Four citizens and two Fish and Wildlife fish biologists attended

the Fish and Wildlife meeting on Wednesday evening concerning the

proposed rehabilitation of several Columbia Basin lakes.

Four citizens and two Fish and Wildlife fish biologists attended the Fish and Wildlife meeting on Wednesday evening concerning the proposed rehabilitation of several Columbia Basin lakes. The last scheduled public meeting was last evening in Olympia.

The Rotenone treatments of the lakes are designed to reduce the number of undesirable fish such as carp, tench, and stunted sunfish that compete with game fish and destroy aquatic vegetation.

Rotenone is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a fish pesticide, and is regulated in Washington by the state departments of Ecology and Agriculture.

The treatment plans are scheduled to be completed in late August. The treated lakes would be stocked with trout fry next spring.

Besides improving fisheries, the treatment may also improve waterfowl habitat in lakes by eliminating common carp, which compete for food sources such as aquatic plants and insects.

The waters proposed for treatment, and the fish species that would be targeted, are: Beda Lake (sunfish and bass); Harris, Sedge, Tern, and Dune lakes (sunfish and bass); Heart, June, North-North Windmill, North Windmill, Windmill, Canal, and Pit lakes (sunfish, yellow perch, bass, and carp); North Teal, South Teal, Herman, and Lyle lakes (sunfish, yellow perch, bass, and carp); Upper Caliche, Lower Caliche, and West Caliche lakes and drainage (sunfish, yellow perch, and carp); Martha Lake (sunfish, yellow perch, and bass).

When Fish and Wildlife biologists indicate it is time to rehabilitate a lake, we trust them. It means the fishing will improve in the next few years, until they become infested with undesirable species again.

If there is a silver lining in all of this, it is the fact Fish and Wildlife usually opens the lakes to be treated to no limit fishing. This hasn't happened yet, but we will let you know if the limits are lifted. Of course, no matter the limit, if there are no fish or few fish in the lakes, what does a limit matter?

From Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's Family Guide Service

What's hot is trolling for Sockeye Salmon off the mouth of the Okanogan River. Chinook numbers are still building with some fish being caught both below Wells Dam and off the mouth of the Okanogan. Also hot is trolling the indeterminate flat below the Bar for Lakers in the mid-morning on Lake Chelan. Wapato Lake has produced some suspended rainbows as its retention season wears down.

Fish for sockeye with Mack's Lures mini squid rigs behind big chrome dodgers or simply bait a tandem red hook set up with Pautzke cured shrimp chunks off the mouth of the Okanogan River. Strap on your patience for the Brewster launch ramp. For the Chinook try sardine wrapped T55 Flatfish in Clown or Michael Jackson colors.

Fish for Lakers on Chelan with T-4 Flatfish in Purple Glow or those UV/glow Kingfisher lite spoons off the downriggers. The big deal on Chelan this week was a little F7 purple glow flatfish off the outrigger rod.

Contact Anton at 866-360-1523.

More from Fish and Wildlife

Salmon fishing in the Columbia River is picking up with the approach of August. An increasing number of sockeye salmon are being caught right off the mouth of the Okanogan River, according to fish biologists.

Chinook salmon fishing has been slow, but should pick up as more fish pass Wells Dam. Anglers are reminded of the daily catch limit is six salmon, of which no more than three can be chinook and only one chinook can be a wild, unmarked fish.

The action should also pick up on the Methow River and its tributaries, now that stream flows are finally dropping to fishable levels. Another reminder to anglers is those waters are catch-and-release only and that selective gear is required.

Smaller tributaries within the Methow system are good during the summer for anglers who want to catch and keep brook trout. Specifically Eightmile, Falls, and Boulder creeks are all tributaries to the Chewuch River that hold brook trout. The daily limit on Falls and Eightmile Creeks is five fish, and on Boulder Creek it's 10 fish. There is no minimum size for brook trout in these waters.