I’m planning trips for next year for taking my 5 year old nephnew.

He’s open to ANY species (pikeminnow, bluegill, trout…anything) and ANY size (5” is even ok, but bigger would be nice too.) We can fish anywhere. Our boats can handle “any” fishing location.

He gets bored if we go more than 5 minutes without hooking a fish, however.

So my question is: what fishery, at it’s peak, is the “fastest” in the northwest!?

(We’re probably talking Silver Lake in Cowlitz county for bluegill/crappie/perch in late May (catch and release 100/day), or Columbia River shad in mid-June…but I want to hear what you pros out there have to say!)

Thanks!

When anyone asks me this question, my best answer is the Tucannon River in southeast Washington. Fabulous, and fabulously fast fishing for rainbows. There are nice campgrounds and there are lakes, in addition to the river. You won't need a boat, it's bank fishing. The thing about teaching children to fish is to get them into some fish. The Tucannon will fill that bill.

take him to silver lake this weekend the perch & crappie are thick right now fish right befors silver shores lot of action

Next year is a humpy year--that can be fast paced.

I think when the silvers are in at Sekiu,that's a great shot at nice fish. Our trip there in Sept this year was awesome! we had our first fish to the boat in less than 30 seconds. At times it was next to impossible to to get your bait more than 25' from the boat. If we didn't have to release wild fish,we would have had our 4 fish limit every morning in less than 15 minutes.

Two plans, both better in summer.
South Umpqua River in June, July, Aug. for small mouth bass to 5 pounds. Expect about 100+ fish per rod per day. Great days can be double that. Get a guide as the launches are pretty much all private and if you can even locate them and the owner plan on $20 access fee for each one. Lookup Big K ranch on the net in Roseburg/Elkton area of southern Oregon.

2nd
get on the net for your state fish and wildlife offices. Most states post their trout stocking schedule. Plan your trip around them and plan on catching 50 trout per rod. Thats what I did when my wife wanted to learn to flyfish for trout. Now shes a wiz and always wants to go fishing.

That is a easy one. Jamason lake
Douglas county.Been fishing it for 35 years and its always been fast paced for rainbow.I have always done best at the southend in the small part of the lake accross the lake from jacks resort.The only thing that can be bad is the wind sometimes.Alot of nice fish in the spring time but the fish can be kinda muddy tasteing when it gets hot in june.This is the lake I got my wife interested in fishing at.Now she fishes with me most of the time.She thought fishing was boring till I took her there for a opening day weekend.

If all you're concerned with is catching fish and not killing fish (which a great thing to teach 'em when they're young; not everything you catch has to be killed), find a nice calm spot on the sound and catch sole. You even have the chance of getting cabazon or sand shark. Teach him now that fishing can be for fun and sport, not just to kill something. However, if you do get a nice cabazon, take it home and explain to the little guy why you chose that fish over the others.

Start 'em young to respect the sport and odds are he won't grow into a meat-fisher.

Just my dollar-two-ninety-eight worth.

I will second jameson lake. I have been fishing it for just about 35 years on and off. The last 21 years strait on the early opener and 7 on the late opener. I used to fish just the south end but now have permanent reservations on the north side. As long as their is not a big wind storm your going to catch fish. Remember if you use bait you gotta count them on your limit even if you throw them back. For that reason I troll small spinners and flatfish.

FYI: I heard Brownlee Res. in Oregon can produce around 100 crappie per person during the spring spawn (mercury in the fish, I've heard, can be a concern if you keep fish, however.) I like catch and release anyway.

try fish lake in wenatchee. the trout fishing is great in the summer after they stock the lake. every time i go almost everyone limits out.