Morris Little League Park Improvements

The new clubhouse at Morris Little League Park is near completion.  The nearly $260,000 project began last year following a fundraising drive by Wenatchee Youth Baseball.  Gary Looney, the fundraising chair, said it began as an idea to upgrade the bathrooms.  "Everyone complained about the bathrooms here at Morris," explained Looney during a tour of the new facility recently.  "We started fundraising and got big contributions from Wenatchee Central Lions Club and the Wenatchee Exchange Club and Pepsi and Van Lith Construction and we quickly got over $75,000.  So we said why not more than just add on to the old building do?" said Looney.  "Next thing you know, we're tearing down the old building and putting up what you see today," he continued.

The new clubhouse features a two-window, 90-degree concession counter with more than twice the space as the old setup.  There's a separate food preparation area and yet another room for storage, complete with a rollup door to deliver supplies.  The bathrooms feature double sinks with two urinals and two stalls in the men's room and three stalls in the women's room and a separate janitor's closet off the women's restroom.  A stairway up the back side of the clubhouse leads to the meeting room upstairs where Wenatchee Youth Baseball will call home and conduct meetings, drafts and other organizational needs that had to be farmed out to varied locations in the past.  Off the meeting room is a railed deck that overlooks all four baseball fields.  Paint, flooring and countertops are being completed this week and the hope is to pave the parking lot in the next two weeks, weather permitting.

Looney said the clubhouse was be fully functional for the first time for the Triple Crown Sports Wenatchee Valley Season Opener baseball tournament.  He said a grand opening will be slated for sometime later in April.  Wenatchee Youth Baseball has applied for a grant with Major League Baseball to tend to the field needs, including the possibility of adding taller fences in the outfield.  According to Looney, "we can't host state tournaments because our centerfield fences are too close.  My idea is to building our own 'Green Monsters' like at Fenway Park."  That means if they go higher with the fencing in centerfield, it would make up for the lack of depth.  "Its simple geometry," says Looney.

The new clubhouse is also plumbed with fiber so that cameras can be installed on all four fields and games can be streamed around the world on-line.  "The list of people who have helped on this is a mile long," adds Looney.  "We're working on thank-you plaques and an informational plaque on Mr. Morris," said Looney.  Gary added, "none of this would be happening without the monumental volunteer labor, machinery and manpower by Cory Van Lith."

Spring Means Fishing Season

Those who receive our weekly reminder of sports things happening around the Wenatchee Valley are used to seeing photos of fish accompanying reports from Dave Graybill "The Fishing Magician", and Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad's Family Guide Service.  If you've been dreaming of a time to get and fish yourself, this weekend marks the beginning of a new fishing season.  That's right, lowland lakes across Washington State open for the first time Saturday, April 30^th.

Actually, many lakes a quick drive from the Wenatchee Valley are open either year around, or open the 15^th of March.  So for the locals, there really doesn't seem to be an end to the fishing season.  But for visitors now's the time to head east.  Did you know over half the population of fishers in Chelan and Douglas County come from Western Washington?  So as we speak, thousands of anglers are planning for the weekend ahead:  charging their RV batteries; filling their tackle boxes with the latest lures; and stalking up for a weekend of fun in the sun here in Eastern Washington.

According to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's latest Weekender Report, "In Okanogan County, the traditional king of catch rates at this time is Pearrygin Lake, near Winthrop. Pearrygin usually produces a daily limit of five rainbow trout - most 10 to 12 inches, some up to 15 inches, with a few one to pound triploids -- for most anglers early in the season, said Bob Jateff, a district fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).   Fish Lake, northeast of Conconully, and Alta Lake, southwest of Pateros, are also good producers of rainbow catches through May. Last year, both averaged three trout per angler on the opener. Conconully Reservoir, south of Conconully, and Conconully Lake, east of town, are also good bets, giving up an average of two trout per angler per day.  Other newly opened lakes in Okanogan County that fish well include some with special rules: Big Twin Lake, near Winthrop, is under selective gear rules and a one-fish daily catch limit; Chopaka Lake, near Loomis, is fly-fishing only with no boat motors allowed. Aeneas Lake, near Tonasket, is also fly-fishing only with no boat motors allowed, but has some brown trout up to 18 inches."

The Report adds, "In Chelan County, top trout producing lakes include Clear Lake, south of Wenatchee, and Wapato Lake, north of Manson. In Douglas County, Jameson Lake, south of Mansfield, usually provides good fishing and is well-stocked. In Grant County, Blue and Park lakes near the town of Soap Lake, and Warden Lake east of O'Sullivan Dam on Potholes Reservoir are also well-stocked and traditionally fish well through May and beyond.   For the complete trout stocking plan for fishing waters throughout the region, see /fishing/plants/statewide/ . For the latest weekly stocking reports, see /fishing/plants/weekly/."

In addition, Dave Graybill tells us there will be a Kids Fishing event in Leavenworth in early June:  "The next kids fishing day is the one at the Leavenworth Hatchery on Saturday, June 4th.  This will be the sixth year for this event, and there are some changes.  First the good news; it's free!  You still need to register your kids, and they will get to go through all the activities as usual and get to catch two fish just like before.  There will be no free t-shirts and rods and reels, but everything else is the same.  You can register on-line, too!  This makes it easy for families to register no matter where they are.  Just log onto www.friendsofnwhatcheries.org and you will be a confirmation of fishing time right in your inbox.  Don't miss this one.  Your family will have a great time."  Dave tells us they had over 500 kids for the Rock Island Kids Fishing Day last weekend with "superb weather and great fishing!"

Don't forget to check out our interactive fishing map with tips from Dave Graybill on our website at www.wenatcheevalleysports.com/wenatchee/fishing.