I've seen lots of tiny fish that I think may be young cutthroat. I've seen the cutthroat at least trying to spawn in one of the small tribs. It was quite a site - I saw hundreds of trout from 4 to 10 inches crammed in the creek and any little indentation (more than a few inches) was packed with fish. In a few places, there were holes carved into the clay creek bottom and these little bowls were so thick with trout you could probably stick your hand in and grab a bunch. Anyway - If they successfully spawn, their offspring could serve as food for any big fish.
Also, the low lake levels tend to be during winter \ spring when the weather is cool. The warm summer months usually find the lake at full capacity. I can't imagine the varying lake levels impacting the fish that much - other than making them easier targets for the eagles and ospreys and other predators. I've seen many lakes in BC and in the alpine regions where bows, cutthroats, and brookies were so thick they were clearly over-populated. In many cases it was clear that the smaller and weaker fish that had trouble competing for food ended up feeding the larger fish. At anyrate, if the lake had trouble supporting a certain amount of fish, the WDFW would could just cut back on the numbers it stocks to provide higher quality fish as a sustainalble level. I bet the fish would not grow as fast as on the east side, but they would still grow and provide a better fishery than they do now if we gave them a chance.
As I think about it, what would it be like if it actually turned out to be a quality fishery? Who would want to travel to the eastside to fish those rattlesnake and tic infested areas when they could stay close to home and catch quality trout? The crowds would be crazy. Maybe I like it better as it is...:dunno
