It’s a waiting game for NE lakes

The best is yet to come at some lakes in northeast Washington.

Being at slightly higher elevations than the most popular April 29 openers, many of the lakes in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille require an extra few weeks for the waters to reach prime fishing temperatures.

Big Meadow Lake is a good example of a late bloomer.

That said, trout anglers routinely do very well during the opening week at lakes such as Cedar, Starvation and Waitts in Stevens County, Marshall and Yocum in Pend Oreille County and Curlew in Ferry County.

Waitts Lake, well-known for big brown trout, gets a big boost from releases of net-pen rainbows plus a perch fishery that fishes well almost year-round. Nearby Jumpoff Joe Lake has a slightly less robust fishery of hatchery trout plus perch and largemouth bass.

In Ferry County, Ellen Lake should have a fully mature trout fishery after being rehabbed in 2004. The Forest Service campground on the lake assures steady fishing pressure. Curlew Lake has net-pen trout, smallmouths, tiger muskies and is served by resorts and a state park campground.

Cutthroat trout aficionados can still find their quarry in Pend Oreille County at Browns, Marshall, Mystic, Noname, Muskegon, Pettit and Yocum lakes. Access to Yocum can be difficult early in the season.

Browns Lake is managed for fly-fishing only.

The Colville National Forest map is a good guide for showing the public campgrounds and access to these waters.