Lake Openings Should Provide Mixed Results

More than 40 Columbia Basin lakes and several southeastern Washington lakes will be opened to fishing Sunday, but fewer than a half dozen are likely to attract large numbers of anglers.

Lenice, Merry and Nunnally, selective gear waters near Royal City, almost certainly will be dotted with scores of fishermen, primarily fly fishers.

And Lenore, another selective gear lake southwest of Coulee City, will be fished by optimists hoping to hook 18- to 25-inch Lahontan cutthroat.

Other lakes that will be opened Sunday include the Pillar-Widgeon chain on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Warden and South Warden south of the Lind Coulee and lakes in the Quincy-George area.

Coffeepot Lake also will be opened to the public for the first time in several years. It is now a “selective gear” lake. Effective Sunday, the limits will be two rainbow, two bass under 14 inches or shorter and 10 crappies a day. Bait is banned. Single barbless hooks are required. Gas-powered engines will be permitted.

The Fish and Wildlife Department planted Coffeepot with 10,000 catchable-size rainbows last fall and will release 5,000 more this spring, said Madonna Luers, spokesperson for the agency. Fishing may be slow at Coffeepot. Indications are that the populations of the spiny rayed fish are small. Only a few thousand rainbows are in the lake.

Although Lenice, Merry and Nunnally have growing populations of sunfish, they could provide fair to good fishing for 12- to 18-inch rainbows and a few good-sized brown trout.

Fisheries biologist Jeff Korth noted that sunfish numbers are increasing in the three lakes, especially Nunnally. However, he’s optimistic about Lenice, predicting good fishing.

Korth said last year’s rainbow plants included 9,000 in Lenice, 3,000 in Merry and 13,000 in Nunnally. Lenice and Nunnally each received 2,000 brown trout.

They’re popular with Coast fly fishers and anglers in the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Moses Lake areas.

Lenore, usually covered or partially covered with ice on March 1, has been ice-free for more than two weeks. However, it’s unlikely the Lahontans will feed actively until next month. Fishing was spotty last spring and summer and extremely slow in October and November.

The lake was stocked with 40,000 Lahontans last year. Korth believes the small fish will average about 2 pounds and most of the carryover Lahontans between 4 and 5 pounds.

Warden and South Warden, now taken over by perch, are in “dire straits”, Korth said. To provide fair fishing this spring, catchable-size rainbows were released in the lakes this week. In addition, there are fair numbers of good-sized brown trout.

As they have in past years, cormorants probably ate most of the trout fry released into the Hampton lakes and the small lakes in the Pillar-Widgeon chain, all on the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. After the cormorants left the area last fall, Korth released more trout into the lakes, hoping they’d last until this year.

He suspects that mergansers, which are year-round residents, may have eaten many of the fall-planted trout.

If mergansers didn’t eat most of the young fish, the lakes could provide fairly good fishing. The carryover trout in the lakes are “whoppers,” Korth said.

Fishing could be good at a few of the lakes in the George area. Korth said that some of the best fishing should be at Upper, Lower and West Caliche lakes, which are near Interstate 90 about 4 miles southwest of George.

Fishermen will catch 9- to 11-inch rainbows at Martha Lake, about a mile northeast of George. Fishing should be fair for small rainbows at Quincy and Burke lakes, which are about 3 miles northwest of George.

Dace have infested Dusty Lake, but Korth believes anglers will catch some yearling trout that average 12 inches long and a few 15- to 20-inchers. The lake holds both rainbows and browns.

Korth said anglers who want to get away from crowds will fish the Quincy Wildlife Management Area walk-in lakes, including Cascade, Cliff, Crystal, Cup, Dot, Scout and Upper and lower Spring. Yearling trout are 10 inches; carryover fish, 14 to 18 inches.

Luers said seven of the March-opening waters are impoundments off the Tucannon River in Columbia County. The lakes are Beaver, Watson, Big Four, Deer, Blue, Rainbow and Spring. All have been planted with 10- to 12-inch trout.

Beaver and Watson are now accessible to disabled anglers via a new bridge.

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

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