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Introduction
Major lakes and rivers
Okanogan Valley
Methow Valley
Okanogan Highlands
Fishing the reservation
Reservation fisheries
Selective fisheries
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The Chronicle OnLine > Features >
Fishrapper 2004-05
| Okanogan Valley lakes, creeks and rivers |
By Al Camp
Chronicle staff
Beaver Lake: The lake, which is open all year, has been planted with triploid brook trout, which are sterile and won’t spawn with bull trout in Beaver Creek, into which the lake flows.
The triploids were first planted in 2001 at the semi-remote lake, which is a couple miles north of the Loup Loup Ski Bowl southwest of Okanogan.
Jateff said he might change management of the lake to cutthroat in the future rather than triploid fingerlings.
Triploids have been used since they are sterile and won’t compete with bull trout, which are a threatened species and are illegal to possess in the state.
Cutthroat, while not sterile, don’t have a tendency to interact with bull or brook trout, said Jateff.
To reach Beaver Lake, turn off Highway 20 at Loup Loup Ski Hill turnoff, go north past the ski hill to a trailhead. The lake, which is fun to fish from a float tube, is an easy hike of a couple miles.
Bull trout reside in nearby Blue Buck Creek.
Blue Lake: Located in the Lime Belt north of Omak, Blue Lake is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
This 14-acre lake has been planted the last three years with eastern brook after tiger trout for a year prior to that.
High water can create a smaller lake to the north, which may hold fish early in the season when water is high.
Located 6.5 miles northwest of Riverside, the lake is four miles off the Conconully Highway watch for the public fishing sign) over a dirt road. Rains can make the road impassable in the spring.
Although there is no boat ramp, anglers can carry canoes or small rowboats to the lake at the south end.
Buzzard Lake: This 30-acre lake adjacent to private property is open year round. The lake contains rainbows.
Jateff said he may not plant the lake this year because the state did not have an access agreement with a property owner.
“If we get a written agreement, there’s no problem planting the lake,” he said.
The state had been planting 1,000 catchable fish plus 3,000 fingerlings into the lake. No sample was taken this spring so Jateff said he had no idea how the fish may have fared over the winter.
Take Highway 20 south from Okanogan for 7.5 miles to the Buzzard Lake Road turnoff, then north 3.5 miles on a county road. A pullout area is privately owned.
The lake is best fished in mid-season to fall.
Columbia River: The Columbia, open all year, provides many opportunities except steelhead (all trout). The fish are listed as an endangered species and cannot be caught or possessed except under an emergency opener.
The last few years there have been emergency openers for short seasons that allowed the taking of summer Chinook salmon during the summer between Priest Rapids Dam and Wells Dam, and also from the Highway 173 bridge at Brewster upstream to the Highway 97 bridge on the Okanogan River.
Summer Chinook tend to be bigger than spring Chinook.
Walleye fishing is predominant from January to June.
The current walleye daily catch limit is five fish per day, with not more than one longer than 22 inches and a minimum size of 16 inches. Possession limit is 10 fish, with not more than two more than 22 inches.
Different walleye limits exist for Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam, with most of its length outside Okanogan County. The walleye daily catch limit is five fish with no more than one longer than 18 inches. There is no minimum size.
It is lawful to fish to the base of the Washburn Island Pond outlet structure near Brewster.
Conconully Lake: Both the upper and lower waters remain popular to fish because of resorts and a state campground in town.
Trout in the lake average 10 to 12 inches on the opener. There will be a few carryovers.
The lake will not receive triploids this year. Each of the two Conconully lakes will received 100 of the larger rainbows in the one-plus-pound range.
A boat launch, left high and dry in the past, has had gravel added to the water’s edge for easier launching. The lake normally covers 313 acres.
Bass, some up to five pounds, also are in the lake. There is a five-fish limit on bass.
There is a wheelchair-accessible dock at the public boat launch — a fee is required for those with trailers — and a resort on the three-mile-long lake located east of Conconully.
Open April 30 to Oct. 31, the upper lake sometimes is referred to as Salmon Lake.
Travel 15 miles northwest of Okanogan on the Conconully Highway.
Conconully Reservoir: Though water levels continue to fluctuate, anglers can expect rainbows averaging 10 to 11 inches mixed with a few remaining triploid trout planted last year.
As with the upper lake, the reservoir received 100 larger rainbows in the one-plus-pound range.
