FLY FISHING -- The first group outing of the year for the Spokane Fly Fishers -- Saturday at Coffeepot Lake west of Harrington -- was a BIG occasion for some of the anglers - with rainbow trout up to 21 inches long.

Read on for the detailed report from club member Mike Berube.

The SFF club had a great first outing of the year yesterday.  We, about 12 of us,  hit Coffee Pot lake around 9 AM and fished to mid afternoon.  The weather was typical for this outing, high 40s, cloudy and windy.  The rain held off all day, could have made it miserable.

Everyone caught fish.  Nice fat rainbows to 21" (mine, KT had the numbers though) were caught.  Kurt and I concentrated our efforts to the shoreline down by the opening to the far end.  We couldn't get through, there was only about a 5-6 inches trickling through a 4' wide opening.  KT and I had 11 to hand with another 7-8 long distance releases.  Not real fast and furious but it kept us moving.  They were taken on purple, black, marroon bunny leeches, olive, purple, black woolly buggers.  Most were taken trolling or casting and stripping out of the boat but we had some luck casting from shore to cruisers on the north side of the opening to the far/upper end.

Judy Kaufman was in her pontoon boat and stayed in the first bay across from the launch concentrating her fishing between the cabin and inlet stream  She caught several nice fish, after a quick throat pump revealed immature damsel nymphs and scuds she switched to a size 14 articulated/red bead/pale olive damsel nymph pattern and hooked some nice rainbows.  And a 20" largemouth!