+1 and I'll add seeking out the "sleeper" fisheries in P&T lakes is worth your time. It's nice to have "name brand" lakes near by but sometimes the crowds get old. I typically fish quality waters in the Basin like Lenice and Dry Falls when water temps dictate that they will be at their peak. At other times I try to poke around and explore, choosing lakes based on fishing reports and stocking data. Essentially, trying to find a place with enough holdovers to keep things interesting. Those trips are a lot of fun and it's unusual to see another fly fisher.
Maybe we could have bait only lakes/must keep them lakes. Catch your limit and go home, NO catch and release. Then make more and more quality waters and just dump the put n takers time and time again into the catch and go home lakes. That would keep things less crowded at all of them. Ira..
I once killed two basin trout at the insistence of friend that wanted to eat them. I warned him. A couple of days later I asked how the trout tasted? He said "the cats would not touch them". I wonder what people do with ALL those trout??
Each summer when family visits the northwest I take the younguns fishing for a couple days at the local p&t lakes. We fillet all the trout and have a fish fry at my place. I mix a special shake, we bake and fry. Mmm good! The kids love it.
I use a little mayo on aluim foil and BBQ. Seems to take the taste out. But not every time. Big tigers taste better than big Bows.
I like to take the occasional meat hunting trip to AK and bring home salmon and halibut. No trickery required to get a great flavor.
A long time ago I talked to a state fish biologist about more "quality lakes" particularly on the west side. His reply was interesting. Definition for him of a quality lake was a lake with LARGE fish. Most lakes west of the Cascades cannot grow large fish according to him. I disagree if you look at fishing reports from the 1950's there were plenty of lakes in western Washington that produced large fish. In fact, prior to the irrigation project most of eastern Washington was rather poor fishing. Anyway, part of the problem is to change the perception that a quality lake is only about LARGE fish. My comment was that I would love to take my daughter out to a lake where she could catch LOTS of fish. To her that is a quality experience. My other comment was to establish a goal like 10% or 25% of the lakes in a area should be ONE or ZERO limit lakes. This would reduce fish stocking costs and spread out the fishing pressure on the quality lakes. It would also entice more people to get into fishing as a sport. The remaining fish can go into intensively managed put and take lakes and maintain a catch and kill fishery for a longer period of time. For example, all those fish that went into streams in Chelan County now end up in Fish Lake. That fishery is very popular since it has lots of fish. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the issue. I would really like to see more discussion of the 10% or 25% number. Those can also be warm water fisheries. Many bass fisherman now support catch and release for bass. I know we will have arrived on this issue when we have catch and release carp lakes.
I would side with Kerrys& Dirtydog on this one, I fish p&t lakes after the masses die off. I catch a good number of quality fish. What I would like to see maybe smaller creel limits, or slot limits on some more of those lakes. So far as eating trout from lakes,I like to barbecue hole stuff them with green& red peppers onions and seasonings with wood chips to add some smoke flavor MMMMMM-----good. Mark
I just think that there are too many lakes and not enough enforcement to add stricter regs to many more of the lakes. I would love to see a 1 or 2 fish limit, and maybe not keeping anything over 18" Selective regs meaning no bait and barbless hooks. Creating more fly only water just pisses people off
Not enough enforcement, Most that fish with the intent on keeping dont care as long as they can fill there stringer full of fish. I cant tell you how many times I have been asked while I was fly fishing what the limits / size limits etc. They dont care .
I have know idea, once at lost lake stampede pass area, was asked that ? and when I told the guy he lifeted his stringer to show all the fish that he had, he had 10 no smaller than 18" mand you are only allowed one over 18". I told him that and he answer was "sue me" .
i agree also all the good quality lakes are far away. How about lake chaplain it is closed to fishing right now. why not open it for catch and realse
Lake chaplain is the city of everetts water supply, So no fishing. Yes there are fish in it just like chester morse resivoir has lots of bow and bulls in it but no fishing because its the water supply.
Hmmm, closed to fishing because of the water supply issue, money issues for local agencies. I'm getting some ideas here. Got to be away to protect the water, let the agency make money and catch some fish. I'll look into it. Ira.
here on the peninsula as well as alot of the basin lakes C&R or selective fisheries just seem to draw poachers and problems, I've called and reported the problem a number of times at lenice and still its a persistent problem I can name a number of lakes in my area as well that because of the bigger fish poaching is quite prevalent, I agree with the idea but the implementation is a problem and enforcement is almost impossible with the funds available not to mention that at some lakes a change will be ignored by the locals who see the lake as historically theirs to fish how they want, teal is one lake that comes to mind horseshoe is another and both of these lakes have plenty of P&T lakes all around them, perhaps another approach is called for. tony
