OMAK LAKE

Vandals who repeatedly raided the net pen used to hold huge cutthroat for spawning at Omak Lake last May forced a 75 percent reduction in this year’s fish plant into the Colville Indian Reservation’s famous trophy fishing lake.

“Fishermen won’t notice this year, but they’ll feel the effects next year,” said Ed Shallenberger, tribal biologist. “And it will be a disaster if it happens again this year.”

Omak produced the Washington state-record 18.04-pound Lahontan cutthroat in 1993. Fishing is allowed only with artificial flies or lures.