Sweet way to finish out the year! Thanks for the report. And a Happy New Year to you and yours!

That sounds like a blast, great report.

That's really awesome Alan!!! Good job. Too bad you had to keep 15 fish... but Lake Roosevelt is pretty large I guess! LOL!! I like seeing some swim away! LOL

Great job Alan and nice report. Good thing you KEPT all 15 fish, they are excellent table fare as you know. We're heading up in about an hour and I plan to KEEP all 10 fish we catch too. :-)

Limit your kill, don't kill your limit

There are two types of trout in lake Roosevelt. The native Red Band and the hatchery raised triploids. The red bands should be released as they reproduce naturally in the lake. The hatchery fish are raised to take and are wonderful red meat table fare. If you look at the picture I posted you will see all fish kept have clipped adipose fins from the hatchery. No fish is ever wasted and all are eaten and enjoyed by our family and friends as smoked fish. If the fishing is really hot I will release fish that come unhooked in the rubber knot-less net we use. All of that said the fish we keep and eat from Roosevelt are awesome!!

I totally agree with Steelhead6438 when he releases the wild cutthroat on lake Sammamish only keeping a couple for dinner if so chosen. Single, barbless and no bait is the way to go if you want to release fish and have a high survival rate. Damaged fish should be kept for the table if that happens. Also keep in mind only five trout may be caught when using bait whether kept or released.

Tight lines and Happy New Year - Alan

couldn't have said it better. Best tasting HATCHERY rainbows I ever had came out of Lake Roosevelt.

There's a big difference between a "put and take" fishery and native fishery. 99.99% of us fishing Roosevelt for trout are catching net pen raised fish released for us to enjoy, not restore the resource. I've personally never caught a native red band in Roosevelt, and would most likely release one if I ever did. I have no issue whatsoever putting net pen fish in the cooler, that's what they are there for. ;-)

One difference with the fin clipped trout in Roosevelt is they are NOT raised in hatcheries, they are raised IN the lake in net pens. They live in the same water and feed on aquatic insects in addition to "fish food". That's why they have nice red flesh right after they are released, not the pale flesh more commonly seen with hatchery fish. :-)

Absolutely agree Mike, and having had them from Rufus Woods as well, I'd be hard pressed to say those are any better.

That's right hewesfisher. Guess what I meant was that the fish start out in hatcheries and then are raised in net pens IN the lake. You can see the history and program details here: http://www.lrf.org/Env/Env-History.html

I have only caught one Red Band; a 5+ pound beauty, in the Seven Bays area, a year ago. The 30 mile stretch of the Columbia above the Canadian border to the Arrowhead Lakes dam has native Red Band Trout. I have been to a presentation put on by a guide from Canada at the Sportsman's Show. What a fishery....still on the bucket list!

people need to realize you don't have to eat em all in one setting!