by Jason Brooks, April 08, 2015

Standing knee deep in the shallow waters at the north end of Lake Lenore the alkaline water foamed causing me to lose sight of my strike indicator. My floating line began sinking and it was then that I knew that the indicator was under the foaming film not bobbing along with it. Quickly raising the 5 weight fly rod causing the line to go taunt the large fish dove deep and pulled hard. My face was as much wind burned as it was sun burned but it was the pull of the heavy fish that kept me out all day enduring the winds that frequented this ancient land formed by the great flood centuries ago. Basalt cliffs and sage covered hills the shallow lakes that could hold no other fish due to the alkaline content were perfect for the Lahontan Cutthroat, a fish almost as old as the flood itself but a fairly newcomer to this region of Washington thanks to plants from the famed Pyramid Lake in Nevada where the Lahontan originates.

The Lahontan is known for its size as the largest of the three subspecies of cutthroat found in Washington waters and is also the only one that is not native to this state. The coastal or “sea-run” cutthroat and the west slope cutthroat that have origins in Washington are plentiful and fun to catch and are measured often in inches were the Lahontan is measured in pounds. I still remember the first time I ever laid eyes on a Lahontan. It was Easter weekend and I was about 10 years old. We drove to the north end of Lake Lenore and casts Krocodile spoons in the green frog pattern. I hooked two fish that day and lost both of them to the required barbless hook but as a fly fisherman battled a brute of a fish near me on shore I offered to help net the fish. It was as I dipped the net that I saw the candy apple red sides and dark spots along the top side of the fish and I was mesmerized.

Several years later I returned to Lenore fresh out of the Air Force and with nothing to do. I was equipped with a fly rod this time, an old 8 weight rod that I learned to fish with in my teenage years. As I tried to entice the fish with my hand tied flies they seemed to swim right by as if I was using a rock to catch them. During a mid-day break I drove into the tiny town of Soap Lake to the hardware and liquor store that also had a fishing section. The clerk at the counter who to this day I assume was the owner and sole proprietor of the store suggested a few flies. He handed me a gaudy green fly with a few extra feathers which I bought one of to appease him and then he suggested a few chornomids and a black wooly bugger that had some tinsel in its tail. I also noticed a 5 weight rod that was on a clearance rack and decided to buy it as well.

Now armed with the proper flies and rod I headed back to the north end. The afternoon wind was blowing hard and causing the alkaline waters to froth. I tied on a piece of white yarn at the splice of fly line and leader which didn’t help much. As I stood knee deep in the water this is when I hooked that first fish.


The next morning I was at a small restaurant in Coulee City eating a cinnamon roll and drinking a cup of coffee, something I had learned to do while in the military, and waiting for daylight. I overheard some locals talking about the Lahontan bite warming up as the water temperatures were starting to rise and the aquatic bugs were coming out of the mud. This is when I learned about the choronomid, a small midge that erupts out of the mud and swims or floats towards the surface and the Lahontan’s cruise around with their mouths open scooping them up like a whale eats krill. Thankfully I had bought some the day before and asked the guys how to fish them. It was simple, use a floating line with a strike indicator. The weight of the tiny fly slowly sank and then drifted in the water mimicking the small midges and the fish would swim by and as your strike indicator moved or went under you needed to set the hook.

As the sun lit the morning horizon I waded out into the shallows of the north side of Lake Lenore again. After a few false casts I had enough line out to lay it across the surface. I then stood and watched the strike indicator, now using a fluorescent orange pinch-on indicator making it much easier to see in the white foam. As it went under I set the hook and fought the fish. I continued to fish this way for several days that April averaging over 20 fish each day. Most were around 18 to 20 inches but a few topped 6 or 7 pounds.

I have learned over the years to fish for Lahontan’s early in the spring and stop once the air temperatures make it too warm to fish, which is around late June. The water also heats up and the fish head for the deeper waters making it impossible to have a productive day from shore. The earliest I have fished for Lahontan’s is in early March, where one year I had to break the ice around the edge of the lake to wade out to the fish. An older angler was watching me and when I came back to my truck he walked over to see how I did, “Not too well” was my answer. He asked what I was using and I showed him my size 16 black choronomid. He then handed me a size 10 choronomid and gave some sound advice that this early in the season the fish are still lethargic and looking for a big meal. The idea was to offer them a bug so big they couldn’t refuse it, and it worked. He also showed me how to tie a surgeon’s knot, which some call a blood knot, and used to join two lengths of leader. On the tag end he tied on a small choronomid and then on the far end another, doubling your chances. I have used this ever since with great success.

