Thread: crappie fishing on the snake river near the paulouse river

I have caught some nice ones at silver lake near mount sain helens, swaffords pond and at carlisle lake near onalaska. there out there but those are the three i would go to for bank fishin. i have also had great luck at the cosmos off of highway 12 before morton. when the water is flowing in there at the inlet you get schools the hang in the bends as the water swings through.

Dave:

where are you located? where do you live?

i know Lewis County quite well, all the way to Packwood & Randle, but i don't recall the term "the cosmos" off Highway 12, before Morton. I know Onanlaska, but not Carlisle Lake, unless that's the name of the little pond right near the high school.

i know, but haven't fished, Mayfield. heaard there are some big "Tiger" musky in that water, but that they are rarely caught. and have done real good for nice-sized trout, "carryovers", some years back on Riffe Lake.

Does what you refer to as "the cosmos" have anything to do with, what was then, the new dam, upstream of Riffe, on the Cowlitz? they were just starting that project when my travels up there started to wane...because i found out i could catch big salmon right here in my backyard (much closer).

i enjoy and get excited hearing from you and any other serious fish'n nut. thanx for gett'n back at me.

yeah that little mill pond behind the store there in onalaska is carlisle. i have gotten some real nice crappie there a few times that i have fished it. we used to fish it for the brown bull head catfish at night and while playing with a bobber we got into a school of crappie and caught fish for acouple hrs. the cosmos is where the water runs into riffe lake theres a camp ground and a fishing bridge if you go far enough out. i stop by the first bridge and walk along the "stream" and fish all the bends and have gotten some real nice crappie and blue gil usually later in the year ofcourse. i got into crappie about 5 years ago and absolutely love it but i am also allways looking for new places. i live up in bonney lake but i drive there allot to fish.

Hey Popparoddy,

Silver Lake near Mossyrock is a great place for crappie even bank fishing. The good news is that you can catch a bunch of crappie. The bad news is they are really small.

Potholes has some good crappie fishing in Lind Coulee during the spawn. Wait until dark and throw out a jig under a lighted bobber near the reed by the bank. Bingo!!!!

Lyons Ferry has some real slabs and bonus catches of walleye and catfish.

Brownlee Reservoir is my favorite place to crappie fish. The fish can be big and are dumb enough even I can catch them.

Kahlotus Lake used to be a wonderful crappie/bluegill fishery, but last time I went past there it was dried up.

Hope this helps. Good luck everyone and keep your eyes open for a Slabking sighting as he is the real master here.

thanx for all the help. this sure seems like a genuinely generous and well-intended group.

some of those places sound familiar (so. of Moses Lake) usually blow'n and pretty barren.

now, from what you're saying, that Brownlee area gives me a real good feeling. if i'm not mistaken, that's a little more forested, right? having grown up in Montana, i do appreciate gett'n to fish in fresher waters and some mighty p-u-r-d-y places. we've caught "spiney-rays" (crappie, bluegill, and largemouth) in some real clear water and deep gravel pit ponds.

Guppy:
what part of Washington are you in? I'm in So-West, Vancouver.

The best time to be there in my opinion is middle of April all thru May. After those dates it will still be good but it gets supper hot on the Brownlee after those dates. The dates I mentioned should put you into some real nice keepers(11 to 12" range) plus the spawn is in full swing.
I would say your best bet is to travel from your home to Richland, Oregon. Richland is on the Powder River arm of the Snake and has some excellent fishing for Bass and Crappie. Richland has a nice marina and boat ramp .After you launch you can fish numerous coves on the Power all the way down to the Brownlee. When you get to the Brownlee fish north or south both ways are good.
If your camping out I think there are some camping spots in the marina if your moteling it there is a nice one in Richland.

Any more info you need contact me. I fish and have fished this reservoir for 30 years

Hopr this helps ya out..

Sorry but you won't find forest on the Brownlee you will find lots of sagebrush and a few willows and in some draws lots of blackberry bushes but don't let that stop ya come on over I think you'll like the fishing