Return Rainbow Trout Floy Tags To:

Tag boxes near many NPS boat ramps and cleaning stations

EWU Fisheries Lab
258 Science Building, Cheney, WA 99004
(509) 359-7498

Follow WDFW and Tribal License and Fish Regulations

• Collville Confederated Tribes: (509) 634-2110
• Spokane Tribe of Indians: (509) 722-4445
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: (509) 892-1001

Over 45,000 anglers a year catch an estimated 100,000 fish, bringing millions of dollars to Lake Roosevelt communities. The most common sport fishing is for rainbow trout, kokanee and walleye.

Rainbow Trout

Artificial production that began in the 1980s dramatically increased harvest. Fishing for rainbow trout is common throughout the lake. Floy tags provide valuable biological information to monitor the condition of, and assess future management for, fish populations. So please help the program out by returning tags !!!

Walleye

This non-native species spawns in the spring and grows rapidly by preying on native and non-native fish. Walleye fishing is best in the Spokane Arm and northern part of the lake from Kettle Falls to Northport.

Kokanee

Kokanee are targeted by more than 18% of anglers, primarily in the lower reservoir where prime kokanee habitat exists. Anglers catch both hatchery reared and wild kokanee in Lake Roosevelt.

Use of net pens began in 1985 as a community volunteer project.

Hugely successful in raising rainbow trout, the program now uses forty five net pens to raise up to 700,000 rainbow trout. Some net pens are maintained by volunteers and others by WDFW.

Each net pen is about 15x15 feet, and can hold about 15,000 fish. Each pen is stocked in late September with trout reared at the Spokane Tribal Hatchery and the WDFW Sherman Creek Hatchery.

They are released in late May, weighing about three ounces and 8 inches long. The redband trout reared at the WDFW Colville Hatchery are placed in net pens during the winter, held for 1.5 years and released in May.

Thousands of hours of volunteer time are used each year to feed these fish and maintain the net pens.

Hatcheries account for up to 750,000 rainbow trout, 450,000 yearling kokanee and 3 million kokanee fry being released into Lake Roosevelt annually.

Rainbow trout production begins at WDFW's Spokane Hatchery. From here, about 1.1 million eggs are transferred to the Spokane Tribal Hatchery and reared to about 2 inches in length. Half the fish reared at the tribal hatchery are eventually transferred to WDFW's Sherman Creek Hatchery for further rearing. The trout are later transferred to the net pens for the final rearing step.

At WDFW's Colville Hatchery, 75,000 redband trout are reared from local stocks originating from upper Columbia River tributaries. These trout are genetically linked to those found in the Kettle River tributary.

About 4 million kokanee eggs are also sent to the Spokane Tribal Hatchery for rearing. Two stocks of eggs are used, a coastal stock from Lake Whatcom, WA and an up-river stock from British Columbia. After reaching fry or post-smolt size, they are released into the lake. Kokanee eggs from Canada are preferred because they are native to the upper Columbia system.

For nine thousand years, fisheries in Lake Roosevelt and its tributaries were subsistence and cultural focal points for the upper Columbia tribes.

An estimated 650,000 salmon and steelhead a year were harvested. Although these salmon runs were lost with the building of Grand Coulee Dam, restoring and protecting a robust native fishery is as important as ever.

Today, there are 32 species of native and nonnative fish in Lake Roosevelt.

Native species of highest interest to fishery managers are redband trout, kokanee and white sturgeon. These species provide the genetic and cultural links to the Upper Columbia River's nine thousand year history.

Restoring the native fishery has specific challenges. Non-native predators like walleye and smallmouth bass are greatly valued by many anglers, but their high abundance and large appetites negatively impact native fish.

Also, the number of white sturgeon has declined to dangerously low levels, leading to a ban on sturgeon fishing in Lake Roosevelt and the free flowing Columbia River above the lake. Currently, we are partnering with agencies and stakeholders in Canada on a white sturgeon recovery program.

Understanding habitat conditions, lake conditions, and fish community dynamics is critical to protecting and restoring Lake Roosevelt’s fishery.

Our work includes:

Creel Surveys

Angler interviews help us estimate total catch and the economic value of the fishery. We also evaluate the contribution of hatchery and net pen rainbow trout, redband trout and kokanee to the fishery.

Fish Tracking

Rainbow trout are marked with floy tags, and kokanee with various fin clips. Scientists utilize fish tags, finclips, and acoustic tracking to determine effective release strategies for hatchery fish and to monitor wild fish movements and habitat use.

Fish Surveys

Hydroacoustics, electrofishing, gill netting, and trapping help assess fish condition, age, diet, growth, behavior, migration patterns and adult spawning activities. This information is used to manage for healthy fish populations in the Lake Roosevelt ecosystem.

Lake Studies

Water quality work includes investigations of temperature, dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients and zooplankton populations. These water quality indicators are critical to the fisheries health.

Modeling

A computer model was adapted to simulate the effect of potential changes to flow, lake elevation or other variables on reservoir conditions. The model can simulate changes to temperature, oxygen, nutrients, and other conditions that may affect the fishery.

Our mission is to protect and restore a robust fishery for Lake Roosevelt.

Multiple agencies and stakeholder groups coordinate efforts and resources to:

• Support conservation and stewardship of native species
• Maintain and enhance recreational fisheries that are economically productive
• Evaluate and monitor the health of the fishery
• Provide subsistence fishing opportunities for Native American tribes

In 1941 the gates of Grand Coulee Dam closed and the free flowing upper Columbia became Lake Roosevelt, the sixth largest reservoir in the United States. As waters behind the dam rose 380 feet, a dynamic new environment took hold.

Now:

• Anadromous salmon no longer migrate to this area.
• Water flows, habitat conditions and lake elevations change throughout the year as Grand Coulee Dam is used to meet flood control, irrigation, power, and downstream salmon needs.
• Introduced walleye, smallmouth bass and other non-native species compete with native species.

The collaborative effort to protect and restore a robust fishery began in the 1980s. Extraordinary progress has been made, yet much work remains to be done.

A Collaborative Effort To Protect And Restore A Robust Fishery

The Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Program provides recommendations to hatchery managers and the net pen program on release strategies and goals. Research is conducted to monitor the condition and performance of the fish community and identify the effects of lake operations and other factors that influence the fishery.

Program Members

Colville Confederated Tribe of Indians
Spokane Tribe of Indians
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Eastern Washington University
Volunteer Net Pen Project

For More Information

Call (509) 626-4416

Program Funding

Funding is provided by the Bonneville Power Administration based on recommendations from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Members also provide in-kind resources and community members provide invaluable volunteer time.

For 2007-2009, Lake Roosevelt fishery projects will receive over seventeen million dollars.