Anglers who are fishing in the Northwest Bass Tournament series had their last qualifier before they fish for a new boat. The tournament was held at Banks Lake and the familiar names in local bass tourneys, Jeff Abbott and Robert Flower from Roy, Washington, came in first. The pair posted a total weight of 15.42 pounds and also claimed the big fish prize with 4.44-pounder. Anglers had best success fishing in shallow water, using top-water, pop-r’s and spinner baits. This would be a great time to fish Banks Lake for smallmouth and largemouth bass, even if you aren’t a tournament angler. The smallmouth are so plentiful that anglers have a good time, even fishing from shore along the highway at Banks. Lake Roosevelt is also producing great catches of smallmouth. Shallow water is the where you’ll find fish, which is unusual for this time of year. The walleye bite is also very good at both of these big reservoirs. Anglers are catching very good numbers of walleye, but are catching a lot of smaller fish, and are advised to carefully release these small guys. They are next year’s big ones. The action on Banks and Roosevelt should continue to be good clear into the fall.