In April the fish will cruise the lakes shore looking for bugs that are emerging in the warm mud in the shallow waters. It is very important to stay still or use a float tube and then cast back towards shore. With a good pair of polarized sunglasses you can see fish cruising along looking for a meal. Make sure to cast out in front of the fish and let them swim to you. Black and Olive Green Wooly Buggers or leaches are also great flies to try, as well is a new fly by Mack’s Lure called the Smile Blade Fly which is a wooly bugger with a smile blade just behind the eye of the hook. Cast them out using a moderate sinking line and then strip them back in. Early in the month strip them in fairly slow but as the water warms speed up the retrieval to entice a strike. Often times when I get bored of “bobber fly fishing” as some refer to using choronomid’s and strike indicators I will switch over to fishing the leaches.

There are a few lakes in Washington that offer Lahontan Cutthroat fishing with Lenore and Grimes being the most popular, especially early in the seasons. My good friend Jeff Witkowski of Darrell and Dad’s Guide Service has been fishing Grimes a long time. He too likes to fish with fly rods but don’t be surprised to see him slowly working along a shoreline or out in the middle of the lake. When the water temperatures start to rise he notes that it is key to fish the thermoclines where the water temperature starts to drop and making it more comfortable for the trout. He offers some caution for later in the spring and that is to not play the fish too long, as the warm waters and the extended fighting of the fish can cause mortality. Instead play the fish to the net, let them rest until they are ready to go and then drop the net and allow them to swim away.

Omak Lake, located on the Colville Confederated Tribes land puts out big fish. The current state record of 18.04 pounds was caught by Dan Beardslee on July 1st, 1993. This goes to show that Omak, a much deeper lake that stays a bit colder can be very productive during the summer. Make sure to check out the WDFW regulations for Grimes and Lenore, and the Colville Confederated Tribes regulations for Omak.

Lake Lenore is my favorite lake to fish for the colorful Lahontan. At 1,670 acres it offers plenty of room to fish from shore or by non-gas motorized boats. Just north of the town of Soap Lake along highway 17 is the south end of Lenore with a dirt parking lot. Fishing here often included dodging cows as you cross a large pasture to the edge of the lake. Anywhere along the large shallow flat is productive. Continuing north on Highway 17 you will come to another parking lot with a creek flowing by. This is a collection area for brood stock capture and there are clearly marked areas designated as a no fishing zone. But the rest of the shore is productive. Then there is the north end, again just off of highway 17. Here parking is along the side of the road. Those that like to cast spoons and spinners will stand on top of the basalt outcroppings right along the highway. For the fly rod toters hike down to the lakes edge and wade out to knee deep waters. Sometimes you will actually casts back towards shore when the fish move into the flats.

Two years ago this month, April 2013, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Officers took down a nighttime poaching ring at Lake Lenore. When the poachers were caught they had netted 242 fish in one night. Some say the decline of fishing for the famed Lahontan Cutthroat in Lenore was due to this increased illegal activity. Others cite that the lake warmed up to lethal temperatures a few years back which caused a fish die off or slow growth. Either way, Lenore might not be the same as when I first started fishing it some 30 years ago but thanks to fry plants each November for the past several years, each plant averaging over 70,000 fish, it won’t take long for Lenore to rebound.

Grimes Lake is also very popular and can be a great fishery though it is best fished by boat. A float tube will work but with afternoon winds you are pretty much stuck to the area near the boat launch. Omak Lake is big and can be intimidating but if you spend any time at the lake you will soon find the fish. The Lahontan Cutthroat is one of my favorite fish to pursue, especially with a fly rod. This April, May, or June, even into early July give these fisheries a try. Take a break during the hottest part of the summer and return in September and fish into November. One thing to remember is that these fish are not the best eating, probably due to the alkaline waters they live in but they are fun to catch and great to look at.