Tips & Tactics

We are a Destination RV Resort on the shores of Potholes Reservoir, 15 minutes South of I-90 at the Moses Lake exit. Potholes Reservoir is a 28,000-acre lake held back by a 3.5-mile earthen-filled dam, the longest such dam in the US. There is a boat launch at the resort as well as 3 others on the lake.

We are a 3^rd generation family resort. The senior Mesebergs bought the resort in 1972, moving from Seattle to MarDon. Now their grandchildren, Levi and Annie manage the resort. Our motto is From our family to yours!

Over the last 10 years, our family has added big rig RV sites and remodeled existing RV sites in the park.  We have replaced both old motels with 10 cottages and 5 beautifully appointed lake houses.  We also have rental homes and camper cabins sprinkled throughout the resort.  Once you are here and settled in the lodging or your RV, you can explore the resort and lake shoreline.  Come evening, enjoy a meal in our Beach House at MarDon Restaurant and lounge.  Or catch the sunset while you relax in a lawn chair on the marina while wetting a line. The marina boasts crappie, perch, bluegill, bass, trout, and the occasional walleye bite. And if you didn’t bring the right tackle or nightcrawlers the MarDon Tackle and Gift Shop is the place for you. 

And don’t forget to leave time to try our 18-hole mini golf course, $5 or $10 (kid/senior or adult).  It is challenging, fun, and a good way to work up a competitive banter amongst your group.  Or spend the day on the beach while the kids build sand castles and frolic in the lake. For the older kids, there is a dock to swim to.

The resort offers seasonal rates. Summer RV is $40-$85, $40 being a weekday water and light hookup, while the $85 is a big rig pull-through full hookup site with a concrete slab. The spring/fall range is $30-$70. Summer lodging is $165 - $410. All units are for 4, 6 or 8-person families. The $165 is a camper cabin, Cottages are $240-$335, Lake Houses are $290-330, and the large rental homes are $410. The Spring/Fall range is $120 - $315.

Nearby is a beautiful 18-hole course 1 mile from the resort, The Legacy Golf Resort.  Pro Touch rents jet skis (1 mile away but they will deliver to our beach).  MarDon Resort rents pontoon boats for families of 8 or less and 14’ fishing boats with a 15 hp motor for 2-4 people.  There are 70+ small lakes below the dam to explore,  www.columbianationalwildliferefuge.com

In other words, you will find more to do than you have time for. We have big skies, big water, and the best sunsets that I have ever seen (and I have been to Hawaii!).

https://mardonresort.com

It's the time of year when the fish are on their spawn, and in their beds and many of us anglers are throwing artificial baits, especially plastics. I'm going to share 3 different tactics you can use while pitching plastics, may it be Bass, Walleye, or Panfish.

#1 Pairing two different plastic profiles together on one jig has been an effective way to entice the most finicky pan fish. A collared style with a ton of movement, and a subtle trailing tail gives them the best of both worlds.

#2 We've all had the tail, and or legs ripped off the plastic we're using thinking we need to change it out. Well, don't.... Inspect it, and if it still looks fishy, fish it. Some of these, which I call "Creature Bait" have sometimes outperformed the original profile. Sometimes they may not want all that frill in their face, just something more sized down and buggy.

#3 I've tinkered with larger bait while bass and walleye fishing. May it have been a damaged plastic I refinagled on the jig knowing it would still fish. Or I change the profile completely myself for a different look and action. Like this here Burbot Bomb from Bad Dad's Jigs, I've fished the original profile with a ton of success. One day fishing Smallmouth, I cut one in half with scissors and tossed it on another jig head, and the action drove the fish "Bonkers"! 

Try it next time, don't change out in such a hurry, inspect the bait, and fish it if it looks fishy. Or go create your own "Creature Bait" that will make them fish crazy.