Northwest Fishing Reports

WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

March 6, 2015

Lake Tapps closes to fishing

Action: Closes Lake Tapps to fishing.

Effective Dates: March 10, 2015, until further notice.

Species affected: All fish

Location: Lake Tapps (Pierce County)

Reason for action: Water levels in the lake have been drawn down and fish are concentrated in small pools. Leaving the lake open would be detrimental to the fish communities in these small pools. The lake is being closed to prevent excessive harvest of the fish in the lake and to improve the quality of the fishery after the lake refills. The lake will re-open once lake levels are sufficient to sustain a fishery.

Information contact: Tara Livingood, WDFW regional fish biologist, (360) 628-4223

Fishers must have a current Washington fishing license, appropriate to the fishery. Check the WDFW "Fishing in Washington" rules pamphlet for details on fishing seasons and regulations. Fishing rules are subject to change. Check the WDFW Fishing hotline for the latest rule information at (360) 902-2500, press 2 for recreational rules. For the Shellfish Rule Change hotline call (360)796-3215 or toll free 1-866-880-5431.

The "good" news is that Cascade Water has updated its Lake Tapps news section ( http://cascadewater.org/2015/03/05/lake ... ir-update/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) stating that the lake refill should begin the week of March 16th. The refill rate is targeted to be at the "recreational level" height by Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully the fishing closure will be removed sooner than having to wait until the "recreational level" of around 542 feet is reached by Memorial Day.

The refill has begun: http://cascadewater.org/2015/03/16/impo ... formation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From the Cascade web site:

"Cascade Water Alliance began refilling the Lake Tapps Reservoir system over the weekend. The speed of the refill is dependent on the available flows in the river. The target for reaching recreational lake (reservoir) levels remains Memorial Day weekend."

The lake's current USGS gage height: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=12101000" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now the wait begins to reach a level for the lake to re-open and the fishing can start.