Camping in the Potholes Reservoir
Headed over to the Potholes Reservoir in Eastern Washington for the Perseid meteor shower (caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle) last weekend. It’s been a long standing tradition for the kids and I to seek out a non-light polluted location for the show, some years with better luck than others. This year was not bad; the moon set early and was only a sliver. Downside was that Moses Lake had more light nearby than I had hoped, but it was still a great show. We also had our Mutual of Omaha moment when we were out for a cruise in the little boat ~ hundreds and hundreds of American White Pelicans, taking off all around us.
Magic Brock caught his first real bass (apparently there had been a little 2-inch one in his remote history, but this was the first one that counted). Pippy would have been so proud of him. I thought it was delicious, breaded and fried over the campfire. It’s a little weird that I’m the only one in our family who really enjoys fish. The kids don’t care for it and Brock just prefers catching, rather than eating (which makes absolutely no sense to me – the whole POINT of catching a fish is to eat it, no?).
We all got what we needed, whether it was fishing, swimming, digging holes in the sand, or just relaxing. There’s sand in everything, of course, but that’s to be expected!
experience
@Amanda, we weren't at a campsite, per se. We just went out and found a dune that looked good and pitched camp. There are so many places out there – this one was on the northeast side of the whole reservoir. It's pretty easy to just pick a little island for yourself. You'll have a great time – the water is warm. Yes, pack bug spray. We had a screen tent, but the kids decided to sleep out on the sand with just their sleeping bags; my daughter did get devoured by mosquitos & we all had some bites. The pelicans were amazing though! Have fun!
I was wondering if you could share what campground and spot you were at? We're looking at planning a camping trip there this summer/fall and would love any advice. We have a 3 year old and a pair of jet skis that we'd love to beach right at our site. Also, how were the mosquitos? I've heard they can be bad there. Thanks!
Hi Jamie, looks like you had a fun time! I saw KJ on TV last night, on a documentary about sharks in Puget Sound. It was really awesome to think "that boat belongs to one of my oldest and dearest friends!" Gimme a call some time when you're not busy (say Dec. 21 2012).Beads
My folks took my brother and I to Moses Lake as kids once. I have fond memories of swimming in it in spite of the abundance of algae back then. It was and still is one of my favorite camping memories. And I think catch and release is perfectly OK as a past time. You don't always have to eat the fish.
What a great time ! magic memories to cherish, as I`m sure you will and do! I used to spear fish with a knife mainly flatties but I always felt sorry for the fish! sure I ate what I caught but I have never really fished properly with a line or net or pot! do you think its too late to learn? Oh! hundreds of Mackrel sure but they dont really count.:o))
I don't understand either,some of my grand kids will fish from dawn till dusk but will not eat fish.My answer is " That's more for me " LOLBill K