by Jason Brooks, October 11, 2011

Omak WA-If I could build a fish of my own I would start by choosing a trout, mostly because it is what I caught as a child with my dad and brother and has created the most memories for me. But then I would do a few variations, such as bright colors of crimson red sides, cuts under the jaw for character, large spots on a green back, and of course, being a fisherman it would grow to enormous proportions. And because I like to fish in warm weather I would make the fish thrive in desert conditions. But the lakes in the deserts of Washington have a high alkaline content due to the catch basin being basalt rock. Well, luckily for me and for you, a fish just like this already exist; the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. The largest alkaline lake that holds these fish and is also the current location of the state record at 18.02 lbs is Omak Lake on the Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation.

Omak Lake is 3,244 acres nestled in a high desert of rolling sagebrush hills. Due to its large size, and regulations by the tribe that protects the shallow shorelines in the northern part of the lake during the May spawning period, this is primarily a boat fishery. As the lake begins to thaw in March and warm up through May the regulations change from a catch and keep to a catch and release fishery which means using fly gear or single barbless hooks on lures and no bait. Just like the other popular Lahontan waters in Washington, the fish start cruising the shallows and shorelines looking for creeks and sourced of cold water for spawning.

Fly rod toting fisherman usually target these areas with the same standard flies for Lake Lenore, such as black or green whooly buggers in size 8 to 4, or very small bead head chironomids in 14 to 18. But the general widespread technique for these fish is trolling in a little deeper water, targeting thermo clines and along the bays. Anton Jones of Darrell and Dad’s Family Guide Service offers trips to this lake and said they like to use a variety of lures, “We fish fast with Silver Horde plugs. Greens and Silvers work best. 2.4 to 2.8 mph. We fish with Silver Horde's Kingfisher Lites at 1.6 mph. Color is unimportant and fish slow (1.2 mph) with Rushin' Salmon Wobblers in Green Mackerel.”

Other lures to try are the Luhr-Jensen Krocodile spoon in the frog pattern and Dick Nites in silver and chartreuse. Another option is to troll the F4 Kwik Fish in frog pattern. For both fly fishermen and gear trollers the new Smile Blade Fly by Macks Lure, which is a whooly bugger with a smile blade in front is a “go to” fly. For the gear guys simply put a few split shot a foot or two above the fly and troll at slow speed. The fly rodders should use a slow sinking tippet line and strip it in slowly.

History of this lake and the fishery: What makes this trip to Omak Lake unique is that you are fishing a part of history. First the region itself should be explored. It is rich in Native American culture. In fact Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, who gave the famous surrendering speech “I will fight no more forever” died on the Colville Reservation in 1904 and is buried at Nespelem. But back to the fishing, Omak Lake received its first plantings of Lahontan Cutthroats in 1968, which is noted in a report “Colville Lakes Compendium, Limiting Factors, and Management Plan” published by John Arterburn in 2003. These fish were actually a cross of rainbow hybrids from Lake Heenan in California and Lahontan’s from Pyramid Lake in Nevada. The reason why these fish were put in the lake was due to its alkalinity. Back in 1953 a netting of the lake revealed only chum suckers lived there. The lake was stocked with rainbows from 1950 to 1960 and in 1956 brook trout were planted. None of these fish survived so in 1968 they tried the Lahontan’s which did well in the alkaline waters with successful fishing since 1975. A creel census that the tribes did from 1975 to 2001, over 26 years of data showed that average fish caught weighed just under 2 ½ pounds with most of the fish in the 19 to 20 inch range, but some fish were recorded over 30 inches, including that state record of 18 pounds.

Before going to Omak you should contact the Colville Confederated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Department for current regulations and also where to launch at. The south end of the lake’s shoreline is closed to non-tribal members, and the north end is closed to fishing. Jones pointed out that launching can be difficult, giving this advice “You have to launch at Beer Can beach which can be dicey.” To get to Omak Lake from Omak, take Columbia River Rd/BIA-10 heading southeast for about 10 miles and you will find yourself at the lake.



Sidebar:
You will need a fishing permit from the tribe. For non-tribal members the cost is $10 for a single day use permit, a three day permit is $20, a seven day is $30 and the yearly permit is $40. Also get a copy of the current regulations as it will describe the closed waters, closed shorelines to all access and also give launch sites that can be used by non-tribal members. There is some camping available, but again, contact the tribe for more information.

Colville Tribes Fish & Wildlife Department can be contacted at:
25 B Mission Road
Omak, Wa 98841

Front Desk (509) 442-7529

Main website:
http://nrd.colvilletribes.com/index.htm

Regulations page: http://nrd.colvilletribes.com/fishandwildlife.htm

Pictures By Anton Jones, Darrell and Dad's Family Guide Service.