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Introduction
Major lakes and rivers
Okanogan Valley
Methow Valley
Okanogan Highlands
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Selective fisheries
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The Chronicle OnLine > Features >
Fishrapper 2004-05
| Okanogan Highlands lakes, creeks and
rivers |
By Al Camp
Chronicle staff
Beaver Lakes: Fishing remains good as brook and rainbow trout appear to be reproducing naturally, possibly in a nearby creek.
The season runs April 30 to Oct. 31.
The lakes will produce better catches early in the season. Fishing, especially with a fly, picks up again in September and October.
The lakes should be ice-free for the opener, although they lie at approximately 2,700 feet elevation.
The 5.7-acre Little Beaver Lake, located 1,100 feet east of Beaver Lake, holds eastern brook. Catch rates are slow, but there are some very nice fish available.
Go east on Highway 20 from Tonasket for about 18 miles, then north 12 miles past Bonaparte Lake.
From Oroville, drive east on the county road through Chesaw and take Forest Road No. 9480 to reach Beaver Lakes and Beth Lake. Signs along the way also will direct travelers to Lost and Bonaparte lakes.
The main Beaver Lake features two boat ramps and a Forest Service campground. Another campground is at the smaller lake.
Beth Lake: Located about one-half mile northwest of Beaver Lake, this 13-acre lake gets better as the season goes along for rainbows.
Catchable rainbows that are planted in the lake, which is open all year, reach 13 to 14 inches by the fall.
Annual planting is needed because of winter kill, though some years there are a few carryovers.
Take County Road No. 9480 from Little Beaver to Beth Lake. There are a boat launch and Forest Service campground.
Bonaparte Lake: Bonaparte is considered the most diverse state-managed lake in the county, with eastern brook, rainbow, kokanee, Mackinaw (lake trout) and smallmouth bass.
The 160-acre lake, which is open year around, should be ice-free around the general opener April 30.
Best fished in early May, the lake has been known to boot out Mackinaw in the six- to nine-pound range. The lake holds many trophy-sized eastern brook.
This year the lake was to receive a plant of 20,000 kokanee raised at the Omak Fish Hatchery.
The planting, down 10,000 from previous years, was an effort to produce bigger fish, said Jateff.
Smallmouth bass were spotted in the lake a few years ago.
Bonaparte is located about 20 miles east of Tonasket and north off Highway 20. A resort and a national forest campground with a boat ramp and fishing pier are available.
Bonaparte also may be reached from Oroville via a scenic route through Chesaw. Follow signs to Bonaparte or Lost Lake.
Daily catch limit is five fish, with not more than one being longer than 20 inches.
Crawfish: Crawfish, which is open April 30 to Oct. 31, receives a plant by the state of mostly eastern brook trout with a few rainbows.
The south half of Crawfish lies within the Colville Indian Reservation. A Forest Service campground and boat launch are available on the north end.
Those fishing from shore on the reservation portion of the lake must possess a reservation license. For those fishing from a boat in reservation waters, a state license will suffice.
The 80-acre lake, at 4,475 feet elevation, can be reached by traveling northeast 14 miles up Tunk Valley out of Riverside or by going north from Highway 155 on the Lyman Lake-Moses Mountain Road to Crawfish Lake Road.
Long Lake: The 17-acre lake is open April 30 to Sept. 30.
The lake, where water levels are back to normal, receives a planting of rainbow fry in May.
Take Highway 20 east from Tonasket to the Aeneas Valley Road, then east seven miles to the lake shore. Less than one-quarter mile away is Round Lake. Access is available to both lakes, which lie on private property.
Lost Lake: This quiet lake near Bonaparte is open all year for fishing rainbows and brook trout.
An added incentive is viewing loons at the lake.
The 46-acre lake is best fished in the spring and fall. Warm, summer waters cause brookies to become night feeders at the lake, located at an elevation of 3,817 feet.
A Forest Service campground and boat launch are at the north end.
Take Highway 20 east out of Tonasket for 15 miles to the Bonaparte Lake Road, then north 13 miles to the lake.
Lost Creek: Lost Creek is one of several creeks in the Highlands offering natural eastern brook in the six- to 10-inch range. Other creeks include Toroda, Bonaparte and Myers. Lost Creek is open June 1 to Oct. 31.
Most of the land surrounding the creeks is private. Anglers should get permission from landowners before fishing.
Lost Creek is located about 24 miles southeast of Tonasket on the Aeneas Valley Road. The creek is a tributary of the San Poil River’s west fork.
A road one mile west of Aeneas leads south up the creek for about 10 miles. There is a Forest Service campground about two miles up the creek.
Lyman Lake: The rich lake has been planted the last two years with eastern brook trout.
Lyman, which is prone to winter kill, is planted with catchable fish for the early season. Fall fishing can be fantastic.
Open year around, the four-acre lake is located 2.5 miles southwest of Aeneas on Forest Service Road No. 357.
There is a Forest Service campground on the lake, elevation 2,880 feet.
Molson Lake: The 20-acre lake has not had any problems with kills for some time, which means rainbows are getting to grow to good size, starting in the 10- to 11-inch range.
Molson, which is planted each spring with catchable rainbows, is open year around and lies next to Sidley Lake.
Take the Tonasket Creek Road for eight miles east of Oroville, then north five miles through Molson to the lake.
Myers Creek: Although access is limited because most of the creek travels through private land, local anglers enjoy fishing for rainbow and brookies up to 10 inches.
The creek, best fished in the fall on the lower end, is open June 1 to Oct. 31.
Take the Havillah Road, then Nealey Road from Tonasket northeast for about 20 miles. The creek runs adjacent to the road for several miles.
Round Lake: This small lake of less than 20 acres, located next to Long Lake, normally attracts a lot of anglers on opening day.
The lake, which is open April 30 to Sept. 30, can be reached by taking Highway 20 east from Tonasket to the Aeneas Valley Road, then east seven miles to the lake shore.
Less than one-quarter mile away is Long Lake. Access is available to both lakes, which lie on private property.
Like nearby Ell lake, water levels have been spotted down by as much as eight feet.
The lake receives a rainbow planting each spring.
Sidley Lake: Located at 3,675 feet, anglers often start in April to fish the lake, which is open the year around.
The 116-acre lake benefits from an aerator operated jointly by the resort owner, Oroville Sportsmen’s Club and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The lake, which is planted with rainbows that reach up to 13 inches the first year and 18 inches the second year, is located one mile south of the U.S.-Canadian border and .7 mile from Molson. There is a two-fish limit.
Water levels have improved in the past few years.
Take Chesaw Road up Tonasket Creek for eight miles east pf Oroville, then north five miles on Molson Road through Molson and past Molson Lake.
Summit Lake: This small lake located 5.5 miles southeast of Oroville near Mount Hull is stocked with triploid eastern brook fingerlings.
The 11-acre lake, which often suffers from winter kill, is open all year.
Best fished in the fall, Summit lies at an elevation of 4,320 feet.
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