Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Dhoey07 on January 05, 2012, 09:10:35 AM

Title: Sprague Lake
Post by: Dhoey07 on January 05, 2012, 09:10:35 AM: Anybody been out to sprague lately? Looking for an ice report. I know it's been pretty dang warm lately and i don't want to go out on unsafe ice. Thanks in advance, Danny
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: JLS on January 05, 2012, 09:33:17 AM: Lots of open water on the north end of the lake. Don't know how sound the ice is on the south end, but it's been in the upper 40's for a few days with some high winds.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: goosegetter79 on January 05, 2012, 09:41:07 AM: Back on the 27th when I came back from the wetside there were a couple guys out there ice fishing but that was over a week ago so it may be alot different now with these warmer temps.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 10:13:11 AM: Sorry, haven't been back since they nuked the lake a few years ago
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: oldleclercrd on January 05, 2012, 12:51:43 PM: Quote from: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 10:13:11 AM
Sorry, haven't been back since they nuked the lake a few years ago

That was the best thing they could have done to the lake though. Its been great fishing ever since.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 01:01:41 PM: Any walleye left?
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: Dhoey07 on January 05, 2012, 01:24:44 PM: Quote from: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 01:01:41 PM
Any walleye left?

Nope, killed everything and have only planted trout and some bass back. I heard that they will eventually add more species to it but i kinda doubt they will add walleye because they seem to eat everything
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 01:26:31 PM: Quote from: fckfords07 on January 05, 2012, 01:24:44 PM
Quote from: DoubleJ on January 05, 2012, 01:01:41 PM
Any walleye left?

Nope, killed everything and have only planted trout and some bass back. I heard that they will eventually add more species to it but i kinda doubt they will add walleye because they seem to eat everything

Yup, kinda what I thought. No reason to go back then. The walleye fishing there was really pretty good, especially for a guy with a small boat and kids that like to catch a lot of fish. I can catch trout and bass all over western Wa. No reason to make a trip back to Sprague for that.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: Maverick on January 05, 2012, 04:56:51 PM: They killed 400,000 walleye in there. There were way to many, they ate everything and most were the size of perch with no enough to eat. I heard the trout fishing is awesome in there and the smallmouth too. For you guys wanting to catch walleye its better in scootney, pot holes, and moses lake.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: oldleclercrd on January 05, 2012, 10:01:44 PM: They planted the trout for something for us to fish for while the other fish are growing. Before they killed off all the fish they shocked the fish and kept some good size largemouth and catfish that they later released in the lake when the waters became habitable again. The spiny rays have been growing ever since they planted them, and this summer there should be 1-4 lb bass and 1 lb bluegill. They have largemouth bass, rainbow trout, bluegill, catfish, and supposedly they planted cutthroat trout but havent ever seen any yet. Not sure if they planted perch or not. That lake can produce some damn big fish in a hurry. The average depth of the lake is 8 feet and so it gets pretty warm and the bugs flourish, and in turn so do the fish. They let go some 8-9 inch trout in the winter and the next fall they were 16 inches if that tells you anything. The first triploid trout they planted are now 25" 7lb fish. Anyways, you might not want to over look this lake in my opinion.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: rotty33 on January 08, 2012, 02:49:39 PM: They should have just planted trout in there. It was dynamite fishing about two years ago, now the spiny rays are coming on and the Trout fishing stinks! Bad call by the biologists!
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 08, 2012, 03:27:43 PM: Quote from: Maverick on January 05, 2012, 04:56:51 PM
They killed 400,000 walleye in there. There were way to many, they ate everything and most were the size of perch with no enough to eat. I heard the trout fishing is awesome in there and the smallmouth too. For you guys wanting to catch walleye its better in scootney, pot holes, and moses lake.

News to me. I used to walk the railroad to the old shack on the north side after work when I was stationed at Fairchild. I'd get there about 7pm and be home by 10pm with a limit. I'd go almost nightly from early summer til it iced over. This was in 1998-2000 when the size limit wasn't slotted and was an 18" min. Sure, there were a ton of walleye in there but, I didn't have the perch size fish you're talking about
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 08, 2012, 03:29:54 PM: How bad did doing that hurt the local economy and campgrounds? Are they surviving/thriving like they used to? I wonder because, all of the fish that are currently in Sprague, I can catch within 20 miles of my Western Washington house. I came to sprague for the walleye.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: huntnnw on January 08, 2012, 10:49:39 PM: there are some huge cats in there, they saved a bunch of big cats and let them go. My uncle has caught 10-15 lbs cats
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: JJB11B on January 08, 2012, 11:33:11 PM: I used to love Ice fishing there when I was a kid. Also cought some nice walleyes there. Walleyes are the best eating freshwater white meat
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: huntnnw on January 08, 2012, 11:45:41 PM: 2 years ago in early June we went out and fished it and caught a bunch of 2-5lb bows it was a blast...the only lake where I have caught lake bows that fight like these. unreal
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: jechicdr on January 09, 2012, 10:36:06 AM: Caught a 20 lb cat as well as a bunch of 10 lb catfish before they rotenoned it. It took some effort to get them, so I haven't been back figuring that they probably killed a large number of the catfish, even if they put some of them back. If they can tell me they put most of them back, it might be worth pursuing.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: Dhoey07 on January 09, 2012, 11:16:12 AM: Quote from: JJB11B on January 08, 2012, 11:33:11 PM
I used to love Ice fishing there when I was a kid. Also cought some nice walleyes there. Walleyes are the best eating freshwater white meat

Ever had burbot?
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: JLS on January 09, 2012, 11:23:24 AM: Yes, and it gives walleye a good run for the money.
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: oldleclercrd on January 09, 2012, 11:41:16 AM: Yeah I agree, they put up quite a fight! If people try to icefish this lake just be aware that it is fed by underwater springs. You might think your secure on a solid 6" of ice and then drill a new hole a ways off and realize your standing on only a couple inches. Just be careful, but yeah the ice fishing can be great if you can fit those big ones through the hole :chuckle:
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: magnanimous_j on January 09, 2012, 01:21:52 PM: Quote from: JJB11B on January 08, 2012, 11:33:11 PM
Walleyes are the best eating freshwater white meat

Would have to agree. Ate a lot of walleye from Lake Superior, myself
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: DoubleJ on January 09, 2012, 01:35:37 PM: Saugers and saugeye's aint bad either
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: Maverick on January 09, 2012, 05:47:48 PM: Anyone got any pics to share from this lake?
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: huntnnw on January 09, 2012, 10:15:34 PM: my uncle was catching the big cats the first summer after the kill off
Title: Re: Sprague Lake
Post by: Dhoey07 on January 10, 2012, 07:44:04 AM: This was from two years ago, it was the last time i ice fished Sprague