I have been reporting about my adventures to Rufus Woods and Lake Roosevelt. Both of these winter fisheries are off to a great start. Whopper rainbow are being caught at the net pens on Rufus Woods, and giant kokanee are showing up in catches on Lake Roosevelt. There is another terrific trout fishery that gets rolling in the winter, and that’s at Billy Clapp Reservoir. This lake is found about 16 miles east of Soap Lake and offers good fishing for big rainbow but also offers a particular challenge. The water level is dropped severely, like most of our irrigation storage reservoirs. This means that the there is a good distance of sand that must be crossed to launch your boat. So, smaller boats are preferred, and four-wheel drive highly advised. My friend James and I are eager to get out on Billy Clapp and have bigger boats. The plan is to take both four-wheel drive rigs and some tow straps to make sure we can get our trucks out if one gets stuck. Why go to all this trouble? Billy Clapp is loaded with rainbow and many of them will tip the scales at 4 pounds, with some even heavier.
Fat rainbow like this one can be caught on Billy Clapp throughout the winter.