A few kokanee may remain in the lake, though the state no longer plants the fish.
The 450-acre lake, located south of Conconully, is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
The reservoir features several resorts and an excellent state park.
Conner Lake: Located near Forde Lake, this 58-acre lake in the Sinlahekin holds lots of water for thriving tiger trout and eastern brook that propagate naturally in Sinlahekin Creek.
This is the third year the lake has been planted exclusively with tiger trout, a sterile fish that is a cross between a brook and brown trout.
Travel south from Loomis five miles on Sinlahekin Road. There is no boat ramp because of weeds and brush, but access is possible for those with canoes, rafts and float tubes.
The lake is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
Fish Lake: This lake was rehabilitated in October 2004, then filled with 12,000 catchable rainbows prior to the opener. The lake was to receive fingerlings in May.
Jateff said anglers can expect fish in the 8- to 9-inch range on the opener. Bigger fish were not planted as they would eat the fingerlings.
The season at the 102-acre lake runs April 30 to Oct. 31.
Anglers can reach the lake by traveling either 4.5 miles northeast on a dirt road from Conconully past the upper lake and Sugarloaf Lake or going north on Highway 97 for 5.5 miles from Riverside, then west on Pine Creek Road for approximately nine miles to reach the lake.
Two public access areas with launches and toilets are available.
Forde Lake: The 24-acre lake in the Sinlahekin Wildlife Recreation Area annually boots out wild eastern brook in the 14- to 16-inch range.
This will be the third year the lake has been planted with aggressive tiger trout, a sterile fish that is a cross between a brook and brown trout.
Brook trout are self-reproducing in the lake.
Tiger trout also were planted in Reflection Pond, which is located adjacent to Forde Lake.
Forde Lake, built as an impoundment pond in 1949, is open April 30 to Oct. 31. There is a small, public boat launching area next to the road.
The lake is located 6.1 miles south of Loomis on Sinlahekin Road.
Green Lake: There are two trout seasons at these two lakes, Green (45 acres) and lower Green (9 acres), located northwest of Okanogan and Omak.
There is a catch-and-keep season, which allows bait, from Dec. 1 to March 31.
There is a catch-and-release season April 1 to Nov. 30. Anglers must use selective gear with barbless hooks. No bait is allowed.
Electric motors can be used during the selective gear rules portion of the season.
Anglers can expect rainbow trout in the 10- to 14-inch range.
Both lakes are nestled in a steep valley where it gets dark an hour before normal.
The larger lake is disabled accessible, though access is steep. The lower lake has a dirt path for accessibility.
The lake can be reached by following Salmon Creek Road northwest out of Okanogan for 4.5 miles, then a mile north on Green Lake Road. Anglers also can access the lake by taking Green Lake Road off the Conconully Highway about five miles northwest of Omak.
There are several areas that can be used to launch boats at either lake. Toilets are available.
Jasmine Creek: This is a juvenile water located in the south end of Omak. The creek runs from the Omak Fish Hatchery into the Okanogan River.
Anglers must be under age 15 to fish the creek, which holds a few rainbows.
The creek is open year round.
Leader Lake: Located seven miles west of Okanogan off Highway 20, this popular, 159-acre lake was planted with 8,000 catchable rainbows in early April.
Carryovers can reach 15 inches.
Recently the lake has been attracting spiny ray anglers since bass (in the 2- to 3-pound range) and bluegill also reside in the lake.
The lake, which is open April 30 to Sept. 30, offers several areas where boats can be carried to the lake. Toilets and campsites are available.
Okanogan River: Anglers cannot catch trout or steelhead, which are endangered species, on this river that flows south from Osoyoos Lake near Oroville to the Columbia River.
The river, which is considered a warm water fishery, is open year round from the mouth to the Malott bridge to all species except steelhead. From the bridge north the season will be June 1 to Aug. 31. Bait will be allowed.
Bass, which average 10-12 inches and can reach up to three pounds, congregate near rocks.
Public boat launches are available in Okanogan and Riverside.
Walleye also are available.
Osoyoos Lake: Open year round, the lake produces smallmouth bass, rainbow, kokanee, perch and a few largemouth bass.
Anglers can expect to catch a few naturally occurring populations of rainbow trout up to 14 inches and larger. Kokanee are in the 10- to 14-inch range.
