Fish researchers and local tribes are teaming up for a sturgeon check-up in Lake Roosevelt, slated to start on September 29, and if you're angling to catch some fish yourself, you'll need to pay attention to where these pros will be dropping their lines. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), in collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians, will be conducting a two-week setline survey targeting the lake's juvenile white sturgeon, which overlaps with the recreational fishing season for these prehistoric fish.
The survey is part of a routine monitoring effort, detailing a precise upstream moving schedule from Rickey Point all the way to the Little Dalles, with the first week covering areas from Rickey Point to Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek and the second week continuing from Pingston Creek/Nancy Creek to Little Dalles—the WDFW's fish program manager, Chris Donley, expressed in a statement obtained by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's newsroom, that this forward notice aims to minimize conflict, saying, “Because this survey overlaps with sturgeon season and covers areas anglers use, we want people to know where we’ll be working,” and adding a considerate touch, “A quick look at the schedule can help anglers plan their trips and avoid interruptions.”
It's not just the what and when, but the how of the survey that's fascinating; research boats will place ten 600-foot setlines each day—those are some long lines with buoys that will stay in the water overnight, and it's all hands on deck for the retrieval the next day, but since fishers are often out on weekdays the overlaps might get a bit dicey so keep an eye out for those buoys and steer clear to avoid bungling the biologists' work.
If you're worried about your prized catches being mistaken for science samples, rest easy—these setlines use smaller hooks to avoid snagging the big ones that fishers typically seek, and the crews have the know-how to focus on what they need for their survey without upsetting the recreational fishing crowd; they plan to keep disruption to a minimum by using tactics like dialing down their boat wake near others and sticking to weekdays for the setline fishing. With the goal to glean information on the survival and growth of the lake's sturgeon population, the biologists aim for a harmonious balance between research and recreation on the serene waters of Lake Roosevelt.
