Eastside Rendezvous: Cats and Smallies

[walt]

Hey all, I'm starting a new thread now that we have a weekend and a place picked out.  It looks like June 5th-7th at Lyons Ferry Marina. Here is a link:  
http://www.portofcolumbia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=40
Here's some more info from the other thread:

Lyons Ferry Marina      1-509-399-8020

Tent space                  $15.00 daily
                                  $95.00 weekly

RV space (dry)            $15.75 daily
                                  $100.00 weekly
 
RV space (full hookup  $23.25 daily
                                  $143.50 weekly

Boat launch fee           $4.00

Moorage fee                $12.00 nightly (open)
                                 $15.00 Nightly (covered)

They only have 18 RV spots with full hookups so reserve soon if you want one.

As far as participants here are who I see so far from the other thread:

rasbo & wife
giddyhitch & wife
SpokaneSlayer & family
Kbyers
300UltraMagShooter
buckhorn2 and grandson
shoot-em-dead
KillBilly
TribalDragon911 and kid
Me

maybes:
Gamblin Guy
Gutpile
lamar_hunter
pathfinder101
Michias and family

The Marina is very family friendly with a store, restaurant, and docks to fish from.  There is also a state park across the river at the mouth of the Palouse.

Da Stump has offered to help set this up so feel free to pm him or me or post on this thread if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say hi.  

Also post if you are bringing a boat and have any open seats.  There are also lots of places to fish from the bank, especially if you don't mind driving a mile or two.  

Anyone familiar with the area please feel free to post suggestions for gear, techniques, to do's, must see's, don't forgets....

We will get a potluck list going when we get a little closer to go time and have a better idea who all will be there.  This should be a great time, hopefully mother nature smiles on us.  Who else is in?

[rasbo]

made mine today come on june

[MichaelJ]

Wish I could be there!  Especially with Rasbo, Machias, Teacherman  and 300UltraMagShooter in camp!!!   
But sadly enough I'll be working somewhere far from there.... lol

Michael

[Gamblin Guy]

Hope you guys dont mind another wetsider hoping to make it, have to see what my son's baseball schedule is before I can commit to anything.  Sounds like a good time, he'd really like to get into some cats.

Wouldn't fried catfish be on the menu? 

[shoot-em-dead]

Count me in, my wife might come but we will see when things get closer so I may have room in the boat. Do you have a map of where this place is? And do I have to reserve a spot if I live in Cheney or is it close enough to drive?

[walt]

Do you have a map of where this place is? And do I have to reserve a spot if I live in Cheney or is it close enough to drive?

I don't have a map but if you head west to Ritzville then south on hwy261 through Washtucna it will take you there.  There is a left turn about 5ish miles south of Washtucna where 261 splits off of 260.  There are signs for Palouse falls state park and I think lyons ferry.  Stay on 261 until you hit the river.  The marina is on the south side.  You will see it from the bridge.  It is probably just over 2 hours from Cheney.  If you mapquest "Joso" or "Lyons Ferry" or "Starbuck" one of them should work.

[TeacherMan]

I live in Cheney on the weekends, at least I have for the last year and me and Da Stump (my dad) went down this last June and it took us about 1.5 - 2 hours from Cheney towing a boat. You would want to stay, part of the fun is going to be camping. Smallmouth will just be starting to turn on also along with walleye.

Hope to see you all there.

Gear that I like to bring out in my boat:
 Giant cooler full of food, soda, and water, also works for a bunch of fish
 2 steelhead rod with 12 plus pound line on it for cats
 1 rod for spin casting for bass, walleye, squaws, and the triploids at the secret pond 6-8 lb test
 3" dark tube baits for bass
 powerbait orange trout
 red eggs triploids
 Size 2 hooks, lots of them, pre-tied steelhead hooks work good with a bait loop, cats
 Size 8 hooks to catch the best bait on, squaw fish, cut plug them, plus they work on the triploids or other trout
 large swivels
 three way swivels
 pyramid weights or pancake weights, 1,2,4 oz
 weight slides for your line, just like for sturgeon
 3/4 oz slip sinkers
 Worms
 Shrimp in shell, not cooked
 Beef Liver
 trout (store bought f course to make it legal, I even have a pkg in my boat to prove it)
 Crawfish smelly Jelly
 Net, large enough for a 20+ pound fish
 rope stringer, don't want it breaking
 Good fillet knife
 2" x 12" x 30" board with big nail, help fillet the fish
 camera

Plus the basic stuff that you want for camping. I will have a tent set up, possible a tent trailer, plus a 10x10 pop up tent.

If there is an interest I can bring down the BBQ, has like 6 burners on it 160K BTU 

I hope to see as many people there as possible, we need to think of prizes for:
biggest fish
most fish
most variety of fish
or any other category you can think of

this will be fun, we will document it with pics and make all of you that can't come wish you would have 
 
 

[rasbo]

Hope you guys dont mind another wetsider hoping to make it, have to see what my son's baseball schedule is before I can commit to anything.  Sounds like a good time, he'd really like to get into some cats.

Wouldn't fried catfish be on the menu? 

YOU BETTCHA IT WILL provided we catch some

[Watz_Hunt]

Is this place a fresh-water lake or something?    You guys are talking my language when it comes to Bass and Catfish.... sadly there isnt much option for that on this side of the state... 

[rasbo]

Is this place a fresh-water lake or something?    You guys are talking my language when it comes to Bass and Catfish.... sadly there isnt much option for that on this side of the state... 

snake river and palouse river I think there is a small lake also

[Da stump]

  The cats should be up the Palouse and the Tuccanan rivers spawning and hopefully fishing for them will produce. The Palouse is across the snake river and accessable by boat or a long walk. There is also a small lake in that area that has triploids in it. The Tuccanan is a smaller river that is accessable by vehicle and you can try your luck that way. Also by the Marina across the train tracks is a small pond that is great for smaller fisherman. If for some reason the cats are already back to deeper water then heaver gear will be needed. It can be 50 to 100 feet deep with current so downriggers or heavy weights will be needed.  What we are shooting for is to catch them in the spawn.  Although you can catch cats during the day.  A devoted fisherman can target prime time after dark.  Word of warning the palouse river has large flats that are only a foot or two deep.  You can be in the middle of a large bay and hit bottom.  Once you find the channel thou it is deep enough for  a fair sized boat.  Also this time of year the wind can really blow and it can get downright rough crossing the Snake.  Smaller craft be warned.  There is a boat launch on the North side of the river at the park if it is open.

[Machias]

No worries on the weather, I have already put in a request for a warm sunny day with little to no wind.   

[walt]

No worries on the weather, I have already put in a request for a warm sunny day with little to no wind.

  Thank you for that.  I heard your request was granted so don't forget the sunscreen.
Also I'm pretty sure the boat launch and the state park open for Memorial Day so we should be good on that side of the river too.

[giddyhitch]

I'll bring my 16 ft Smokercraft 15 horse merc.

[Da stump]

  Teacherman and myself are bringing our 17 ft alumnaweld.  It has a 60 hp and an 8 hp four stroke  merc outboards on it. It will not hold alot of people but we can ferry some to various locations. There is always a chance of buzz worms in the area, so always be alert.
Da stump