Fishing

3^rd Annual Pike Minnow Fishing Derby

May 17 to 19

Plan now to attend the QVTA Pike Minnow Fishing Derby!

CLICK HERE for DERBY RULES

CLICK HERE to print REGISTRATION FORM

Anglers of all ages invited to take part in Pikeminnow fishing derby

Nearly $20,000 in prizes offered for pulling in predatory fish

CRESCENT BAR, Wash. – Anglers of all ages are invited to participate in the Quincy Valley Tourism Association’s annual Pikeminnow Derby on May 17 to 19.

The derby spans a section of the Columbia River between Rock Island Dam and Wanapum Dam and offers contestants the chance to win big with prizes totaling over $18,000 for removing the predatory fish that preys on juvenile salmon.

Registration for the derby can be made on the tourism association’s website at www.quincyvalleytourism.org. The registration fee is $20 per licensed adult and $10 for youth under the age of 15.

Registration will also take place on Friday, May 17 near the public beach at Crescent Bar from noon to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 19 from 7 to 10 a.m. near the Crescent Bar boat launch. All contestants must be registered by 10:00 am Saturday to be validated. Prizes include $9,000.00 in cash awarded to the top 20 fishermen in single catch weight and total catch for the tournament. All contestants are eligible for a raffle for 2 fishing boats:

One 12’ Alaskan Smokercraft DLXT Fishing Boat on a King Trailer with a 9.9 Yamaha 4-Stroke motor
One 1032 John Smokercraft Flat Bottomed Fishing Boat on a King Trailers with a 2.5 Hidea 4 Stroke motor

The Pikeminnow, a member of the minnow family, is a native species of the Columbia River and is considered a dominant predator of juvenile salmon. Local tribes and agencies are partnering to minimize the impact of the Pikeminnow to juvenile salmon migrating through Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Project by hosting this derby.

The derby is paid for through a committee made up of: Grant PUD, NOAA Fisheries, Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colville Confederated Tribes, and the Yakama Nation. To learn more about the lifecycle of salmon in the Priest Rapids Project visit http://www.grantpud.org/community/education/salmon-classroom.

Shown Above: A Northern Pikeminnow, leading predator of juvenile salmon migrating through Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Project.

Established by local residents over 75 years ago, Grant PUD generates and delivers energy to millions of customers throughout the Pacific Northwest. What began as a grassroots movement of public power has evolved into one of the premiere providers of renewable energy at some of the most affordable rates in the nation.

For more information visit www.gcpud.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

GRANT PUD MEDIA CONTACT: Thomas Stredwick (509) 793-1571 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

QUNICY VALLEY TOURISM MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Vizena (509) 787-2140 / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This years Sponsors are:

Hooked on Toys
Quincy Hardware and Lumber
High Mountain Supply

Lots of fun for the entire family!!

PURCHASE ONLINE BELOW

Note: payment online incurs a $1.50 processing fee (included).

ENTRY FORM / WAIVER Sponsors, nor their agents, the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce, nor it's members, the City of Quincy or its employees, Grant County, Grant County PUD, Washington State, nor any of the Sponsors accepts any responsibility for loss, damage or injury to any vehicle, vessel, boat, equipment, contestant, passengers, guests, or observers during this event. By purchase of a Derby ticket or volunteering in any capacity, you release and discharge the Quincy Valley Chamber of Commerce and it's members, the Sponsors and all their associated affiliates and employees, for any and all judgements and/or claims from any cause whatsoever that may be suffered by an entrant to his/her person and/or property. The signature on this entry form denotes the agreement with all rules and waivers of liability by the above mentioned. Any entrant under 18 years of age requires the signature of a parent on the application.

There’s Something Special About Evergreen Reservoir

By Dave Graybill

Whenever I suggest a trip to Evergreen Reservoir, my wife Eileen’s eyes light up. She knows were bound to catch smallmouth and largemouth bass. We’ve had our best day of bass fishing ever at Evergreen. There’s always chance, a slim one to be sure, that we’ll even tangle with a tiger muskie. These tigers add a touch of anticipation to Evergreen that most other bass waters don’t offer: great smallmouth and largemouth bass with tiger musky thrown in—that’s Evergreen.

