Opening day

Many excellent trout fishing waters open Saturday in this region. Chris Donley, WDFW central district fish biologist, expects the top producing waters to include Badger, Williams and West Medical lakes in southwest Spokane County and Fishtrap Lake on the Lincoln-Spokane county line.

Badger was rehabilitated in fall 2002 and fishing this season should be good for rainbows and cutthroats averaging 10-12 inches, with some up to 20. Donley said there were illegal introductions of black crappie and largemouth bass in Badger and he’d like to know if anglers see any other species. Badger received 40,000 rainbow spring fry, 30,000 cutthroat spring fry, 5,000 rainbow catchables, 1,214 triploids and 200 rainbow brood stock.

Williams was rehabbed in fall 2003, so this will be its peak year of production, according to Donley.

“It should be a great fishery with 11- to 20-inch trout,” he said. “If anglers see other kinds of fish, let me know.”

Williams received 75,000 rainbow spring fry, 45,000 cutthroat spring fry, 10,000 rainbow catchables, 2,167 triploids, 400 rainbow brood stock.

West Medical was last rehabbed six years ago, and Donley said the trout fry plants have been missing in the catch the last couple of years. Nevertheless, he predicts this will be an excellent opening day. The lake received 145,000 rainbow spring fry, 11,000 rainbow catchables, and 2,100 triploids.

Fishtrap was rehabbed in fall 2003. There are bullheads back in the lake, but fishing should be great for 11- to 16-inch rainbows and fry plants 10-12 inches. Donley said Fishtrap received 95,000 rainbow spring fry, 10,000 rainbow catchables, 1,615 triploids, and 400 rainbow brood stock.

Elsewhere in the area, Fish Lake in Spokane County will be good for brook and brown trout and a unique opportunity to harvest tiger trout, a brook-brown hybrid. Donley said brook trout should average 8-16 inches, a few browns will be 15-20 inches, and tiger trout will be 7-20 inches. Fish Lake received 10,000 tiger trout fall fry, 20,000 brook spring fry, and 575 brook brood stock.

Clear Lake is a mixed-species fishery that should provide fair to good fishing on the opener for rainbows up to 18 inches, 10- to 25-inch brown trout and some rainbow brood stock.

In the north end of the region, WDFW fish biologist Curt Vail of Colville expects two lakes to stand out on the opener –Rocky Lake in Stevens County and Ellen Lake in Ferry County. Vail expects the trout to be at least 12 inches and numerous.

Waitts Lake in Stevens County should also be good. It received 24,000 net-pen rainbow fry last fall and some triploids this spring. Vail expects Starvation Lake, also in Stevens County, to be better than last year. His recent sampling there showed last spring’s fry plants (17,900) were 11.4 inches. Marshall Lake in Pend Oreille County, which received 35,000 cutthroat fry last fall, should be good. Cedar Lake in Stevens County, which received 18,000 rainbow fry last spring, always produces big rainbows.

Don’t ignore such local favorites as Loon, Deer, Liberty and Diamond. All of these lakes have been sweetened with plants of triploids and brood stock. Deer Lake has received a substantial number of oversized rainbow. Loon traditionally gives up a few kokanee and several big mackinaw on opening day.

Opening day should also provide good trout catches in Okanogan County. Bob Jateff, WDFW district fish biologist in Omak, picks seven lakes to provide top opportunities.

Blue Lake on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, a selective-gear rule water with a one-fish daily catch limit, has rainbows to 18 inches and browns to 16 inches.

Fish Lake, also on the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, has rainbows 11-12 inches with carryovers up to 15 inches.

Leader Lake in the Omak/Okanogan area has rainbows up to 13 inches. Conconully Lakes in the same area have rainbows 11-12 inches, with carryovers up to 15 inches, and some 1 1/2-pound triploid rainbows.

Big Twin Lake, near Winthrop, is selective-gear water with rainbows up to 18 inches and a one-fish daily catch limit. Pearrygin Lake, also near Winthrop, has rainbows up to 11 inches.

Aeneas Lake in the Tonasket area, a fly-fishing-only water with a one-fish daily limit, has both rainbows and browns up to 18 inches. Also expected to produce well is Douglas County’s Jameson Lake near Mansfield. Jameson has 11- to 12-inch rainbows with carryovers up to 15 inches.

The major trout waters in the Columbia Basin that open Saturday are overrun with spiny ray. Blue, Park and Warden lakes have all had poor survival of fingerling trout, but the growth of those survivors will be good and the fish should range from 12-15 inches. Moses Lake fish biologist Jeff Korth said all three are receiving additional stockings of hatchery-reared yearling trout measuring 9-10 inches this spring.

Idaho waters

Dworshak Reservoir smallies are also on the bite, and the kokanee angling improves daily. The kokes are small but numerous. On Coeur d’Alene, smallmouth are on the feed, and anglers report a decent kokanee bite on the south end, with the fish running 10-11 inches.

The Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club K&K Derby runs Saturday through May 7, kicking off a season of incentive awards to encourage anglers to harvest kokanee predators. A LPO Fishery Recovery Task Force is working on different ideas to encourage harvest. Info: (208) 263-0424 or (208) 265-4830