Sprague Lake

[tluedeke]

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/a ... ague-lake/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is it just me, or is now the 6th straight year we've heard a feel good story about the (IMHO) previously incredible spiny ray fishery at Sprague Lake now being simply awesome (and oddly enough, in 100% concurrence with the views of the WDFW)??

Ten years ago, that lake was utterly incredible for black crappie, bluegill, and perch. Since the rehab in 2007, utterly destroyed....

Count me skeptical, until I see some non-WDFW associated folks raving................

[YellowBear]

I have been checking out the WDFW web site "Fish Washington", One of the first lakes I checked was Sprague.
Under lake information they give size of the lake and elevation , general location. Then we have Management type,
Sprague is listed as a mixed species emphasis on Trout.
I checked out Potholes listed as mixed species warmwater emphasis.
My first question is, how do you build a warmwater fishery when your emphasis is Trout?
Second question, how do you list a lake a warmwater emphasis when all you stock is Trout?
There is another box on the page, lake and species info but when I try to check that out nothing comes up.

[Kfedka]

If the spiny ray are so plentiful why have we not read or heard anything about them. Only thing that I've seen some from this lake is Trout.

[YellowBear]

I bet there are so many spiny rays in Sprague that they should be jumping in our boats.
They are so full of bait fish they just are not hungry.
Maybe we all just forgot how to catch them.

I think it may be time to load the generator and leads and head to Sprague and see what the WDFW claims to see.

[YellowBear]

I finally found a report from Sprague that is not about the Trout.
Last year a 16 inch Bullhead catfish was caught.
My guess is that this was a surviver of the kill off and not a restock.

[MotoBoat]

Why kill off the lake, then replant with the fish targeted for removal?

Maybe WDFW will supply (stock) the trout, and has figured out the bucket biologist has a track record to do the rest?

Wouldn't that theory fulfill the lake listing as "mixed species emphasis on Trout"?

One perspective, and is speculation on my part.

[Kassian's Tooth]

Why kill off the lake, then replant with the fish targeted for removal?

Maybe WDFW will supply (stock) the trout, and has figured out the bucket biologist has a track record to do the rest?

Wouldn't that theory fulfill the lake listing as "mixed species emphasis on Trout"?

One perspective, and is speculation on my part.

Not sure if it's true but was told it was targeted due to walleye but again that was hearsay and unsure if that was the sole reasoning.

[hewesfisher]

Take this with a grain of salt, but when I fished Sprague a few weeks ago, the resort owner at Four Seasons told me no one is targeting spiny ray species. He said there are LMB pushing 3+lbs and big bluegill, but no one is fishing for them. I went to fish for the big 'bows so I guess I was just like everyone else not targeting spiny ray.

If what I was told is true, it might explain why there are no reports for anything except trout. Maybe all of us should take the time to fish for, and report on, how the fishing is for non-trout.

The primary reason the lake was rehabbed was to remove carp from the lake.

[YellowBear]

Thanks for the update hewesfisher, I will head that way this weekend.

[Kfedka]

Thanks for the update hewesfisher, I will head that way this weekend.

Let us know how you do.

[YellowBear]

Well the news is not very good.
We fished the south bank twice.
We tried small baits from 1 inch to 3 inches, tubes, curly tails, pin tails, livebait, crankbaits,spinnerbaits.
We did catch two sculpins.
I spoke with one of the resort owners and got quite a bit of new info.
Sprague lake is the best example of mismanagement I have ever witnessed.
(IMHO)

[hewesfisher]

Friday's Spokesman-Review fishing column had positive reports for LMB in the 3lb range, don't know the source or what was used, just comments they were being caught. Don't recall if there was any mention of bluegill.

[geljockey]

I saw this on the WDFW website. It's a short (less than 2-1/2 minutes) video on the largemouth bass fishery at Sprague Lake....http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/f ... eLakeVideo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Anglinarcher]

I don't quite know what to think. First, Yellow Bear, you caught some sculpins? Awesome! Seriously, because that means that they did not kill off all of the food. Hopefully there are crayfish and scuds in there again as well.

