Wanapum Reservoir near Ginkgo State Park

[FrankDown]

Is there anywhere to fish near Wanapum state park without a boat.  Whats there to catch and what to use from the bank.  Im not taking a boat and we are going camping out that way and thought I d see about fishing the area.

[Hillbilly270]

you could drive around to beverly and fish lenice or nunnally.  not much bank access, but i've seen people do it.

[FrankDown]

Maybe Ill take my waders.  I dont have a float tube or anything like that.  Ill be happy just checking them out.  Thanks.

[jackelope]

you could legitimately fish lenice and nunally with waders from the bank. there are flats that the fish cruise. you  have to be aware that there a lot of rattlesnakes there. that would be the only concern i would have re: fishing it from the bank. do you flyfish at all?

[FrankDown]

I can fly fish.  Ive been using the fly rod for quite a while.  I hadnt thought about taking it though.  Ill pack it along with me.  Sounds like a good reason to take along the fly rod.  I assume theres plenty of room for a backcast with waders?  I can roll cast but I would rather take an easy day and enjoy a full cast.

[jackelope]

there's places to cast without having to wade. a lot more room with wading involved. i would only bring the fly rod if it were me. the fish that will be close to shore are there for bugs. the other thing is those lakes are 1/2 mile or so from the car if that bothers you. don't leave any valuables in your rig....especially if there aren't other people around.
there has been issues with the locals there in the past.

[Happy Gilmore]

The Squaw Fishing is hot right on the rip rap along the bridge....

[Hillbilly270]

can't remember the time of year it was, but my buddy and i knocked em dead at lenice using san juan worms.  we hooked over 20 fish in an hour.

[huntnphool]

We used to fish Lenice from shore a lot. We would fish for hours in our tubes and when it was lunch time we would pull up on shore and break out our ultralite spiining rods. We would tie on chironomids and hook a bobber up about 5' above it and cast it out. The bobber in the waves would move the chironomid up and down off the bottom and we would watch them while sitting on shore eating. This actually worked very well

[jackelope]

I like to stalk the gulpers in the shallows when they are eating cripples on the surface.

 

[jackelope]

those lakes won't fish well for too much longer...the water heating up will put the fish down...probably another couple weeks at the most then it will be done till sept.
 

[FrankDown]

The hike doesnt bother me.  Ill take my fly box and a fly rod along with my waders.  Is there any walleye or smallmouths anywhere near the area too?

[huntnphool]

The eastern most part of the lake has a steep drop off that I have found works well for black buggers with a intermediate sinker in the hotter months. Also buggers at night work well too, its a kick when you hook one of those freight trains in the dark of night.

[fishunt247]

The Columbia is loaded with smallies. There are a lot of sloughs and creek inlets between Priest and Wanapum that they are starting to pull up into. They move up along the bank of the Columbia where the bedrock (or whatever it is, I'm no geologist) is 1-6 feet this time of year too. I've seen guys fish the riprap at Wanapum dam too.

[jackelope]

The eastern most part of the lake has a steep drop off that I have found works well for black buggers with a intermediate sinker in the hotter months. Also buggers at night work well too, its a kick when you hook one of those freight trains in the dark of night.

night fishing is the best there....
i don't fish it in the middle of summer.

[FrankDown]

Will spinners work, or should I use plugs for walleye and smallies here?  I never fished for walleye much before, if at all.  I read that floats with small jigs would work but leeches worked better.  Not sure if leeches are available here or if they work.  What else will work from the bank?

[C-Money]

Soft plastic baits around the rocks of the shoreline should hold plenty of Small mouth bass to keep you busy. Have fun, good luck!

[fishunt247]

  I've done decent on spinners at times, but tubes, wacky worms, swimming grubs, other classic smallmouth plastics seem to be more productive.

[FrankDown]

Went and got there and shortly after the wind started blowing something terrible.  It seems that its always windy there at least a few people told me.  I managed to get lucky and have a tent that was wind rated so my tent was sturdy.  There were plenty that were not lol.  It was so windy that I only fished for a few minutes.  My buddy caught a whitefish about 16 or 18 inches long.  I had some short strikes on smallmouth that followed close enough to see them bnut no hookups.  Fished along the rocks near the dam.