Yellow perch can be caught through the ice if winter conditions get cold enough.
Of the lake’s 5,723 acres, 2,036 are located in the United States about one mile north of Oroville.
There is a state park with boat launch and camping area, plus resorts adjacent to Highway 97.
Palmer Lake: Some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the state exists at this 2,063-acre lake north of Loomis that’s open all year. Some fish reach up to six pounds.
There is a daily catch limit of five bass, which must be less than 12 inches and greater than 17 inches long, and with only one fish being over 17 inches. The size restriction protects spawners and increases the average size of the bass.
The lake also produces naturally spawning rainbow, kokanee (12-14 inches), largemouth bass, yellow perch (on the small side), crappie and a few burbot (freshwater ling).
“For people willing to work at it I expect the fishing to be good for kokanee,” said Jateff. “They are in there.”
The lake sported a good layer of ice this year, which was melted away by the middle of March.
For burbot, which reside in the lake, state regulations require one line with up to five hooks.
Pikeminnow, which is a state game fish, also live in Palmer. The lake sports one of the most diverse fishing experiences in a state-managed lake.
“There are a ton of them in the lake,” said Jateff of the pikeminnows.
There is a new boat launch site at the federal Bureau of Land Management’s Split Rock recreational site, at the south end of the lake, that is very nice, said Jateff.
There are BLM and state Department of Natural Resources campgrounds and toilets at each end of the lake. Boat launches are rough, and best suited for four-wheel drive vehicles.
Rat Lake: A catch-and-keep season runs Dec. 1 to March 31 at this 63-acre lake near Brewster that holds rainbows and brown trout. There are also some sizeable smallmouth bass and bullheads.
An emergency rule change this spring allows anglers to take all the fish they want at Rat and nearby Mouse Lake until May 5.
Both lakes will then close and be rehabbed May 10.
The lakes won’t be fishable until the spring of 2006, when triploid eastern brook fingerlings are expected to reach legal size.
The state also plans to plant brown trout every three years.
The lake normally sports a catch-and-release season April 1 to Nov. 30. Anglers must use selective gear with barbless hooks. No bait is allowed.
Electric motors can be used during the selective gear rules portion of the season.
Brown trout will be planted this year at the lake, which receives plants every three years.
Drive 3.5 miles north from Brewster up Swamp Creek, then take a dirt road two miles north up Whitestone Creek.
There is a public access site, though it’s not maintained in the winter.
Rock Lake: Actually two lakes, the upper covers 3.5 acres and the lower 4.5 acres. Fishing for eastern brook trout is erratic because of winter kill in the upper lake. The lower lake is more consistent.
The lake receives a plant of brookies in June.
The lakes are located 11 miles northwest of Okanogan. Drive west on Highway 20, then north on Rock Lake Road.
There is a campground facility but no boat launch. It’s a very steep walk down to the lake, which is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
Rufus Woods Lake: The lake, which is actually a river reservoir, lies behind Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River just upstream from Bridgeport.
Walleye (best caught near Elmer City), kokanee, a few smallmouth bass and rainbow trout are available during a year-round season in this lake, which forms a boundary line between Douglas County and the Colville Indian Reservation in Okanogan County.
Sturgeon fishing no longer is legal.
Anglers are limited to a two-trout catch limit. The fish can be sizable.
There is a bass slot limit with a daily catch limit of five fish less than 12 inches or more than 17 inches. No more than one fish can be longer than 17 inches.
Steelhead are unable to reach the lake because there is no fish ladder at Chief Joseph.
Jateff said he plans to plant rainbow fingerlings from the Omak hatchery.
“When they get up about 15 to 16 inches they put on a good fight,” Jateff said.
The Colville Confederated Tribes plants triploid rainbows in the reservoir.
Rainbows also enter the reservoir through Grand Coulee Dam from net pens in Lake Roosevelt. Anglers — and trout — also benefit from a net pen operation downriver from the mouth of Nespelem Creek.
The state record continues to be upped with fish from the reservoir. Norm Butler, Okanogan, holds the current record with a 29.6-pound rainbow caught in November 2002. The fish broke the previous record, set the same year, by nearly four pounds.
Since then several anglers have caught near-record fish. In early 2004 Kyle Cantlon, Omak, caught a 27.07-pound rainbow. In April, Zach Austin, Winthrop, caught a 23-pounder.
