Few Lined Up For Casting Lines

The most puzzling surprise of the general opening of the fishing season in Eastern Washington last weekend was the amazing light turnout of fishermen.

Some Fish and Wildlife Department officials said the turnout was down 30 percent from that of the last couple of years.

While visiting numerous lakes, I was surprised to see far fewer anglers than I expected. Other fishermen and department officials had the same reaction.

Fishtrap, which, as usual, produced limits for most anglers, attracted the biggest crowd in the Spokane region, but 20 to 30 percent fewer fishermen than last year were on the docks, shore and lake.

A few hundred anglers fished West Medical. Most were happy. The lake yielded limits, including 22- and 26-inch rainbows that were carryovers, not broodstock. Anglers ignored Medical, a selective fishery lake that holds some big browns.

Silver and Clear, which are homes for some big rainbows and browns, were practically deserted. Williams and Badger, rehabilitated last year and planted with yearling rainbows, attracted fewer than 500 anglers each. Amber drew about 50 anglers, mostly fly fishers.

It was the same story in Pend Oreille, Stevens and Ferry counties and in the Columbia Basin and Okanogan County. With a couple of exceptions, turnouts were small.

Why the small turnout? Everyone, it seems, had reasons. Fisheries officials thought unsettled weather the previous few days discouraged many fishermen, as well as the fact that numerous lakes are open most of the year or all year to fishing. Some veteran fishermen speculated that the low turnout was the result of a gradual deterioration in trout fishing the last few years.

A couple of Seattle anglers, who drove a motor home to Fishtrap, blamed the high gas prices.

Whatever the reason or reasons, anglers who didn’t fish missed some excellent results. West Medical, Fishtrap, Liberty, Williams, Badger, Rocky, Ellen, Starvation and Deep yielded five-fish limits to most fishermen. Many lakes in Okanogan County gave up limits of pan-sized rainbows to even average anglers.

Surprisingly, some of the hottest fishing in the Spokane region was at West Medical, a lake that has had its ups and downs the last few years. When I visited the lake Saturday morning, most anglers were catching rainbows, many of them carryovers. The lake was free of an algae bloom.

Anglers were launching and retrieving boats at Fishtrap’s public access area when I arrived. Most of those leaving had limits of 10- to 13-inch rainbows. Limits came fast.

Fishing had been slow when I stopped at Amber, but picked up later. Fly fishers averaged a half dozen or more 13- to 15-inch rainbows. Yearling rainbows were cooperating with fishermen when I stopped at Badger and Williams.

One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was the size of the kokanee in Loon Lake. The good news is that the kokanee are 16 to 18 inches; the bad news is that it probably means the kokanee population is down considerably from the last few years.

Several trollers, including Don Ostlund and friends of Spokane, hooked big kokanee Saturday and Sunday. Ostlund said the soft-mouthed kokanee are so big that most tear loose after they’re hooked. He said he and a partner on Sunday hooked 15 and boated five.

Incidentally, several mackinaw trout, including an 18-pounder, were caught at Loon. John Tracy of Spokane caught the big one. A few macks and kokanee also were boated at nearby Deer Lake.

Anglers averaged three rainbows at Blue and Park, southwest of Coulee City. Blue’s yearlings averaged 11 inches; Park’s 12.

Some selective fishery and fly fishing-only lakes attracted big crowds, mostly fly fishers.

Bayley Lake was jammed with fly fishers, but fishing was slow. The most productive selective fishery lakes were Ell and Nunnally. At Ell, anglers averaged nine 12- to 18-inch rainbows each; the average at Nunnally was five 12- to 20-inch rainbows and browns.

Average catches and sizes at other specially managed lakes: Dry Falls, two each, 12 to 16 inches; Lenice, 2.5, 12 to 20 inches, and Aeneas, one, 12 to 17 inches. Chopaka and Sidley weren’t checked.

The low turnout last weekend was good for fishing. Usually, opening weekend anglers take 15 to 30 percent of a lake’s trout population.

, 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