By Al Camp
Chronicle staff

     Anglers won't have to remember many new regulations this season, they just have to remember to bring along a pole and something with which to catch fish.
     You won't even have to worry about water levels at most regional lakes after a second pretty decent winter for snowfall.
     Major changes in regulations, as supplied by state Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist Bob Jateff, include:
     • The Okanogan River from the Highway 97 bridge just below Oroville to Zosel Dam will be closed to all fishing to protect steelhead spawning areas.
     • Whitefish season on the Methow will be closed from the mouth to Gold Creek.
     The general statewide fishing season runs April 28 to Oct. 31.
     A free fishing weekend is June 9-10. No license is required of anyone - resident or non-resident - to fish in Washington state on those days. Other restrictions and rules do apply.
     Overall, about the only lakes that may have suffered some winterkill appear to be both Big Twin and Little Twin lakes in the Methow Valley.
     Best bets for the opener in the Methow will be Pearrygin and Alta, said Jateff.
     For lower county lakes, anglers should check out Fish, Leader and both the lake and reservoir in Conconully.
     Best upper county lakes, which heat up as the weather warms up, should be Spectacle (April 1 to Sept. 30 season) and Wannacut, which does best later in the year.
     Flyfishing anglers should check out the selective fisheries at Aeneas, Blue (in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area) and maybe Big Twin, if it hasn't suffered too much winterkill.
     "In order for lakes to receive higher plants, water levels need to be consistently higher," said Jateff. "So I would expect plants to remain the same for a while."
     Leader Lake near Okanogan has been planted with larger rainbows and should include some carryovers from last fall's rainbow plants.
     To help promote fishing opportunities, the state continues its triploid planting program. Pearrygin Lake will be the only lake in the county to receive such fish, with 600 fish to be planted in April, according to the department's online site, www.wdfw.wa.gov.
     Some anglers got a head start on the season with an April 1 opening for rainbow-stocked, catch-and-release lakes in Okanogan County including Davis, Little Twin and Campbell lakes in the Methow Valley.
     Also opening for catch-and-release fishing were Little Green and Green lakes near Okanogan and Rat Lake near Brewster.
     As of mid-April, ice remained on some lakes in the Methow, reported Jateff.
     No waters are closed because of rehabilitation.
     Blue Lake in the Limebelt is on a rehabilitation list this fall becaue of bass in the small lake.
     Starzman near Brewster will be on the proposed fall 2007 rehab list to remove illegally planted spiny rays.
     Chopaka Lake, a selective fishery near Loomis, also will be placed on the rehab list after a recent population check showed very poor trout fingerling survival.
     Jateff reminds anglers that the steelhead season on the upper Columbia, Methow, Okanogan and Similkameen rivers closed March 16.
     Dry Falls Lake in Sun Lakes State Park, about three miles west of Coulee City in northern Grant County, opened April 1. The lake, which is in a region managed by state fish biologist Jeff Korth, is under selective gear rules and a one-trout catch limit.
     Jateff manages 67 lowland lakes in Okanogan County that represent about 18 percent of the state's lakes managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
     The county also contains 110 alpine lakes that sit above 4,500 feet, where cutthroat, rainbows and brook trout often propagate naturally. They are not planted on a yearly basis.
     Many of the alpine lakes can be located on an Okanogan National Forest map, available at any Forest Service office.
     County lakes contain rainbow, tiger trout, brown trout, triploid eastern brook trout, bass, Lahontan cutthroat, perch, bluegill, crappie, catfish and kokanee.
     Tiger trout are being planted in Forde, Conner, Bonaparte and Washburn. Tiger trout are sterile and very aggressive feeders, and are a cross between brook and brown trout.
     Tiger trout live up to their name in that they often prey on other fish in a lake.
     Best success in the county comes by fishing lowland lakes early. As the weather warms, anglers can continue to higher-elevation lakes such as Chopaka, Bonaparte, Wannacut, Sidley, Beth and Molson as well as lakes in the Methow Valley.
     Water levels at the Conconully lakes can be expected to rise as the season progresses.
     The secret for trout is finding water temperature in the 50- to 60-degree range. Trout seem to bite best in that range, which normally occurs in the spring and fall.
     As temperatures rise, warm water species such as bass, perch, crappie and catfish make good fishing targets.
     May and June are the best months for kokanee, or land-locked sockeye salmon. Larger, deeper lakes can produce good catches the year around, even through the ice.
     Kokanee can be found in the Conconully Reservoir, Bonaparte and Palmer lakes, and Lake Rufus Woods (reservoir behind Chief Joseph Dam).
     Jateff also manages several lakes in Douglas County, the popular Jameson Lake and selective fishery Grimes Lake south of Mansfield.
     Jameson includes a boat launch, resorts on each end, campgrounds and a modified season - April 28 to July 4. The lake also is open for the month of October.
     Fishing should be good for carry-over rainbow trout averaging 12 inches.
     The lake can support only so many fish through winter, which is why it has an October fishery when water temperatures cool.
     To reach the large public access (disabled accessible) and camping area at the north end of the lake, follow Mansfield Road and Wittig Road south of Mansfield. To reach the resort on the south end, go north on Jameson Lake Road from Highway 2 about 20 miles east of Coulee City.
     Grimes is located north of Jameson and about five miles south of Mansfield. (See selective fishery section for more on Grimes.)
     The Okanogan River is closed to trout fishing, which includes steelhead, unless opened through emergency regulations in the fall. The fish fall under Endangered Species Act protection.
     County rivers have been opened the last few years by emergency regulation for steelhead. The seasons normally end some time in March, as announced by the state.
     Selective gear rules prevail, and including single, barbless hooks and no bait.
     A steelhead fishery is dependent upon run size that exceeds natural and hatchery broodstock requirements.
     Otherwise the Okanogan River is open for smallmouth bass averaging 10 to 12 inches and up to three pounds, catfish and walleye.
     A variety of fishing opportunities also exists at 19 lakes and five creeks or rivers on or adjacent to the Colville Indian Reservation, which straddles Okanogan and Ferry counties. (See separate story for reservation prospects.)
     The tribe's general fishing season runs April 14 to Oct. 31. Streams close Oct. 31 unless otherwise specified under special regulations.
     Anglers fishing boundary waters while standing on reservation land must possess a tribal license. Those fishing boundary waters adjacent to the reservation while in a boat must possess a state license.
     A tribal license is not required as long as the angler fishes from a boat.
     Boundary waters include areas adjacent to the reservation and include portions of Crawfish Lake, Washburn Island Pond, Lake Roosevelt, Lake Rufus Woods, Lake Pateros (Wells Dam Reservoir) and the Okanogan River.
     Most tribal fish limits are the same as state limits, though anglers would be wise to check regulations before fishing.
     The following - split into geographical areas - are Okanogan County's major lakes, both highland and lowland, creeks and rivers:

Okanogan Valley

Methow Valley

Okanogan Highlands