By Al Camp
Chronicle staff

     Anglers can look forward to several lakes changing to cutthroat management, Little Twin Lake becoming a selective fishery and several lakes peaking following rehabs several years ago.
     Plus big triploid trout will greet those fishing Patterson, Conconully Lake and Conconully Reservoir.
     Conconully Chamber of Commerce plans to plant even more triploids, which start at a pound and rapidly get larger, for its annual fish derby.
     Water levels appear good at the Conconully reservoirs, said Bob Jateff, state Department of Fish and Wildlife district fish biologist. He predicted fingerlings would be 11 to 13 inches this spring.
     Also looking good for the opener will be Fish Lake in the Sinlahekin along with Pearrygin and Alta in the Methow Valley, said Jateff.
     Flyfishing anglers should check out the selective fisheries at Aeneas, Blue (in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area), Ell and maybe Big Twin, if it hasn't suffered too much winter kill.
     One lake anglers should cross off their must-fish list this year is Blue Lake in the Limebelt, which was rehabilitated last fall and planted with fingerling brook trout only 7-8 inches long.
     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.
     Major changes in regulations, as supplied by Jateff, include:
     - The Methow River is closed to all fishing from the mouth to lower Burma Road bridge, unless opened by emergency regulation.
     - Little Twin Lake regulations have been changed to selective gear, one fish limit, from last the Saturday in April until Oct. 31 season.
     - Patterson Lake's season is now year round.
     - Boulder Creek and Big Tiffany Lake will have liberal bag limits for eastern brook trout.
     - The mouth of the Okanogan River will have a non-buoyant lure restriction during the salmon season starting July 1.
     - There will be a new more liberal bag limit for smallmouth bass. The bag limit for smallmouth bass is now 10 fish, with only one being over 14 inches.
     The general statewide fishing season runs April 26 to Oct. 31.
     A free fishing weekend is June 7-8. No license is required of anyone - resident or non-resident - to fish in Washington on those days. Other restrictions and rules do apply.
     Overall, about the only lakes that may have suffered some winter kill appear to be both Big Twin and Little Twin lakes in the Methow Valley.
     To help promote fishing opportunities, the state continues its triploid planting program. Patterson, Conconully Lake and Conconully Reservoir will receive plants of triploid rainbows this year.
     Some anglers got a head start on the season with an April 1 opening for Davis 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 late March, ice remained on some lakes in the Methow, reported Jateff.
     He 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; cutthroat and rainbows often propagate naturally there. They are not planted on a yearly basis.
     Many of the alpine lakes can be located on an Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests map, available at any Forest Service office.
     County lakes contain rainbow, tiger trout, brown trout, eastern brook trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, cutthroat, perch, bluegill, crappie, catfish and kokanee.
     Tiger trout are being planted in Bonaparte and Washburn lakes. Tiger trout are sterile and very aggressive feeders, and are a cross between brook and brown trout.
     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.
     Chopaka recently was rehabilitated to remove smallmouth bass, but catchable size rainbow will be planted this spring to provide an early season trout fishery.
     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 26 to July 4. The lake also is open for the entire month of October.
     Fishing should be good for yearling 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 federal Endangered Species Act protection.
     Okanogan County rivers have been opened the last few years by emergency regulation for steelhead. The seasons normally end sometime 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 brood stock 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, starting on Page 11.)
     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.
     Okanogan County’s major lakes, both highland and lowland, plus creeks and rivers are split into geographical areas: