Lake Roosevelt Redband trout rule NOW IN EFFECT

[hewesfisher]

Posted on WDFW website Oct 7th, 2016

October 07, 2016
Contact: Commission Office, (360) 902-2267

Commission takes steps to protect
wild redband trout in Lake Roosevelt

OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today took action to further protect redband rainbow trout at Lake Roosevelt, a Columbia River reservoir in northeast Washington.

The commission voted to change the daily catch limit on trout at Lake Roosevelt and extend a closure in a section of the Sanpoil River during a trout spawning period. Redband trout are a subspecies of rainbow trout found in the Columbia River and its tributaries.

The modifications were approved during a conference call held by the commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The changes do not take effect until later this year. Anglers should check the department's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for details in December.

Previously, anglers fishing Lake Roosevelt could keep five trout (hatchery or wild) per day, including two fish 20 inches or larger in size.

The commission voted to keep the five-trout daily limit at Lake Roosevelt in the area from Grand Coulee Dam to the Little Dalles power line crossing, but anglers fishing there will be allowed to retain only hatchery trout (adipose-fin-clipped trout). Anglers fishing that area will be required to release all wild trout.

In addition, anglers fishing from the Little Dalles power line crossing to the Canadian Border will have a daily limit of two trout (hatchery or wild fish) that are 18 inches or larger.

Commissioners also voted to extend the closure of the Sanpoil River arm of the reservoir, where redband rainbow trout stage to make their upriver spawning run. The arm will open to fishing June 1, two months later than the area has typically opened.

In other action, the commission voted to re-open fishing in tributaries in upper Lake Roosevelt, including Big Sheep and Deep creeks. Beginning next year, those streams will be open the Saturday before Memorial Day through Oct. 31. They were unintentionally closed during the Columbia Basin stream strategy rule making process in 2014.

Where is the Little Dalles power line crossing?

[rseas]

I've been reviewing my charts and haven't figured it out yet either.

[hewesfisher]

Me either, guess I'll have to contact WDFW to find out. Makes a big difference in knowing where fin clipped only retention will be allowed.

[riverhunter]

Little Dalles

https://goo.gl/maps/ZcQKja3d1Wt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hewesfisher]

Thanks RiverHunter! I tried searching for "Little Dalles power line" and all I would get in my search was the Dalles dam in OR.

So when regulation is put in effect, there will be no intact adipose fin trout retention from Grand Coulee dam to Little Dalles power line crossing approximately 6mi south of Northport, AND north of the power line crossing at Little Dalles daily limit will be 2 over 18" native or hatchery, AND the San Poil closure will change from Feb 1 - Mar 31 (open 4/1 - 1/31) to Feb 1 - May 31 (open 6/1 - 1/31). The San Poil is already "no intact adipose" rainbow trout (kokanee are exluded) retention above boundary "A" at the mouth.

Wonder if this will create an increase in warden activity once the changes go in effect. I welcome it as I haven't seen a warden at Roosevelt in the 10yrs we've been fishing there.

[hewesbob]

Has this rule change ever taken effect?

[hewesbob]

After a LOT of research and a bunch of help from folks on another forum and a phone call to WDFW we found that this rule took effect 12/3/2016. A lot of folks have been posting pictures of illegal fish on forums this month. Pay close attention to this new rule. The limit is 5 fin clipped trout, No minimum size limit and no limit on trout over 20". So you could have 5 FIN CLIPPED all over 20". Kokanee still don't count toward your limit. This rule also applies to the Spokane Arm downstream of SR 25. It seems odd to me that Barbed Hooks and Bait are allowed(for the time being) as it seems that if a Trout with a Adipose Fin has swallowed a worm or power bait and is bleeding has to be released as bird food. I understand they are trying to do something for the Redband Trout but I sure don't understand the logic behind this rule as it stands. But like some of their other rules I may not agree with or understand them I (and anybody in my boat) will follow the rules.

[hewesfisher]

Just got the WDFW email alert so the rule change is now in effect:

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

December 29, 2016

Contact: Chris Donley, 509-892-7861

New fishing rules in effect on Lake Roosevelt
to protect redband rainbow trout

SPOKANE – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reminds Lake Roosevelt anglers that new fishing rules are in effect to protect wild native redband rainbow trout on Lake Roosevelt and the Spokane and Sanpoil Arms of the 150-mile reservoir.

Anglers must now release any trout with an intact adipose fin in Lake Roosevelt from Grand Coulee Dam to the Little Dalles power line crossing. Only hatchery-produced trout, marked with a clipped adipose fin, can be retained. The daily catch limit is still five trout, not including kokanee. But there is no longer a limit on how many of those fish can exceed 20 inches, as is currently indicated in the WDFW fishing rules pamphlet.

The same new rule is in effect on the Spokane Arm and Sanpoil Arm of Lake Roosevelt.

In addition, from the Little Dalles power line crossing to the Canadian border, the daily catch limit is now only two trout (marked hatchery or unmarked wild), with a minimum size of 18 inches.

There is also an extended closure in sections of the Sanpoil Arm (listed as Sanpoil River in the pamphlet) of Lake Roosevelt, during redband rainbow trout staging, spawning and outmigration. The Sanpoil Arm will now open to fishing June 1, instead of April 1, with a daily limit of five hatchery-marked (clipped adipose fin) trout.

For the complete rule changes, see "Corrections to the pamphlet," posted at http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01818/2 ... errata.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chris Donley, fish program manager for WDFW's eastern region, said 20 percent of the annual rainbow trout harvest on Lake Roosevelt has been wild redband rainbow trout. WDFW and tribal co-managers were concerned that the current harvest level – and the potential for increased harvest as the trout fishery continues to grow in popularity – would not be sustainable for the redband trout population.

"This rule change is intended to help ensure the presence of a healthy population of wild redband rainbow trout in Lake Roosevelt and its tributaries," Donley said. "There will be minimal impact to the quality of the recreational trout fishing experience on the reservoir because there are 750,000 adipose-fin clipped triploid rainbow trout stocked annually. While anglers will have to release a few wild trout each season, there are plenty of harvestable fish available to make a fishing trip to Lake Roosevelt worth your while."

Donley notes that wild native trout are becoming an increasingly rare commodity across the west. The rule change is a way for anglers to actively help protect the last remaining healthy population of wild redband trout in the upper Columbia River within the United States.

Don't know how this could have been in effect 12/3/16 if the WDFW News Release is dated 12/29/16. I have checked WDFW website for rule updates several times since the beginning of the December and never found anything. No worries, I'm sure we'd have heard about it if any citations had been issued.

Still some unanswered questions, such as, does catching a redband trout while fishing with bait count against your fin-clipped triploid 5 fish limit? The rules, as written, say so, but I can't help but wonder if anyone thought about that during the rule making process. If left to enforcement, it becomes a matter of interpretation and that's one decision I hope to avoid on the spot.

All we cn do is hope for the best.

[G-Man]

Still some unanswered questions, such as, does catching a redband trout while fishing with bait count against your fin-clipped triploid 5 fish limit? The rules, as written, say so, but I can't help but wonder if anyone thought about that during the rule making process. If left to enforcement, it becomes a matter of interpretation and that's one decision I hope to avoid on the spot.

It would appear that this rule change was put together in a bit of haste and may end up doing more harm than good. I do not see how, if a fish is hooked and cannot be legaly retained, would count toward your daily limit, regardless if bait is involved. Say you hooked multiple Bulls/Dollies in these same waters, using bait and released them as required by the regulations. They would not count towards your 5 fish trout limit and the native redband is no different, just a fish that cannot be legally retained under any circumstances.

[hewesbob]

WDFG posted this rule change 12/3/16 on the online pamphlet listed on the pamphlet corrections page. In my opinion this is not a correction to the written pamphlet it is a new rule and the public should have been notified. A fellow I was talking with yesterday about when this would take effect called WDFG about 1:30 and was told where to find the posting. He in turn shared that information on a popular fishing forum and about 4:30 Chriss Donnelly(WDFG /Spokane office) sent emails out about the rule taking effect. I don't think anybody received a citation over this new rule because there is not much enforcement on Lake Roosevelt. We have fish there for several years and have never been checked by a game agent, we have been checked by folks checking fish at the launch but I don't think they have any enforcement authority, but I may be wrong.

[hewesfisher]

WDFG posted this rule change 12/3/16 on the online pamphlet listed on the pamphlet corrections page. In my opinion this is not a correction to the written pamphlet it is a new rule and the public should have been notified. A fellow I was talking with yesterday about when this would take effect called WDFG about 1:30 and was told where to find the posting. He in turn shared that information on a popular fishing forum and about 4:30 Chriss Donnelly(WDFG /Spokane office) sent emails out about the rule taking effect. I don't think anybody received a citation over this new rule because there is not much enforcement on Lake Roosevelt. We have fish there for several years and have never been checked by a game agent, we have been checked by folks checking fish at the launch but I don't think they have any enforcement authority, but I may be wrong.

Wow. I've been watching this since the beginning of the month and searched for rule changes by body of water using Lake Roosevelt - nothing ever popped up. Kind of a mess for sure. I see now the change was listed as a correction to the pamphlet, not an emergency rule change or "Fishing Rule Update" in the box at the top right of this page - http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was checking regularly because the previous news release said to check WDFW site for details in December. You are right Bob, not much enforcement presence on Roosevelt so not much of an issue.

Something else I think should be done is WDFW should place signs at every boat launch with pictures so anglers can see what is, is not, legal for retention. There are a lot of anglers there who don't know the difference, have run into several who said they did not know how to tell a native trout from a hatchery trout.

G-Man no dollies/bull trout in Roosevelt to my knowledge (maybe up north where river effect exists) but I get what you're saying. Problem is unlike dollies/bull trout, which have their own category under the TROUT heading on pg 15 of the current pamphlet, there is no distinction for redband trout from triploid trout - both are rainbow trout. The bait rule when fishing for trout says all trout caught count toward the limit whether kept or released. This should have been addressed in the pamphlet correction for Lake Roosevelt, tributaries, San Poil and Spokane Arm, stating release of redband trout do not count toward the daily limit when fishing with bait.

I suppose this pamphlet correction is the beta version and inconsistencies will be ironed out as we work through it.