My wife Eileen and I made our first trip to Evergreen eight years ago. We motored all over the lake and eventually found a bunch of eager largemouth that couldn’t resist the Kiwi leech that she dug out of the tackle box. We’ve been hooked ever since. We have found that we can find largemouth and smallmouth bass from one end of the lake to the other. Sometimes the fishing has been slow, but when Evergreen is on, it is really on and the bass action can be fantastic.

Evergreen is just built for it. The long shorelines offer a variety of bass-holding water, with steep basalt walls that have broken rock piles at their base, and there are some shallow bays surrounded by weed lines and brush. There are enough likely looking hiding places for bass to keep an angler busy all day. Since the 1.5 mile-long lake has 235 acres to explore.

I don’t claim to be an expert when it comes to bass fishing, but my wife and I have found a couple of methods that have proven successful. We started here as rookies and have learned some simple ways to catch fish. It doesn’t take complicated gear or techniques for the two of us to have a lot of fun catching bass at Evergreen.

The first method we came up eight years ago was just casting a leech on a worm hook with a split shot about 18 inches up the line. This seems to work best when we cast these along weed beds in the bays. We just toss them close to shore and work them back to the boat. We also tend to do better on the smallmouth when we are using this method.

Our best largemouth bass catches were made with a similar method. The difference was we used a plastic worm instead of a leech. We eased ourselves along the south shore. I kept the boat in 16 to 20 feet of water and cast close to shore. In most places we would be bouncing the worm down the slope of broken rock. In others there would be a shale slide that sloped into the depths. Every once in a while, when we lifted our rods to move the worm, it would seem heavy. That meant that a big largemouth had inhaled the worm. We would set the hook and the battle would begin!

Another good method while fishing the same kind of structure is to fish stick baits. These don’t require a split shot and don’t hang up at all. These plastic baits can be cast, allowed to sink and then twitched. I have found that the slower I fish these baits the better success I have. It is important to watch your line when fishing with these baits. When the line moves, twitches or bounces—set the hook.

To fish a leech, worm or stick bait, it is best to use a hook that is designed to be used with them. Most manufacturers will recommend a hook style and size to use with their baits. If you use a line test of 10-pound or even heavier, you will get your hook back more often if you get hung up. I have fished all three of these different baits with the same rod and reel; an 8 ½-foot spinning rod and spinning reel. It does the job.

There are a lot of anglers who fish Evergreen who favor top water lures, crank baits or jerk baits. There are times when these are very effective. They can also increase your odds of doing business with a tiger muskie. Most of the tiger muskie at Evergreen are hooked when people are fishing for something else. That’s what happened to me. I had just finished fishing the south shore for bass and had worked my way to the west end of the lake. I had launched at the east end, and so I decided to troll a couple of crank baits over some water that could possibly hold some walleye. I pointed the boat up lake, set the trolling motor and cast one line out with a medium diving lure and put it in the rod holder. While I was rigging the second rod for us I heard a funny noise. It was the line peeling off the reel!

I threw the rod I was rigging down and grabbed the rod that was bouncing in the rod holder. I thought I’d hooked a big walleye, but this fish just wasn’t coming in. It circled the boat twice before I got a look at it. All I could see was a big, brown shape at first, and then I could see those tiger musky stripes and that big toothy head. I was thinking I needed to get the tiger a little closer to the boat when out of the corner of my eye I saw a net shoot out and under the fish! Eileen had the net and somehow managed to get that overlarge fish into it and into the boat. Wow. The fish turned out to be 33 inches long. It was just three inches short of being a keeper. No matter. We let it swim away and celebrated. It was a great way to end the day.

Not every day at Evergreen is going to turn out this way, but the possibility is always there. This is what keeps us looking forward to our next trip to the reservoir. From spring through fall the bass are waiting, and the tiger musky, well, you never know.

Evergreen is one of the lakes in the Quincy Wildlife Area, and that’s means it’s a quick trip from Wenatchee. There are two improved launches at the lake. One launch is at the west end that is accessed from the main road to the Quincy lakes off White Trail Road. The other is reached from Highway 281, the main highway from Quincy to George. Both are served by good gravel roads and the parking areas include pit toilets. Keep an eye on the weather forecast for wind when planning a trip to Evergreen. High winds can really spoil your day here.