FISHING/BOATING -- Lake Roosevelt’s water elevation will be down to 1231 feet by Sunday to make room for heavy runoff expected in May, the Bureau of Reclamation reports today.

There have been worse years for spring drawdowns at Lake Roosevelt in the past decade, but as my recent story explains, anglers can expect a high percentage of the trout and kokanee to be flushed through Grande Coulee Dam when the drawdown goes below 1,240 feet.

Fish are going bye-bye. The amount of fish left for next  winter's fishing for carryovers will depend on how quickly the runoff comes and the reservoir refills.  

It's important at this point to compare the lake level with the levels at which boat ramps are dewatered.  At 1231 feet, only four ramps will still reach the water: Spring Canyon, Seven Bays, Keller Ferry and Hunters Camp.

Spring Canyon near Grand Coulee and Seven Bays downstream on the Columbia from the Spokane Arm are the deepest launches on the 125-mile long reservoir.

Get daily Lake Roosevelt level forecast by phone, updated daily at 3 p.m: (800) 824-4916.

Check out this post with a link to a NOAA site with Roosevelt levels and a list of boat launching elevations on the same page.