Washington’s New Rules Favor Patient Anglers

Fishermen who are more interested in catching big fish than taking home limits of 8- to 12-inchers will have more places to hook bragging-size fish starting May 1, but they’re probably going to have to wait a year or so before they’ll see lots of big fish.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission recently added Beda, Homestead, the three Brookies lakes and Coffeepot lakes to the growing list of specially managed waters.

The commissioners weren’t as sympathetic with steelhead anglers as they were with those who want more quality waters. Despite pleas from steelheaders at their Spokane meeting last October, the commissioners refused to reopen Wenatchee and Methow rivers to steelhead fishing.

Commissioners did, however, turn down the Fish and Wildlife Department’s recommendation that anglers be required to use barbless hooks when fishing most streams. Nearly all bass and walleye fishermen were against the proposed rule, contending it was unnecessary to protect steelhead and salmon.

Lakes and streams managed to produce big fish no longer will be identified as “selective fishery” waters. They’ll be known as “selective gear” waters.

Homestead, Beda and the Brookies, all walk-in lakes near Moses Lake, will attract some anglers this year, especially those who want to get away from the slobbering mobs. However, they’re not full of big trout.

Columbia Basin fisheries manager Joe Foster said fishermen will have to wait a year or so before the lakes have good-sized populations of lunker fish. Maybe they’ll have to wait even longer.

Beda and the three Brookies lakes, which are south of the Winchester Wasteway, have rapidly increasing populations of sunfish. Although 13,000 rainbow fry were planted in Beda and 3,000 fry were released into the Brookies lakes last April and May, fishing was slow last fall.

It’s possible the survival rate wasn’t good.

Foster said he thinks there are some big fish in Homestead Lake and the 2 miles of stream in the area. Homestead and the stream, which will be under selective gear rules, are northeast of Moses Lake in the Gloyd Seeps area.

The department released 4,000 rainbow fry and 4,000 tiny brown trout in Homestead last year. Foster said the carryover browns in the lake are 19-22 inches long. Because anglers can take five fish a day until May 1, many of the trout will be removed before the new regulation becomes effective.

Effective May 1, the new limit for Homestead, Beda and the Brookies lakes will be one fish a day. Bait will be banned and anglers will have to use barbless hooks.

Fly fishers no longer will be permitted to kill trout they catch at Rocky Ford Creek, a spring creek north of Moses Lake. They can kill one trout a day until May 1, when the stream will become a no-kill water.

Foster said he believes there are few trout in Rocky Ford Creek. The last time the stream was planted was about three years ago. However, he added, there’s a possibility that some small rainbows escaped from the big hatchery at the head of the creek.

There are large numbers of suckers in Rocky Ford between the two hatcheries, Foster said. Now, as the result of the removal of boards at a dam below the second hatchery, there’s a probability carp may have moved from the lower part of the stream to the popular area between the hatcheries.

Foster said he’d like to rehabilitate Rocky Ford Creek, but will have to work with Ed McLeary, owner of the two private hatcheries, to do so. If arrangements can be made to treat the stream with rotenone, the job won’t be done until at least next year.

Coffeepot Lake will be open only from March 1-Aug. 31. The limits will be two trout, two bass and 10 crappies a day. No bass more than 14 inches long can be killed. Bait will be banned and barbless hooks required. Electric motors will be permitted.

The Bureau of Land Management acquired control of Coffeepot Lake last year by buying 932 acres from the Coffee Pot Cattle Co., thus assuring public access for the first time in many years.

At Amber, where sterile rainbows have been released, anglers will be required to release trout that have clipped adipose fins. The Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club paid for the planting of the sterilized trout last year..

Several Okanogan and Grant County steelhead fishermen last October tried to persuade commissioners to open the Wenatchee and Methow rivers to steelhead fishing. They contended they now have to travel long distances to fish for steelhead.

The commissioners refused to change the recommendations by the Fish and Wildlife Department. In addition, they also closed the Yakima River to steelhead fishing.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Fenton Roskelley The Spokesman-Review