Spokane Tribe to kill walleye on Spokane River during general spring closure

[bearpaw]

Yep but it seems that its their way or the highway.  I think they are wasting their time.  There are more walleye spawning areas than the Spokane arm or the Sanpoil.  A waste of time and money.  But that is the federal government for ya!  There was even a proposal to increase walleye limit to 16 on Lake Roosevelt.  I fish the lake all the time and its rare that I get all 8 walleye.  Most fisherman catch what they want to eat.  I release all 22" and above walleyes.  The reason like mentioned above kokanee fingerlings are targeted by walleye is where they raise the damn kokanee..rivers, creeks where walleye spawn?  Stupid!  Raise them until they are 8-10" and release them.

From my first post:

at this point I doubt they will have a large impact.

You are right, I doubt they have a large impact unless they start netting them. It's possible some reduction in spawning might benefit the walleye and anglers. I don't know the biology well enough to say for sure, but it seems there's not enough feed in the river for all the little walleye to get bigger. As I had mentioned most of the other fish have been eaten years ago. I think walleye are eating littler walleye to stay alive. Wished i knew more specifics so I could make a more intelligent statement, just saying the way it looks to me.

[yelp]

I appreciate your comments and I learned something from them.  I do know kokanee eat plankton which usually is in the upper or  missle part of the water column.  The deeper sections of the lake seem to be the better areas to fish for kokanee.  Roosevelt has a phenomonal rainbow trout fishery.  It is out there.  I am trying to find what it is the tribes want?  to be able to gill net a bunch of kokanee, rainbows, redbands?? What?  If it is more ceremonial than subsistence what is the threshhold?  Are there numbers.  Reestablishing native populations is such a broad goal and the lack of spawning habitat due to the dams make that a terrible goal IMO.  I think its more than just predatory fish.  Thanks again for your comments Dale.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Thanks Dale for the history. We fish it couple times a year and really enjoy all the species! Never tried for the kokes. I hope the tribes dont start seinin the botom for crayfish!

[TommyH]

I dont think it will have much of an impact on wallygators numbers but may help kokes numbers It may help the wallygators to have some reduced numbers and allow them to grow to a larger size.  One female can lay up to 500,000 eggs.

[yelp]

Just a thought..I wonder if they use gill nets how many rainbows, kokanee, redband, bull trout and other sensitive fish will be in the tribes bycatch.    

[bearpaw]

Your post was the first I heard about the walleye issue with the Spokanes. I didn't see that the news stories say what methods of fishing the tribe may use, so I don't think it's prudent for anyone to assume there will be netting at this time.

I have heard there's a big BPA fund or settlement to help establish a fishery for the (roosevelt area) tribes. I think that is likely what funded the Sherman Cr kokanee hatchery (a guess). It's really too bad that hasn't worked out. Kokanee are a great eating fish that draw a lot of fishermen and provide food for bigger fish.

Someone mentioned something about fish ladders. I remember reading somewhere that coulee is too big to use fish ladders. I can't help but wonder if there isn't a way around that if they really wanted to find a way. We did put men on the moon, seems we should be able to get salmon around a dam.

I also mentioned that it might be worth a try at raising salmon (chinook) in roosevelt like they have in the Great Lakes. That might be more fesable than the kokanee fishery.

No doubt the sport fishing opportunities today are much better for most fishers than it was 40 years ago when scrap fish dominated roosevelt. But, I have always thought it better to find a solution that works for everyone rather than just complain and this effort to find a replacement fishery for the loss of salmon could turn into a fishery that's beneficial to all fishers. In the process, I doubt anyone can exterminate walleye from roosevelt anyway and suspect any attemps might actually help the walleye fishery produce better sized fish.

I wish we had a fish bio on here who knew more specific details.

You might check with the Colville Tribal F&G, they have a very active department and watch their fish closely. They likely know every detail of what's going on and what the goal may be.

[bearpaw]

Roosevelt has a phenomonal rainbow trout fishery.  It is out there.

Keep in mind, there is very little natural reproduction, roosevelt is an artificial fishery that is supported by the net pens, the bulk of the trout fishery is due to the fish raised in net pens and released after they are big enough to not be eaten by walleye immediately.

Everyone who fishes roosevelt should throw a ten or twenty toward that effort every time they go fishing. You would see even better fishing.

[TommyH]

rod and reel fishing only,  I agree with ya dale, we can put a man on the moon but we cant get fish around a dam!?! Things would be different arond here if we still had the salmon spawning. Untill that happens, (when and if) i wouldnt mind some chinook in lake roosevelt! They got landlocked chinook in Lake Coeur d'alene and have tournaments that draw alot of attention to their area. I know what i would be doing today if there were chinooks that close by!   

[plugger]

I fish walleye almost exclusivly including all the turnaments on the WA ciriut and with all the fish puking up in the live well, Everything from bass, bluegill crapie perch catfisk crawdads and other walleye, I have never seen a trout or a koke in one yet and that includes the ones I keep to eat (only under 20") and I check to see what there eating. Im sure they eat a few but not enough to effect trout or koke populations. They plant from what i have read close to 1,000,000 trout a year and they feed on alot of the same things koks do, I would guess to say the compitition for food between trout and kokes would effect there mortality more.

[pjb3]

Boycott the Tribes.  Don't support new casino in Spokane or use any casinos, fuel, don't use two river marina go to seven bays instead or miles creston store. etc.. http://nwsportsmanmag.com/2012/03/16/spokane-arm-walleye-bounty/

Should alway do that anyway. BOYCOTT them

[TheHunt]

I will be honest...  The only time I have ever spent money is on the fishing licenses to fish the tribal fish on the clearwater.  That is it... 

[woodywsu]

Native fish should be a priority. I wouldn't be suprised to see all walleye and small mouth removed from the Columbia River system.

[Curly]

Native fish should be a priority. I wouldn't be suprised to see all walleye and small mouth removed from the Columbia River system.

They could never remove all walleye and smallmouth.

Are Kokanee native in Roosevelt......I don't think so. 

[woodywsu]

you are correct curly, they will never remove them all. But I wouldn't be suprised if limits were increased to reduce the numbers.

And yes, kokanee are native.

[PlateauNDN]

Here's some info. to read.

http://www.spokanetribe.com/dnr