Sprague Lake Tern question

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

Now that Sprague is poisoned off and doesn't have any (or few) fish in it where is the tern population going to relocate to?

They sure were a noisy bunch and when fishing around the island I didn't want to stir up a mass flight that would pass overhead.

They probably won't be nesting on the island this year as there shouldn't be any food for them.

[Anglinarcher]

Now that Sprague is poisoned off and doesn't have any (or few) fish in it where is the tern population going to relocate to?

They sure were a noisy bunch and when fishing around the island I didn't want to stir up a mass flight that would pass overhead.

They probably won't be nesting on the island this year as there shouldn't be any food for them.

I suspect the gulls, not terns, will always be there. They will fly to neighboring lakes to feed, than fly back.

I have seen few of the gulls actually feed on Sprague for years, simply because the blooms kept the sight down in the water and they could not find food unless it floated to the top.

[YellowBear]

This a interesting question Bill.
Over the years the bird population at Sprague has changed a few times.
Harper Island used to be covered with Geese, then the gulls took over.
The Terns, Pelicans and Cormorants are new comers.
The Gulls are really hard on the Duck and Goose eggs.
The Pelicans and Cormorants are hard on the fish.
Those little Terns, I have not found any information on how much they impact a fishery.
I am really looking forward to fishing Sprague again. If the rehab works as well as it did in 85, there should be some great fishing down there in a couple of years. We might even see 1lb bluegill 2lb Crappie again. Maybe even some of the 17 inch Perch.

[zen leecher aka Bill W]

I first fished Sprague in 1990 which was 3 years after the re-hab. The weather was 105 during the day so I stayed in the shade. About 7 each night I'd venture out to the island by the 4 Seasons resort and fish until dark. I couldn't keep the walleye off my line. It was a test to see what I couldn't catch walleye on. I never found that lure.

We caught big (relative) bass, big bluegill, big perch and legal walleye. I think we even caught smallmouth bass that trip. For some reason we didn't have problem with the "bloom" and never had a problem with "bloom" until around year 2000. I don't know if the "bloom" observation is coincidence or not.

Since 2002 I'd notice "bloom" in the water during the July trips.

There were no terns on the island in 1990 and few gulls. I don't know if they were there before the 1987 rehab or not.

I'm thinking this year other lakes will have problems with terns....or there will be a big tern chick die-off on Sprague due to lack of food.

[fish4brains]

Off topic from the original Tern question but what species are they going to intro. back into Sprague? I heard they were planning on making this another Trout fishery:thumbdown but curious as to other species they are going to intro.? When do they plan on restocking?, immediately after ice out? How long 'till you guys think it will take to be a worthy fishery again? Sorry for all the questions but that lake was an awesome fishery, true the bloom sucked but man did it have some fish in it. I hope to be able to back on it soon. Thanks

[Deadeye]

I wonder how they are going to keep the carp from overpopulating again....

[fish4brains]

I wonder how they are going to keep the carp from overpopulating again....

I could be wrong but they were not worried about the carp but the 'eye. Plus I will gladly keep them carp in check with my bow and fly rod. I am still saddened they killed that lake off. If they killed it off and not fix the bloom I am going to be pist.

[YellowBear]

The Carp in Sprague will always be a problem. They can kill them off with Rote none but they don't get them all.
The Carp also populate the creek and every time we get a good runoff we get a new batch of Carp that get flushed down the creek into the lake.

As for the stocking, I have not heard when they will stock it. I have heard that they plan to stock it with Spinyrays, Largemouth Crappie, Bluegill and Cats. I have not heard the word Perch yet but I hope they add them to the list. Trout will be stocked this year so we will have a fish to catch. Although (IMHO) Trout is a poor choice for Sprague as the lake warms to much to fast for Trout. They live and get big but they are not very good table fare. There not bad if you catch them through the ice. I understand that they plan to add the Tiger Muskies at a later time. Its hard to believe that with the success of the Walleye in Sprague that they are not a option.

I would not expect much of a change in the bird population as there are many opportunities for food in the area.

[Marc Martyn]

Off topic from the original Tern question but what species are they going to intro. back into Sprague? I heard they were planning on making this another Trout fishery:thumbdown but curious as to other species they are going to intro.? When do they plan on restocking?, immediately after ice out? How long 'till you guys think it will take to be a worthy fishery again? Sorry for all the questions but that lake was an awesome fishery, true the bloom sucked but man did it have some fish in it. I hope to be able to back on it soon. Thanks

Here is the latest info on the rehab of Sprague Lake that I could find:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/factshts/sprague_lak ... _may07.htm