Marked, designated launching areas include Rufus Wood Reservoir, Seaton’s Grove Corps of Engineers site, Bridgeport State Park, south of Coyote Creek and an unimproved ramp next to River Road.
Newly added as an approved site is a launch site on private land on the Timm Ranch.
On the Douglas County side there’s a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-maintained launch near Chief Joseph Dam.
Anglers can travel 22 miles south from Okanogan on Highway 97, then east for eight miles on Highway 17 to a boat launch near the dam.
Anglers must possess a state license if fishing from a boat, including portions of the river adjacent to the Colville Indian Reservation.
A reservation and state license are 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 only need a state license. A tribal license is not required as long as the angler fishes from a boat.
Salmon Creek: Both the north fork and west fork, which flow into Conconully Reservoir, have a season of June 1 to Oct. 31.
Statewide rules apply, and fish must be a minimum size of eight inches. Bait is allowed. There is a two-fish limit.
Fishing is closed from the reservoir to the mouth of the Okanogan River to protect spawning steelhead.
Schalow Pond: The pond, located a short hike southwest of Fish Lake, should be an excellent producer of trout.
The lake receives alternating plantings of rainbows and brook trout.
There is walk-in access from the east end of Fish Lake. Anglers can use tubes or rafts to catch some high-quality trout.
Anglers should be wary of rattlesnakes sunning themselves along the path to the lake, which is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
The 10-acre pond is 4.5 miles northeast of Conconully.
Similkameen River: Except for the winter whitefish season, all other fisheries are closed to protect fish listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The special winter whitefish-only season runs Dec. 1 to March 1, with fishing expected to be fair when the river is not frozen (usually in December).
The daily catch limit is 15 whitefish. Anglers must use a size 14 (3/16 inch) hook or smaller. Bait is allowed.
Otherwise the river is closed to trout fishing, which includes steelhead, unless opened through emergency regulations in the fall.
The river opened Nov. 15, 2004, under an emergency order. The season ended March 31, 2005.
Selective gear rules prevail, including single, barbless hooks and no bait.
A steelhead fishery is dependent upon run size, which exceeds natural and hatchery broodstock requirements.
The river enters the United States from British Columbia six miles north of Palmer Lake and flows about 18 miles south and east to Oroville, dropping over Enloe Dam before entering the Okanogan River.
A road from Oroville follows the river most of its length and splits near Nighthawk, with one part heading north into Canada and the other south toward Palmer Lake.
Sinlahekin Creek: Anglers with gumption and guts — rattlesnakes like to slither among the trees and willows — will find eastern brook and rainbow trout of good size in Sinlahekin Creek.
Also available in limited numbers are whitefish and kokanee in the lower creek near Loomis.
The creek runs northward parallel to Sinlahekin Road from Blue Lake in the Sinlahekin Valley to Palmer Lake.
Sinlahekin’s season runs from June 1 to Aug. 31 from Palmer Lake to Cecile Creek bridge. The short season is needed to protect spring-spawning rainbow and fall-spawning kokanee from Palmer Lake.
Selective fishery regulations apply. Bait is prohibited.
A separate whitefish season runs Dec. 1 to March 31.
Check the latest regulations pamphlet for whitefish gear rules.
Spectacle Lake: This 396-acre storage reservoir should produce well, benefiting from past fall plants and the planting of 1,590 triploids in mid-April.
Most of the triploids, which average 1.5 pounds, are caught by the end of the season, leaving few carryovers.
The lake has a season of March 1 to July 31, so anglers can get an early jump fishing. Resorts — there are three — often open in mid-April.
There is a public access with toilets and a launch.
Spectacle has a five-fish daily limit.
The reservoir is located in the Whitestone Coulee unit of the Okanogan-Similkameen division of the Chief Joseph Dam Project.
This is a reclamation irrigation project associated with Chief Joseph Dam but not a part of the dam. Apples, pears, cherries and alfalfa hay are the chief crops produced in the project area.
The lake is located 2.5 miles east of Loomis and nine miles northwest of Tonasket.
Starzman Lakes: These three small lakes near Brewster are open April 30 to Oct. 31. Upper Starzman Lake covers eight acres while the lower lake, located 100 yards south, covers 5.5 acres.
A third, unnamed lake of 4.3 acres, is located 2,300 feet south of the main lakes. It does not contain fish. Sunfish are in the upper and middle lakes.
