Backcasts Won’t Be Same Hazard As In Past

Opening days aren’t what they used to be. Remember when 5,000 or more anglers at each of a dozen or so lakes fished bow to stern, and a guy had to be careful lest his backcast snagged the rain jacket of the fisherman in the next boat? Well, those days apparently are gone forever.

The number of put-and-take lakes dwindled as the Fish and Wildlife Department’s income failed to keep up with the cost of operating and the once-vaunted rehabilitation program faded into memory.

So what can you expect when the general fishing season opens Saturday? If you choose the right lake, you’ll take home five healthy trout. Make a poor choice and you’ll eat chicken.

If I just wanted to have fun and take home a few trout for the frying pan, I’d consider Fishtrap, Badger, Williams, West Medical, Ellen, Fan and the Skookums in the Spokane region and Alta, Conconully, Patterson and Pearrygin in Okanogan County. The fish won’t be big, but they’ll be plentiful and hungry.

For big trout, I’d take my chances at any one of a half-dozen or so selective fishery or fly-fishing-only lakes, including Amber, Dry Falls, Lenore, Ell, Lenice, Nunnally or Chopaka.

One of my favorite lakes, Bayley, which holds big rainbows and brook trout, may not be approachable because of bad roads, snowdrifts and downed trees. Bayley and McDowell, another fly-fishing-only lake, are on the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge.

Refuge officials said Tuesday it’s possible the road to Bayley may be passable to the forks by opening day, but they thought anglers may have to hike three-quarters of a mile to Potter’s Pond and Bayley. For road updates, call the refuge, (509) 684-8384.

But there are other lakes that hold big trout. A few anglers may hook big mackinaw trout at Loon, and 14- to 18-inch brown trout at Silver, Clear, Medical and Waitts.

The fishing at those lakes won’t be fast, but the rewards could be satisfying. At least, they won’t be as crowded as the put-and-take lakes. Judging by the number of messages that have been left on my voice mail the last few weeks, I suspect that a lot of parents apparently want to take their youngsters fishing on opening weekend and don’t know where to go.

I’d suggest they take their small children to such lakes as Fishtrap, West Medical, Badger and Williams, all of which should yield five-fish limits to a high percentage of anglers. The youngsters may lose a lot of fish, but they’ll surely catch a few and may become fishermen for life.

Badger and Williams have always been among my favorite lakes. For several years before they were treated with rotenone in the fall of 1995, they harbored growing populations of spiny-rayed species, which competed with trout for food. The Fish and Wildlife Department planted them a year ago with rainbow trout fry and some catchable-size fish.

The fry planted last spring should be at least 8 to 10 inches long this spring. Because the trout will be plentiful, most anglers should catch limits the first part of the 1997 season. As usual, Fishtrap will attract so many anglers that the resort dock will sag under the weight of all the men, women, kids and boaters.

The lake has been one of the top trout producers in Eastern Washington the last few years and biologists expect it to be good again this year. If you can stand the crowds, Fishtrap is a good choice for opening day.

Biologists have forecast excellent fishing at West Medical for opening days in past years, only to be surprised when anglers had trouble catching enough rainbows to cover the bottom of a frying pan. They feel more confident that the lake will produce good fishing this year. Winter aeration and lots of moisture, they say, have “greatly improved the outlook” for the popular lake.

Some of the small lakes in Pend Oreille and Stevens counties will provide good fishing this year, but a few may be iced over this weekend. Roads have been so bad that several haven’t been planted this spring.

Dry Falls Lake, a selective fishery lake southwest of Coulee City, almost certainly will be crowded as fly fishers try for 12- to 20-inch rainbows and browns.

Some fly fishers, especially those from the Coast, will fish Lenore on Friday and then spend opening day on Dry Falls. Lenore has been open since March 1 for catch-and-release fishing. Lenice, Nunnally and Merry, also selective-fishery waters, have been open since March 1, but they’ll attract lots of anglers, particularly fly fishers. Perhaps that will change as bug hatches increase.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact Fenton Roskelley by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 3814.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review