Like Jeremy I use a long rope but I tie it to the anchor post on my trailer and otherwise unhook the boat straps down to the trailer. The length of the rope is long enough so that the boat will go quite a ways behind the trailer as I float free. What I do after that is just back into the water slowly enough that the boat will once it floats and just keep floating out away from the trailer.. Then I pull ahead a little bit and get out and let the boat into the shore or if there is a dock walk out on the dock and pull it into the dock with that lead rope. Then I can tie it securely to the dock bow and stern go back out and untie the lead rope Park the trailer and return to the boat if it’s on the dock. usually the bow can be pulled up on the bank far enough to use a step ladder to get up on the bow and climb in. tand if it’s next to the dock I can just carefully step in. Just reverse the procedure when I’m loading the boat back onto the trailer just pull it onto the trailer and hook up the winch and crank it up the rest of the way. Never get wet don’t fall in the boat.

Almost any type of Rooster Tail style spinner. Any brand that spins easily. Mepps, what ever you got.

Fresh or sal Ve always used a modest length of flouro appropriators the strength of fish and how shy they are. Find a knot to se nless you just use a quality double eye swivel. Then just a Palomar for the braid and an improved clinch for the flouro or other favorite knot.

Always had good luck with various Power Baits. Usually yellow, pink, green. There is also a soft plastic bait with a yellow egg head and a pink worm tail that works pretty good. Might also be from Power Bait co. Best method seems to be a sliding snker above a stopper f some sort and about 18” or so of later to your hook. Al’s below bbbers at times. I’d use a slip bbber so you can adjust for depth until you find their level.

For steelhead slip bobber fishing where I use braid for the main line and a flouro leader. About 3’ 4’ of leader. I like a swivel in between with a bead above to stop the bobber from hitting the swivel. Bead above the bobber of course. I tie the braid on with a Palomar knot and the flouro on the swivel with an improved clinch. Seems to work. I like the swivel so that I don’t ever cut the braid if I change leaders. Id do the same if I were trolling plugs. Same idea with fly fishing but I use a micro ring above my tippet so my main leader never gets cut shorter. No bead needed. Wet or dry.

Guys are caching walleye in both rivers. Usual places if your a walleye fisherman. No salmon or steels n the upper river yet. Chck seasons. You can always catch bass and cats. Perch specially in backwaters. Pike minnow bounty season is still a couple months off.

This site is not the best for fishing reports on Washngton . You need to search for more specific sites on FB like PNW Fishing, Eastern Washington Fishing, etc. this is a great site for general fishing talk but it covers too much of the US.

In SE Washington I always use ethanol free premium in boat motors and all small engines. 2 or 4 cycle. Simplely because regular ethanol gas can and usually gums them up over a short time period and it’s a pain to keep having the carbs cleaned. They also run better. Ethanol gas for your car is fine form big engines.

A local fly guy just posted a video of him and a buddy fly fishing the lake from shore at a parking lot so if you have the Tribal licenses required for fishing and perhaps for parking and you understand their regulations as to technique and whether boats are allowed etc. just follow the map to the lake. He was knocking them dead using nymphs. It was very windy as well.

I’m not going to call you a crappy caster but it may be your technique or the balance between flyline and leader If you don’t have enough line speed things will not roll over and lay down on the water at the appropriate moments. Everything right, the fly should float down on the water slightly ahead of the ladder, not slap the water or fall Into a pile of leader tippet. Then at almost he same time the flyline should lay down on the water. If all that is reversed you can get a slap on the water or a pileup at the tippet. But done with finesse the line can lay down first and the leader softly roll out to gently lay the fly where you want as well. Part of the trick is in how you choose to slow the line as it Carry's your fly to the target. Lots to think about to get it just right. The leader needs to be heavy enough in its butt section to translate the force of the line forward as everything gets smaller and lighter. Tapered leaders. Too light a leader or not enough speed or too low or too high a layout resulting in everything not landing right, in the right order. The fix? Practice. Try different tapered leaders. And of course make sure you loaded the line the right way. Start with distances you can control before you try to cast across Lake Superior. Good luck

No snakes this time of year, first frost to wam spring days. They den up as soon as it starts getting cold. There are snakes moving around in early chukar season in the Snake/ Grand Ronde area. Spring, summer and fall are when you will encounter them. I’ve encountered them many times in bird season in that area but they generally are not aggressive, tend to move away from foot fall sounds. Bites are extremely rare. A bird dog is likely in more danger. But anecdotally I can’t recall hearing of any bite incidents. It’s just like any other danger in the wild, falling, etc. just be aware of your surroundings. In other words just don’t walk around brain dead. Tight ones!

Up in the PNW we love our halibut, walleye, shrimp and salmon. Salmon is best plank bake before an open fire or smoked. Shrimp is great in a scampi or cold with cocktail sauce. Halibuts and Walleye are best batter fried. But there are other ways t fx everything. Every other fish or sea food is good with some just not worth cooking less your starving. But not much I won’t eat especially from the sea.

You really need to chck the current regs. There are several salmon runs up into the Columbia Basin but I think they are pretty much over for now. Weighted treble hooks are not legal. Steelhead season this year was a bust and really not open except above Lower Granite near Lewiston ID. There are specifupic rules on various sections of the rivers and streams and also on gear. Read. I think there is a new season for salmon n the lower Columbia but check to be sure.

Yes of course Billy Chinook. My bad. I don’t live there, just visit whenever I can. There are also a number of lak s along the Scenic Cascades Highway like Lava Lake that hav a god reputation as well.

Fall River near End is b all reports a great place to fly fish for very nice trout. But it’s extremely clear and fish are fussy. Nymph good is a good technique. Nearby is the Metolius out of Sisters which is another great fly fishing river. Same for the Deschutes which not only carry’s big trout but steelhead and salmon. Of course you can run n up to the Columbia for several salmon seasons and steelhead along with some wild action on shad and sturgeon. There are other streams and lakes with great fishing. As a resident you will enjoy some great fishing at modest cost. If your a meat fisherman, you’ll have to check for lakes that ODFW stocks for catch and keep, but they are there. billy Clapp is a large reservoir in the Metolius drainage that also holds big fish. Beautiful country and a favorite destination. I envy you.