The two upper lakes have been stocked with rainbows the last few years. Brook trout have been planted in the past. A sunfish population has made it difficult to find trout.
Winter kill often affects the lakes.
Head north from Brewster on Old Highway 97 for 1.5 miles, turn left to follow Starzman Creek eight miles to the south end of lower Starzman Lake.
Anglers may want to walk down to the lakes instead of attempting the treacherous, unmaintained road. Small boats or canoes can be launched.
Sugarloaf Lake: Though not planted in recent years because of low water levels, Jateff said he plans to plant a few triploid eastern brooks in the tiny lake north of Conconully Lake.
Fishing, he predicted, probably would not be good until next year.
The lake does feature a Forest Service campground that is a favorite camp area for deer hunters in the fall.
Tiffany Lake: This walk-in lake contains more brook trout than cutthroat, a balance Jateff said he’d like to reverse.
“How I am going to do that I am not sure,” he said.
A population of brook trout migrates to the lake from nearby Boulder Creek.
The lake will receive future plants of cutthroats.
The 20-acre lake, which is fished hard early, is about 12 miles northwest of Conconully.
Little Tiffany Lake, which is about four acres, also holds cutthroats but not in the same numbers as the larger lake. The smaller lake is located .7 mile south of Big Tiffany.
Wannacut Lake: This 411-acre lake north of Whitestone Lake often lags behind warmer, lower-elevation lakes by a few weeks as far as fishing success goes. Best fishing is May and June for rainbow trout in the 12- to 16-inch range.
The lake, which has an April 30 to Oct. 31 season, contains saline water (magnesium sulfate) that makes fish taste especially good.
Travel 2.5 miles south of Oroville on the west side of the Okanogan River, then west three miles past Blue Lake to the north tip of Wannacut.
An alternate route is north from Tonasket on the west side of the Okanogan River for 4.5 miles, then west for another 4.5 miles on the Loomis Highway, then north four miles to the south end of the lake.
A resort and public access with toilets and launch are available.
Washburn Island Pond: This 130-acre lake located north of Brewster has a mix of largemouth bass, bluegill and a few crappie.
The former steelhead rearing facility, which is owned by the Douglas County PUD, is located on the Colville Indian Reservation. The pond is managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Anglers must possess both state and Colville tribal fishing licenses if fishing from shore on reservation property. A state license is required for fishing from a boat.
The season runs April 1 to Sept. 30 at this pond adjacent to the Columbia River. A dike created the pond from a former river channel near Fort Okanogan Interpretive Center, part of the state park system.
There is a largemouth bass slot limit with a daily catch limit of five fish less than 12 inches or over 17 inches. No more than one fish can be over 17 inches.
The use of internal combustion engines is prohibited. Electric motors are OK.
The boat launch has been upgraded, with toilets and parking available.
Washburn is located 22 miles south of Okanogan or four miles northeast of Brewster. Take Highway 97 to the truck weigh station and travel east on Highway 17 for about a mile to a southbound road to the pond.
Washburn Lake: Expect a short hike to this small, less-than-20-acre lake located on Palmer Mountain two miles northeast of Loomis.
The lake, which is on BLM land, is open April 30 to Oct. 31.
Tiger and triploid eastern brook trout are planted each year. By fall the fish are quite nice in size.
The limit is two trout at the lake, with no minimum size.
To reach the lake, travel north then west on an unimproved road near the west end of Spectacle Lake.
Primitive camping is available on a flat area above the lake, or within 100 feet of existing open roads.
Whitestone Lake: Open all year, this 173-acre lake west of Tonasket offers largemouth bass that bite well all summer.
There is a bass slot limit with a daily catch limit of five fish less than 12 inches or over 17 inches. No more than one fish can be over 17 inches.
The lake periodically receives plantings of largemouth bass, taken from other lakes (700 planted in 2001), and crappie.
Fishing pressure has declined because perch and sunfish reduced the crappie population. Bass seem to be thriving, with some reaching the three- to eight-pound range.
Channel catfish also reside in the lake.
Best fishing is in the spring before bass start diving for cover.
Drive north from Tonasket on the west side of the Okanogan River for 4.5 miles, then west for three miles to the lake.
A well-developed public access, which is handicapped accessible, with launch and toilets is available. Camping is allowed.
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