I hadn’t been to Rufus Woods in nearly 2 years. Allan hadn’t made the trip there in 4 or 5 years. We were long overdue, and it was a rewarding trip. We arrived a little after 9 AM on a beautiful warm day and fished until 6 PM. We landed 9 walleyes ranging from 16 inches to 29 inches. The large females 27 and 29 inches were done spawning, but the mid sized females ranging from 21 to 24 inches still had eggs. The water temperature was 48 degrees and the water level remained 3 to 4 feet below normal all day. The flow was moderate but variable with periods of decreased current mid to late afternoon. Without much wind, we were able to see how the flow changed as the seems and eddies set up and retreated.

More info for club members: We caught 4 nice walleyes between 10 AM and 1030 AM just below the Seaton’s Grove launch on the top of a gravel bar in 16 to 20 feet of water. The first 3 hit blade baits agressively on consecutive casts. They were 24, 21, and 27 inches. After 10 minutes of no love, I switched to an olive green 4 inch swimbait, and got a 20 incher. We worked our way downstream hitting current seems with blade baits with no bites. I got another 20 inch walleye upstream of Buckley Bar on an orange and brown 3 inch grub. We missed serveral bites in that location. After lunch I got another 20 incher at the downstream tip of Nespelem Bar on the same orange/brown grub. The flow had gone dead by late afternoon, so we motored back upstream. I got another couple of keepers near Buckley Bar. We finished the day near the boat launch where Allan hauled in a 29 inch female on a chrome blade bait. I picked up a 24 incher on an orange and green 4 inch paddle tale. In general, walleyes were relating to gravel bars swept by light to moderate current. Seams and back eddies weren’t very productive, and we targeted a lot of them. I suspect that the walleyes were spawning, so the combination of current and gravel was the ticket.

Greg and Allan: Rufus Woods - May 2, 2025