It also means that despite there best efforts, there will be perch, walleye, and carp that did not get killed off as well. I will let you decide the pros and cons of that.

geljockey, interesting video. I am not quite sure that the fish were caught at Sprague to be honest with you. Did anyone else notice how lethargic the fish seemed to be? I have some inside people in the Department that claim that except by electroshocking they have not caught anything out of Sprague, other then trout. Of course, electroshocking will pick up the fish put in there 6 years ago. I am not making any statements, just repeating ........... leaked information.

Still, I have not given up. I was going to go out last week and I held off. I recognize the location that the video showed and the pre-spawn is over now, but ........ the bass fishing should be getting better.

Dang, it is tough when there are known spots I can do well this time of year. Just how bad do I want to fight off the trout to try for the bass?

[MotoBoat]

I don't quite know what to think. First, Yellow Bear, you caught some sculpins? Awesome! Seriously, because that means that they did not kill off all of the food. Hopefully there are crayfish and scuds in there again as well.

It also means that despite there best efforts, there will be perch, walleye, and carp that did not get killed off as well. I will let you decide the pros and cons of that.

geljockey, interesting video. I am not quite sure that the fish were caught at Sprague to be honest with you. Did anyone else notice how lethargic the fish seemed to be? I have some inside people in the Department that claim that except by electroshocking they have not caught anything out of Sprague, other then trout. Of course, electroshocking will pick up the fish put in there 6 years ago. I am not making any statements, just repeating ........... leaked information.

Still, I have not given up. I was going to go out last week and I held off. I recognize the location that the video showed and the pre-spawn is over now, but ........ the bass fishing should be getting better.

Dang, it is tough when there are known spots I can do well this time of year. Just how bad do I want to fight off the trout to try for the bass?

Yes the fish being lethargic did catch my eye. In fact, they did not look very alive! Tails were not "s" shaped like some largemouth do when when grasped by the lip. Fins did not move! One gill plate moved, but that is the wind flipping it back and forth. Those fish did not look like they could swim off, in a strong fashion. Like the ones released. All fish looked strange coming out of the "live well". No idea why that would be, but did strike me strange.

[panfisher]

Best way for a bucket BIO. to introduce some bass to this fishery would be to do it in your face vid.

[panfisher]

I plan on fishing this lake next week for the spiny's. I will post what happens.

[YellowBear]

I think the two fellas in the film ought to quit the WDFW and hit the tournament trail, lol.

Angling Archer, I am very sure enough Crawdads made through the kill to repopulate, And I am sure some scuds and Carp made it but I asked at the resort just how many Walleye they saw after the kill and 2 was all. As you well know the WDFW said there was to many according to there FWIN study and they were eating everything in the lake. As I have reported in the past the lake was loaded with thousands of small Crappie.
The folks at the resort told me they had seen some Bass but few. They had not seen any of the Bluegill the WDFW is boasting about, and has anyone noticed there has been no mention of Crappie from anyone.
IMHO there had to be a overpopulation of Walleye to justify the FWIN study. The fact is, the study was wrong.
Commen sence tells me that if the Walleye are not spawning and the WDFW is not stocking the only outcome is a decline in the population.
It has been 6 years since they killed this lake off and the WDFW has been telling us what a success it is. When the WDFW stocked the Walleye and Smallmouth we were catching 100 Bass a day in 3 years.

Panfisher, if this is your first time to Sprague, watch the rocks.

[Anglinarcher]

YellowBear, I really hate to quote bad people, but Himmler, Hitler's propaganda minister, said the more often you tell a lie the easier it becomes to believe it. He also said the more outlandish a lite is the more people will believe it.

The video rates with the outlandish claim and the constant claims fit the frequency requirement. I wonder if Washington is using the NAZI play book to convince us?

Nevertheless, I too plan fish Sprague again for bass, probably this Saturday. Maybe we need an informal "WA Lakes" tournament to crack the lake?

Maybe we need to assign each of us a different way to fish it?????

I don't know. I just know it is tough when I could go to one of a dozen lakes and catch great large and small mouth bass, but I will try Sprague again.

[Bodofish]

Very true what Himmler said. It's estimated a habit is formed by repetitive behavior being done on the order of twenty times. Well if you think about it, 20 cigs in a pack..... Those tobacco companies are far from dumb! Anyways the same it true for lies, studies have shown it takes the repetition of approximately twenty times for the liar to become truly convincing. The next step is totally believing the lie themselves and that comes along with not many more repetitions. We're learning machines and capable of horrible things if taught the right way.