Peter Haley/The News Tribune After decades of fishing Potholes Reservoir, a big bass still brings a smile to Mike Meseberg. Behind him is son Levi Meseberg.
PETER HALEY; The News Tribune THE NEWS TRIBUNEA largemouth bass is released back to Potholes Reservoir south of Moses Lake. The reservoir is home to 22 species of fish, including trout, walleyes and bullhead catfish
JEFFREY P. MAYOR; jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com
Published: May 22nd, 2008 01:00 AM | Updated: May 22nd, 2008 11:56 AM
Levi Meseberg is a man prepared to fish Potholes Reservoir.
His 21-foot Ranger fishing boat is festooned with a forest of fishing rods.
His 21-foot Ranger fishing boat is festooned with a forest of fishing rods.
He has rods for flipping plastic baits, pulling crank baits, casting tube baits, pulling worm harnesses. He has rods with bait casting reels and others with spin casting reels.
While the former guide's arsenal might be more than most anglers have or need, it reflects the options in this massive lake – home to 22 species – south of Moses Lake in Grant County.
The fishing for the big three – walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass – is so good that Potholes is the site of fishing tournaments every other weekend from spring through fall. Anglers also catch rainbow trout, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill and bullhead catfish.
Meseberg (pronounced MEES-berg) grew up fishing the lake while working at the family's MarDon Resort on the lake's south shore. He guided for more than four years, but now serves as the resort's head of maintenance, which allows him more time for tournament fishing, and fishing for fun.
Food first
On a cool but sunny morning earlier this month, I joined Meseberg and his father, Mike, for a day on the water. We headed east on the lake. After a short run, we stopped a third of the way up Lind Coulee. Meseberg shut down the 300-horsepower motor, put the bait on the worm harnesses, slipped the bow-mounted trolling motor into the water and had us fishing.
We were after walleyes first.
When I mentioned growing up in Cleveland, the Mesebergs assumed I was an accomplished walleye angler. No, I explained, Lake Erie was still a cesspool back then. After I left town, the lake was cleaned up and became one of the nation's best walleye fisheries.
That's why it was more luck than skill that I caught the first walleye of the day. It wasn't big, but at 16 inches, "it was the perfect size for eating," Meseberg said.
Trolling with worm harnesses – a combination of hooks, colored plastic beads and a small metal blade – is the most effective means of chasing Potholes walleyes. It's a big reason the resort sells 600 to 800 dozen a week during the summer.
On this day, we were fishing a ledge about 20 feet below the surface. The walleye were suspended in deeper water just below the ledge.
Each time we made a pass, Meseberg kept an eye on his Lowrance LCX-28C fish finder. "There's some fish," he said pointing to the color screen.
Almost without fail, within moments one of us would reel in a fish. On occasion, two of our rods would be bent over with a double.
With water temperatures at 59 degrees, we trolled at 1 mph. As the water warms up, and the fish become more active, Meseberg said he would increase his speed up to 1.5 mph.
We were dialed in this morning. "That's a keeper," Mike Meseberg said each time we tossed another walleye into the live well. He said it more than a dozen times before we decided to shift focus.
A bass fishing machine
After another short run, Meseberg positioned us near rock piles off the face of O'Sullivan Dam. As he guided the boat into position, he armed us with different rods and lures.
It wasn't long before a few smallmouth bass fell for the crankbaits we were using.
As were fished along the dam, Meseberg pointed out the occasional rock that poked up through the lake's wind-rippled surface. "That's the thing about this lake. A spot you caught a fish at in the spring, you come back in August and it will be dry land," he said.
Water from the reservoir is used to meet the irrigation needs of farmers in the area. As the summer heat builds, the lake is drawn down. "The lake is always changing, and the fish are moving from one spot to another," Mike Meseberg said.
And so did we.
Our next spot was Frenchman Hills Wasteway, along the north edge of Potholes State Park. Meseberg worked the boat up what is essentially a creek, fed by unused and returned water from the irrigation system west of the reservoir.
Casting plastic baits among the tangle of willow roots that lined the bank failed to produce any fish. So we switched to casting leeches – live and artificial – into the channel and slowly retrieving them.
We landed our first largemouth bass of the day and more smallmouth, including one that weighed 3 pounds.
After lunch, we continued our pursuit of bass. We made our way through willows, reeds and Russian olive trees among the sand dune islands that dot the north end of the lake. We stopped to fish the creek created by the Winchester Wasteway.
We first tossed plastic lures close to shore, but the largemouth bass we caught were in the deeper water in the creek channel. We also spooked a number of carp cruising the shallow waters among the islands, a favorite spot for anglers who prefer using a bow and arrow.
As afternoon gave way to evening, the temperature cooled and the fishing slowed. We decided it was time to head back to the resort. En route we were entertained by birds. Graceful white egrets stalked the shallows, while red-winged blackbirds chattered from tall reeds along the shore. We saw a great horned owl sitting in a nest, protecting a fuzzy owlet peeping over the edge. Western grebes, often in pairs, dove under the water as we buzzed by.
At the day's end, Meseberg was busy wielding an electric knife at the resort's cleaning station. It took about a minute to filet each walleye. A plastic bag filled with filets were the physical rewards of the day's effort. But the memories of making new friends and fishing new waters will last much longer.
SPOTS AROUND MOSES LAKE OFFER A VARIETY OF FISH
The waters along Highway 17, and the species of fish that call them home, are as varied as the crops grown on the fields of central Grant County.
