. Both shows promise to be very good ones with lots of exhibitors and attendees. You can find out more about them at www.thesportshows.com

I’ll be doing a good amount of fishing on Potholes Reservoir again this year and will also be fishing three or four bass tournaments in the hope that my fishing partner and I will finally cash a check at one of these events.

This spring I’m looking at a possible trip to the Snake River in Hells Canyon for some

smallmouth bass and sturgeon fishing. The beginning of June will likely find me in the

Columbia River Gorge, fishing for American shad below the John Day Dam and casting for pikeminnow near The Dalles. I may also go on a day trip while at The Dalles to Cottonwood Canyon State Park where you can hike trails along the John Day River, see wildlife from mule deer to bighorn sheep, and catch a whole bunch of feisty smallmouth bass on light tackle.

In July I’ll be heading north to Alaska again and this time I’ll be taking my best friend, Rusty Johnston for his first fishing trip in the Last Frontier. We’ll be staying at Sportsman’s Cove Lodge, a vey well run operation in a secluded, beautiful setting on Prince of Wales Island, accessible by floatplane from Ketchikan. Once there, we’ll get in 3 ½ days of chartered fishing for halibut, salmon, lingcod and true cod. It will be my fourth time at the lodge and I am thrilled to return! If you want to find out more check out www.alaskasbestlodge.com

Late August will find me at Fort Casey State Park on the east side of Whidbey Island. Every other year a run of pink salmon come into Puget Sound, heading to several rivers to spawn. A good number of these fish can be found close to shore, close enough to cast to from the beach. Some years the fishing is good, sometimes not so much, but spending a morning and evening casting for salmon, crabbing in the small bay next to the park campground during the day, and hiking around the old fort and lighthouse while watching the state ferry come and go makes for a great end of summer camping getaway.

I’ll come back from Fort Casey State Park just in time for the opening of dove hunting season and the other bird hunting seasons will not be far behind. With any luck, I’ll have a new hunting dog by then and if I do, I’ll be spending a lot of time going for long walks on the public lands of the Columbia Basin hoping to run into some birds.

Like I said, it’s looking to be a busy year, but I can’t wait to enjoy all of it! Here’s hoping the year ahead is full of adventures outdoors for you as well.

John Kruse – www.northwesternoutdoors.com and www.americaoutdoorsradio.com