Category Archives: Boating, swimming and fishing

Info to help you find your way around our lakes

Boating, swimming and fishing, Uncategorized

So refreshing!

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Kids never get tired of swimming. And if parents can play along for a while, then watch safely from a shady lawn, how perfect is that?

Welcome to Spring Canyon. It’s a gem of the National Park Service’s Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area at Grand Coulee.

Even on a smokey day, such as this Friday due to numerous wildfires in Washington and British Columbia, people still enjoy the beach at Spring Canyon Campground, which is open to all at no charge.

“We don’t have this where we live,” said a young mom watching her kids at the uncrowded beach, although she lives in Lake Stevens in western Washington.

 

Scott Hunter

Boating, swimming and fishing, Day Trips, To Dos

Fish & Wildlife pays $10 per Northern Pike head

 

Anglers 17 and older can get $10 dollars a head for Northern Pike caught in the area. The Colville Tribes Fish & Wildlife issued a press release with all the details including rules to follow, and that 216 pike heads have been turned in so far for a total payout of $2,160 dollars. The program started May 1 and ends on December 31, allowing anglers ample time to catch their limit of 59 pike each. The full press release is below. 

Northern Pike Program Pays Off

The Colville Tribes’ Fish and Wildlife Department (CTFW) announces that its Northern Pike Rewards Program is in full swing as 216 pike heads have been turned in for a payout of $2,160 to anglers. The program started on May 1 and will end on December 31, allowing anglers ample time to catch their limit of 59 pike each.

“We are processing reward payments monthly and we expect more pike to be turned in once the reservoir refills and the weather is nicer,” said Holly McLellan, fisheries biologist for CTFW. “We want to make sure people turn their fish heads in by the end of each month. All size pike count for a payout, even small fish.”

There are two locations for anglers to take their fish heads. One is located at the Noisy Water Gas Station and one is set up near the Park Service at the Kettle Falls fish cleaning station.

CTFW recently expanded the capture area from Grand Coulee Dam to Wells Dam.  Therefore, you may submit your pike head(s) to the Nespelem Fish and Wildlife Office until such time a new drop off location is developed.

“We appreciate the publics support for the program and we look forward to working with local anglers to protect the Lake Roosevelt ecosystem,” said McLellan. “We are receiving positive feedback from the public about the program. Anglers want to help protect the Lake Roosevelt fishery.”

The three co-managers (Colville Tribes, Spokane Tribe of Indians, and WDFW) of Lake Roosevelt removed 1,058 pike in 2017.  “We have documented pike moving downstream as far as Barnaby. We will continue our removal efforts all year as a way to stop the pike population from exploding in Lake Roosevelt and moving downstream,” she said.

At this time, no angler has made it to the $590 maximum payout. Anglers participating in the Northern Pike Reward Program must adhere to the following:

  1.  Comply with all applicable state/tribal fishing regulations for the area in which you fish. Contact your local state/tribal fishery agency for license requirements and current fishing regulations.
  2.  Provide true and accurate information to authorized program representatives regarding the taking, possession, delivery, transportation, or any other use of fish caught while participating in the Northern Pike Reward Program.
  3.  Comply with the directions of authorized program personnel related to the collection of sampling data and angler participation in the Northern Pike Reward Program.
  4.  Anglers must completely fill out the Pike Head tag information at the designated drop off area. Fish heads must be placed in a freezer bag, with the head label and dropped into the freezer.
  5.   Fish must have been caught in the main stem Columbia River from Wells Dam upstream to the Canadian border, the Spokane River upstream to Little Falls, or the Kettle River. A random number of heads will be selected for microchemistry analysis to confirm the fish’s origin.
  6.  There are no size restrictions on Northern Pike that are eligible for the reward.
  7.  Participants may receive $10 for every Northern Pike head deposited into the designated freezers, up to an individual maximum of $590 per calendar year. The total funding available for awards in this program is $10,000. No awards will be paid out once the program limit is reached.
  8.  All participants must be 17 years or older to receive the reward.
  9.  All fish to be redeemed for the reward must have been personally caught solely by the angler submitting them for the reward.
  10. Fish heads must be in good condition and clearly identifiable. Unidentifiable heads will not be accepted or awarded.
  11. Violations of any of the above rules may result in participant disqualification from the Northern Pike Reward Program.
  12. The Northern Pike Reward Program can be suspended or terminated at any time at the discretion of the Colville Tribes Fish and Wildlife program.

