A fishing boat working the shoreline of Potholes Reservoir in fall

Fishing

Walleye, bass, trout, perch and crappie on one of the Columbia Basin's best known fisheries, with the launch and the tackle store on site.

Book OnlineOr call(509) 346-2651
A boat pulled up on the shoreline of Potholes Reservoir

The Fishery

Fishing Potholes Reservoir

The reservoir does not close, so the season decides what you fish for rather than whether you can go.

Nine species, from walleye and both bass to bluegill, carp and channel catfish, and no hard trick to reaching them whether it is your first season or your fortieth. Bring the rod and tackle. The launch, the fuel dock, the Tackle & Country Store and your bed are all a few steps apart.

An angler fishing from the dock on Potholes Reservoir, landing net at their feet

Latest fishing report

Carp derby weekend on the dunes end

MarDon Marina Store

A good turnout in the shallows at the north end, and the bow shooters found fish all weekend in the flooded timber. The drawdown has started, which concentrates everything the way it does most years.

Species and seasons

  • Walleye

    The fish most people drive here for. Best from May on, and the September drawdown concentrates them into a smaller lake.

    Best monthsBest May to Jul, Sep to Dec

  • Largemouth Bass

    Holds in the weed beds and the flooded timber through the warm months, and stays worth fishing into November.

    Best monthsBest Apr to Oct

  • Smallmouth Bass

    Works the rock and the basalt shoreline. The longest excellent run of any species on the reservoir.

    Best monthsBest Apr to Nov

  • Rainbow Trout

    Spring and fall are the seasons. Some of the biggest rainbows come early, right as the ice cap comes off the lake.

    Best monthsBest Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov

  • Bluegill

    A summer fish and the easiest one to put a kid on. Best from July through October.

    Best monthsBest Jul to Oct

  • Yellow Perch

    Reliable nearly all year, and excellent through the second half of summer and into fall.

    Best monthsBest Jul to Oct

  • Crappie

    Comes on in June and stays excellent right through November, which is the longest good stretch of any panfish here.

    Best monthsBest Jun to Nov

  • Channel Catfish

    A late summer fish. August and September are the two months worth planning a trip around.

    Best monthsBest Aug to Sep

  • Carp

    Bow fishing, not rod and reel. Excellent from May through September, and the resort runs a carp derby most years.

    Best monthsBest May to Sep

Fish activity chart

The whole fishery on one grid. Excellent, good and fair by species and month, as the resort has published it for years.

Species
WalleyeBest May to Jul, Sep to Dec
Largemouth BassBest Apr to Oct
Smallmouth BassBest Apr to Nov
Rainbow TroutBest Mar to Jun, Sep to Nov
BluegillBest Jul to Oct
Yellow PerchBest Jul to Oct
CrappieBest Jun to Nov
Channel CatfishBest Aug to Sep
Carp, bow and arrowBest May to Sep
  • Excellent
  • Good
  • Fair
  • * Ice fishing is possible in January and February in a year the lake caps over. Call ahead for conditions.

Before You Go

Licences and supplies

At the Tackle & Country Store

  • Fishing and hunting gear
  • Bait and tackle
  • The latest reports
  • What the locals are saying

Rules and licences

On the Water Now

68°FPartly Cloudy

Wind
SE 1 mph
Humidity
49%
Chance of Rain
0%
Full Forecast

NOAA National Weather Service · 7:00 PM PT

Go With A Pro

Fishing guides

  • A guide at the helm running a boat out onto Potholes Reservoir

    Walleye · Full and half day · Boat provided

    Example Walleye Guide Service

    Full and half day trips on the main lake, with rods, tackle and licences sorted before you get to the ramp.

    Launches from the MarDon ramp

    Call (509) 000-0000
  • A guide showing a young angler where to work the shallows

    Bass · Panfish · Family friendly

    Example Bass and Panfish Trips

    The dunes end and the flooded timber, geared to families and to anyone learning the water for the first time.

    Call (509) 000-0000
View all charters

Every Year

Tournaments on the reservoir

MarDon has run fishing tournaments on Potholes Reservoir for years, and they are the weekends the ramp fills before the sun is up. Bass, walleye and trout all have one, and so does carp, which is shot with a bow rather than caught on a rod.

They run out of the resort, so the ramp, the fuel dock and the store are the same few hundred yards they are on any other morning, and your bed is at the end of them.

Those four come back every season and others join them, so dates and purses go up on the events page as each one is set.

Bass boats at the MarDon ramp before the start of a derby, tournament straps on the outboards

Derbies held here

  • Bass
  • Walleye
  • Trout
  • Carp, bow and arrow
Fishing

Book the trip around the bite

Cottages, lake houses and RV sites a short walk from the ramp, so you are on the water at first light instead of on the road.