Depending on mood, you can pursue largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, three species of trout, several types of panfish and catfish. You can fish big or small lakes, or try fly-fishing a spring creek.
"We do have a great diversity," said Jeff Korth, district fish biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. "The waters are very fertile. The desert is a very fertile place. It just needed water."
Darce Knobel, who owns the Desert Angler in Ephrata, said he has fished lakes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia. But he prefers the lakes a short drive from his fly shop. "I've fished all over, and I never find any more consistent trout fishing than we have here. They're real rich lakes, they have great insect populations."
These are some of the options anglers have, within a 30-minute drive of Moses Lake:
Columbia Wildlife National Refuge
Location: South of Moses Lake off Highway 262
Type of water: The refuge is home to a series of lakes, often called the Seep Lakes. Water from Potholes Reservoir seeps through the basalt rock in the area and turns the low spots into lakes. "For the most part, these lakes didn't exist until the dam was put in," said Rick Poetter, refuge manager.
Unique features: You can find plenty of privacy on the refuge. "We have almost 30 lakes and lower Crab Creek runs through the south end of the refuge," Poetter said. Among the most popular lakes are Upper and Lower Hampton, Soda, Teal, Quail, Hutchison and Coyote.
Common species: Rainbow trout, largemouth bass, bluegill, whitefish and walleye.
Access: Good. A number of lakes have boat ramps. Some lakes require a short hike to reach them. Tracie and Kevin Commet of Naches fished Upper Goose Lake earlier this month with their 14-month-old son, Augustus. "I used to fish here when my dad was alive," Tracie said. "We used to catch walleye. We used to knock them dead."
Of note: Western rattlesnakes are regularly encountered on the refuge. They might be found anywhere during warm weather but mostly in rocky areas.
Information: 1-509-488-2668; www.fws.gov/columbiarefuge
Lake Lenore
Location: On Highway 17 north of Soap Lake
Type of water: 1,670-acre lake
Unique features: The lake sits at the end of the Grand Coulee and is bounded by high cliffs. The fishing is best in the spring and the fall, said Knobel. "It gets too warm during the summer." Fly anglers do best using chironomid patterns in the spring and then damsel, dragonfly nymph, callibaetis and caddis patterns in the fall.
Common species: Lahontan cutthroat trout
Access: Good. There are four access areas, three with restrooms. Three boat launches are suitable for very small boats and float tubes only because of the shallow shoreline. One of the launches has a handicap access.
Of note: Some of the Lahontans can reach 10 pounds. Fishing is catch-and-release only from March 1 through May 31 and should be good during this period. Selective fishery regulations apply for the entire open season, which runs to Nov. 30.
Information: Desert Fly Angler, 1656 Basin St. S.W., Ephrata; 1-509-754-4070
Moses Lake
Location: In the heart of the town of Moses Lake
Type of water: 6,800-acre lake fed by Rocky Ford Creek
Unique features: The lake was once known as a premiere trout fishery, and still is. But it has become a top walleye lake. "The lower Columbia River gets all the publicity, but Moses Lake has a great walleye fishery," said Korth. Walleye average 16 to 18 inches, but there are plenty of big fish.
Common species: Brook and rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, catfish, walleye and panfish
Access: Very good. There are six boat ramps around the lake and plenty of bank fishing opportunities.
Of note: While electroshocking fish for a survey, Korth said he and his crew netted a walleye that topped 19.6 pounds. The state record is 19.3 pounds.
Information: Tri-State Outfitters, 1224 S. Pioneer Way, Moses Lake; 1-509-765-9338
Rocky Ford Creek
Location: Northwest of Moses Lake on Troutlodge Road off Highway 17
Type of water: Shallow spring creek
Unique features: This is a slow-moving, high-desert fishery that produces some large rainbow trout. Fish topping 20 inches are not uncommon. Mark Miller of Spokane spent part of an early May day on the creek and landed a fish measuring 28 inches. "I used to live in Ephrata. It was nice to have (Rocky Ford) in your backyard," he said.
Common species: Rainbow trout
Access: Very good. There is a ramp for handicapped anglers at the north end of the area open for fishing.
Of note: The fish can be very picky. Be sure to bring plenty of different fly patterns, from scuds to small dry flies like a parachute Adams to woolly buggers. There is no wading in the stream, and it is fly-fishing only. Be sure to stay on state land.
Information: Pat's Atomic Fly Shop, 1019 W. Broadway Ave., Moses Lake; 1-509-764-9359; www.patsatomic.com
Potholes Reservoir
Location: Southwest of Moses Lake off Highway 262
Type of water: 28,000-acre manmade lake created by O'Sullivan Dam, the longest earthen-filled dam in the United States. The dam was completed in 1949 as part of the Columbia Basin Project.
Unique features: The sand dune islands that dot the north end of the lake make a great place to park your boat and have a picnic or go for a swim when it's warm. It also is productive bass waters.
Common species: Brown and rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and panfish
Access: Very good. There are a number of public and private ramps and parks, most along the south end.
Of note: The lake rises and falls with irrigation needs during the summer. Boaters should be aware that rock piles, especially near the dam, can be just below the surface at high water levels.
Information: MarDon Resort, 8198 Highway 262 S.E., Othello; 1-509-346-2651 or 1-800-416-2736; www.mardonresort.com
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640; blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W
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