FISHING – Opposition appears to be brewing against the proposal to keep Badger Lake in the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department's trout management program.

The Spokane County lake, one of th state's top trout producers for many decades, is among three lakes in Eastern Washington proposed by state fisheries biologists to be treated with rotenone, ridding the waters of various undesirable species so the lakes can be restocked with trout that flourish without the competition.

• The Fish and Wildlife Department has set a public meeting on the proposal for today (July 31), 7 p.m.,  at the Cheney Library, 610 1st St. in Cheney.

At least one property owner along the lake already is sending out information that rotenone kills off the lake and makes it a biological wasteland.    That myth has been disproved for decades as lakes that are treated with rotenone become excellent producers of trout and the acquatic insects that feed them.

But bass anglers also appear ready to chime in, especially with largemouth and smallmouth showing up in large numbers and sizes this year.  Reports of largemouth up to 7 pounds have been reported.

Trouble is, the fish likely were illegally introduced to the Badger.

Local basser Tyler Brinks wonders if the lake shouldn't be managed for both trout and and bass after fishing the lake last weekend and being suprized at the quality of the bass he caught.

Other trout management lakes proposed for “rehabilitation” are Spectacle Lake in Okanogan County and the Hampton and Pillar-Widgeon Lake chains in Grant County.

These lakes, which have been treated every 12-15 years are among the best trout-fishing lakes in the state when they're at their prime.  In the case of badger, it appears that "bucket biologists" have illegally planted smallmouth bass in the lake, degrading its fishing potential, fisheries biologists say.

Rotenone is a natural product commonly used to remove undesirable fish species from lakes and streams. Invertebrate populations recover quickly from the treatments to provide food for the new crop of hatchery trout.

Final consideration of the proposals will be made by the WDFW director in early September.

According the the WDFW:

Rotenone is an organic substance derived from the roots of tropical plants, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved for use as a fish pesticide and as an insecticide in the agriculture industry. It has been used by WDFW in lake and stream rehabilitations for more than 70 years, and is commonly used by other fish and wildlife management agencies nationwide.