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The Chronicle OnLine > Features >
Fishrapper 2004-05
| Mild winter means no ice on Colville reservation lakes |
By Al Camp
Chronicle staff
A fairly mild winter allowed most fishable lakes on the Colville Indian Reservation to be ice free for the general opener April 9.
Reservation lakes, where the season runs to Oct. 15, offer a variety of fishing experiences, with about a million plants received each year.
Most lakes, because ice was off early, received their plantings — which were larger this year at about a pound per fish — prior to the opener.
A seasonal permit allows anglers to fish 19 lakes and five creeks or rivers on or adjacent to the Colville Indian Reservation, which encompasses 1.3 million acres within Okanogan and Ferry counties.
Anglers will continue to find some of the most diverse fishing experiences in the Northwest on the reservation, with species including rainbows, jumbo rainbow (triploids) and eastern brook trout, bass, Lahontan cutthroat, walleye and kokanee.
Only a few regulations were changed or modified since last season. They include:
• Winter fishing permits, which are required along with a tribal permit, are $20 for Buffalo Lake and $20 for Twin Lakes. The price was reduced at Twin Lakes.
• Other regulations affecting anglers were moved to page 4 from the back of the tribal fishing pamphlet for easier access.
• One general regulation that changed at some lakes was the daily bass catch limit.
The regulation, which impacts smaller lakes, now reads 15-bass fish limit, with all fish caught being retained as part of the daily catch limit.
On Big Goose and Twin Lakes, the daily bass catch limit is now 15 bass with not more than two over 14 inches. The lakes may go back to a slot limit next year.
Some lakes may retain special bass limit regulations, so be sure to check regulations.
• The minimum size for a fish was increased from six inches to eight inches, which should allow fish a chance to spawn prior to being caught and kept.
The regulation now reads: A five-fish trout limit on reservation waters allows only one fish to be over 20 inches with a minimum size limit of eight inches.
Most plantings this year will be fish eight inches or larger, so few should fall under eight inches.
Smaller rainbow plants normally are put in lakes six weeks into the season and run six fish to the pound.
Senior fish biologist Jerry Marco said he will reassess the minimum size increase and bass retention regulations next winter.
• The crayfish season at Buffalo Lake will be later and longer. The season now runs July 1 through Sept. 15,
• The pamphlet was updated to reflect all legal boundary water areas (Rufus Woods, Lake Roosevelt, Wells Reservoir) to launch a boat (see page 4 of the pamphlet).
The update includes the Rufus Woods launch on private property near the Timm Ranch. Marco noted that anglers should police launch areas, as some got messy last year.
It will be unlawful to launch or recover a boat using a boat trailer in an area that is not designated a boundary water boat launch.
Marco said he expects reservation fishing to be good to excellent because of the mild winter. Water levels continue to be a problem at some of the smaller lakes.
Though ice came off Twin Lakes two weeks before the opener, cold temperatures in late March made for a little slower opener.
Buffalo and Twin lakes, which get fished a lot, received triploid rainbow jumbos in the one-pound range prior to the opener. A few of the fish also were planted in Little Goose, Borgeau and LaFleur.
McGinnis should get a bit larger brook trout in its planting, said Marco. That’s a reflection of the hatchery able to raise the fish to a larger size.
Anglers should remember:
• Anglers using bait now must count all fish landed of legal size in their daily catch limit whether the fish are kept or released.
Marco said conservation officers using binoculars noticed anglers yanking hooks out of five pound trout in Lake Rufus Woods so they might have a chance to land larger fish, which can reach 20 pounds.
Trout catch limit on Rufus Woods is two fish.
• It’s unlawful to operate a boat within 100 feet of a diver’s marker, a swimmer or shoreline angler.
• Firearms are not permitted in any areas open to non-member fishing, except to the extent permitted under tribal law authorizing the exercise of hunting privileges.
Marco said an example would be hunting for waterfowl on lakes, if a person had a permit to hunt.
License prices remain the same as the last several years.
A one-day permit is $7.50, a three-day permit is $18, a seven-day permit is $25 and a seasonal permit is $35.
A spouse or tribal descendant license is $15. A second fishing rod stamp is $7.50.
Anyone blind receives a free permit. Those 65 and over, who live on the reservation, can get a permit at half price.
Special winter licenses for Twin and Buffalo lakes ($20 each) are available at agency headquarters near Nespelem and Rainbow Beach Resort on Twin Lakes.
The walleye limit on Lake Roosevelt is five fish, with not more than one fish over 18 inches. The change makes the reservation consistent with state regulations.
Anglers fishing boundary waters should check both tribal and state regulations, though they should both be nearly the same, according to Marco.
That includes a closing of boundary waters to catch sturgeon.
Anglers should read the tribal regulation pamphlet carefully for where it’s legal to fish on the San Poil River arm.
A tagging program includes non-toxic markers in a fin or behind an eye on hatchery fish, which also should sport a clipped adipose fin. Anyone catching the fish should contact the tribal fish and wildlife office.
A reservation and state license is required when fishing from the reservation shoreline of boundary waters, which include Crawfish Lake, Lake Rufus Woods (Chief Joseph Dam pool), Lake Pateros (Wells Dam pool), Washburn Island Pond, Okanogan River and Lake Roosevelt (Grand Coulee Dam pool).
Those fishing in a boat in boundary waters adjacent to the reservation need only a state license. A tribal license is not required as long as the angler fishes from a boat.
Tribal licenses and pamphlets are available where reservation licenses are sold and from the tribe’s fish and game department office on School House Loop Road (old TSI Road), two miles west of the tribal agency campus near Nespelem.
Area outlets selling tribal licenses include Wal-Mart, Omak; J&J Smoke Shop, Okanogan; Dave’s Gun and Pawn, Riverside; Bridgeport True Value; Triangle Texaco, Brewster; Jackson’s Service Station. Nespelem; Pateros Ace Hardware; Twisp Chevron; HiCo Gas and Convenience Store, Grand Coulee, and Big Wally’s, Coulee City.
Those wishing to use a campfire or stay at a tribal campground may need additional permits.
More information about campground permits is available from the Colville tribal parks department, (509) 634-3145.
More information about campfire permits is available from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, fire management office, (509) 634-2194.
Most tribal regulations, such as those for trout or bass limits, match state rules. Still, anglers would be wise to check tribal regulations prior to fishing.
Unless otherwise noted, the daily catch limit for trout, including kokanee and other landlocked salmon species, is five fish with not more than two longer than 20 inches. Minimum size is eight inches. Possession limit is two daily catch limits.
Only on Lake Roosevelt, anglers can keep two kokanee (marked or unmarked) in addition to a daily trout catch limit. This means a bag limit of up to seven trout.
Steelhead, salmon, sturgeon and bull trout are closed to fishing. There were emergency openers last year that allowed fishing for steelhead and salmon on some boundary waters.
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