For more information on the program, go to www.colvilletribes.com, scroll to Natural Resources and then to the Fish and Wildlife page.

Boating, swimming and fishing

Lake Roosevelt water level rising with spring runoff

Overlooking Crescent Bay
Lake Roosevelt is low as shown here overlooking Crescent Bay, but some boat launches are open.

The spring runoff from melting snow in Canada is now coming down the Columbia River, and Lake Roosevelt is beginning to refill.

Following the long 2016-17 winter, Lake Roosevelt has been kept at a low water level in anticipation of the large mountain runoff to come.

Currently, with the water level at an elevation of about 1,243 feet above sea level, the target for May 31 is for the lake to be no higher than 1,262, according to the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. The lake is completely full at 1,290 feet.

Flood control levels are determined by the Corps of Engineers, and are the major factor in water levels this time of year while the lake is operated as a large catch-basin to hold back snowmelt water that could otherwise cause flooding downstream.

The Colville Tribes had asked the Corps of Engineers to keep the water level above 1,232, the lowest operational level for the Gifford-Inchelium Ferry.

Although many boat launches on Lake Roosevelt are inoperable due to the low water levels, they are open at Spring Canyon, Keller Ferry, Seven Bays, Hunters Camp, and Kettle Falls. As the water rises, by the end of May, Crescent Bay, Hansen Harbor, Lincoln Mill, Fort Spokane, Gifford, Daisy, Bradbury Beach, and more boat launches should all be operational.

The Porcupine Bay launch is currently inaccessible because of a landslide earlier this year.

More information on current lake levels, and the minimum operable lake levels for many boat launches can be found at https://gcdvisitor.com/boat-launch-accessibility-on-lake-roosevelt/ 

Boating, swimming and fishing, Entertainment, To Dos, Uncategorized

50,000 trout released in Rufus Woods Lake

Staff from the Colville Tribal Fish Hatchery have released 50,000 triploid rainbow trout into Rufus Woods Lake between February and March, a press release from the Colville Tribes Fish & Wildlife Department stated. The fish average two pounds each, and some are fitted with tags.

Rufus Woods Lake is the length of the Columbia River from the Grand Coulee Dam to Chief Joseph Dam.

Anglers who catch the tagged fish are encouraged to contact Colville Tribal Fish & Wildlife at (509)-634-2113, to report information related to the catch to assist biologist in managing annual fish releases.

All non-tribal-members who are fishing by boat on the boundary waters of the reservation or from the shore of Rufus Woods at the Designated Fishing Area (DFA) must have either a valid Colville Indian Reservation Fishing Permit or a valid fishing license issued by the State of Washington. Non-members fishing from the reservation shoreline outside of the DFA must have a tribal permit.

At this time, there is only one DFA on Rufus Woods which is located downstream of the Pacific Aquaculture Fish Farm net pens. Colville tribal members must possess a Colville tribal identification card that serves as a permit to fish. Anglers who purchase tribal permits help support the continued success of this fishery.

Pictured below are Erica Moses, Fisheries Tech, at the Rufus Woods release, and the Rufus Woods Net Pens

Boating, swimming and fishing, How It's Done

How to fish from the shore of Lake Roosevelt in winter

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has produced another excellent, short video on fishing Lake Roosevelt, this on one shore fishing in the winter.

Filmed in January, the video includes several tips and how-to advice on fishing the lake, which is stocked with 750,000 rainbow trout a year.

Rather fish from your boat? Check out the latest boat ramp and lake level information.