I hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial Weekend. I am sure it was one of the busiest in recent years, due to the lifting of many of the restrictions that we have been following. The weather was sunny and hot, and I know there were a lot of families that had a terrific time. I am sure a whole bunch of smores were consumed. Can you believe that it is already June?

There has been a buzz out there about the Colville Tribe charging additional fees for access to their reservation, camping and launching fees. I got a link from the tribe’s communication folks, and it explains the details of the new fees. Here is the link that will take you to the page where it can be found: https://www.colvilletribes.com/parks-recreation.

Like so many others I have enjoyed years of great fishing on Rufus Woods Reservoir for big triploid rainbow trout—all of these fish are provided by the Colville Tribe. The tribe is also involved in the suppression effort of northern pike in Lake Roosevelt. Let’s not forget they are releasing millions of summer and spring salmon smolt from their hatchery in Bridgeport, too.
I watched the new boat ramp get completed at the middle net pens this summer. This site is jointly operated by the WDFW and the Colville Tribe. The tribe has opened their reservation to non-tribal members recently, and this ramp and other facilities at the site are now available.

Good news for fans of fishing on Rufus Woods for triploid rainbow. The staff at the Colville Tribal Fish Hatchery released over 44,000 triploids in the early spring and released another 20,000 on May 26th. The fish in the latest release averaged about 2 pounds each and can be identified by the absence of an adipose fin. Approximately 4,000 of these fish were tagged, and anglers are asked to contact the Colville Fish and Wildlife Department and provide the tag number and information related to the catch. This week’s photo is of me with one of the triploids I got on Rufus last season.

Last Thursday I went to the Colville Tribal Fish and Wildlife website and their on-line licensing area. I read a notice that said that the reservation is now open, and licenses and permits are available. I was able to open and account and buy my license and permits for this year. I got an annual license, $40.00; the new access permit, $80.00, and a two pole permit for $12.00. Total license and permit fees came to $132.00. An annual launch fee permit is also available, but I didn’t get it. Figured I would pay as I go for that one.

I am not too swift when it comes to filling out forms for licenses and other items on my computer but turned out to be pretty easy. I was impressed at how well the system worked. I got all my licenses and permits on one sheet that I printed out at home and is now folded and tucked into my handy wallet with all my other licenses.

Fishing for triploid rainbow trout on Lake Roosevelt is outstanding and will continue to be that way—thanks to the joint efforts of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Lake Roosevelt Net Pen Project. Hundreds of thousands of trout will be released from the net pens and hatcheries in northwest Washington over the period of the next two weeks.
The fish come from three sources: the WDFW’s Sherman Creek Hatchery, the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, and the Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pens. This program has been going on for over 25 years to create a terrific fishery. Over $475,000 will be released from the Sherman Creek Net Pens and the Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pens. The fish will average 8 to 12 inches and will grow to be 18 inches or greater over the coming months.

The Spokane Tribe, with the support of the WDFW staff and tanker trucks will also be releasing 10,000 triploid rainbow into the lower third of the lake. These will average about a pound. Although most of the trout fishing occurs in the fall and winter, abundant numbers of rainbow of exceptional quality are available year-round on Lake Roosevelt.

Washington State Parks has announced the permanent closure of 12 boat-in campsites in the Ponderosa Campground at Steamboat Rock State Park on Banks Lake, near Electric City. The closure began just after the Memorial Day weekend, on Tuesday, June 1st. At that time, the campground will convert to a day-use only are with 900 feet of shoreline available for picnicking exploring.
With the closure of the boat-in campsites, Steamboat Rock will still have nearly 70 primitive, first-some, first-served campsites in two picturesque inlets—Osborn Bay and Jones Bay campgrounds. Construction of the new Cove Look campground, located between Sage Loop and Dune Loop campgrounds, is scheduled to for completion later this summer. This new campground will offer 29 new reservable campsites with full hookups.

Washington State Parks has also announced that there will be four Discover Pass free days to enjoy access to these parks in June. The first is on Saturday, June 5th, in recognition of National Trails Day. The next is on Saturday, June 12th, in honor of National Outdoors Day, and Sunday June 13th is also a free day. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated both June 12th and 13th as Free Fishing Weekend, when people can try their luck at fishing without a fishing license.

The fourth free day is on Saturday, June 19th as a new Discovery Pass free day. This is designated as “Juneteenth” by the Legislature and will be a paid holiday for state workers beginning in 2022. The new designation reflects “a commitment among state land agencies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion as core values”.

When the Legislature created the Discovery Pass, which requires a $30.00 annual fee or a $10.00 fee for one-day use of our State Parks, it said there would be 12 fee free days that the public could access the parks without the Discover Pass. The Discover Pass free days allow free parking, but boat launching and other fees, such as overnight camping still need to be paid.