Lake Roosevelt Reconnaissance

M

Marco Flamingo

Active member
I just spent a few days in Chelan and almost took my boat with me to cruise on Lake Roosevelt. Glad I left the boat at home. Until I drove around the lake, I really didn't have any idea what it would be like at a low water level. It turns out that it is like the Willapa Bay mud flats when the tide out, except that the Lake Roosevelt tide is predicted to stay out until July or August (if it does rise this year). Many places had 100 yards of barren mud flat before being able to get "ashore" to terra firma. Not much possibility of viewing wildlife on shore or anchoring in a little wooded cove.

The boat launches that I visited were all high and dry, including some that said they were still operational at the low level. The Keller Ferry was out of service and the Gifford Ferry had a notice that it would be out of service in a week because of water levels. Not sure when they would have enough to start up again.

There were flotillas with hundreds of houseboats anchored out, so if and when the water rises, I think I have an idea of what will happen on the lake. Lake Roosevelt looks so interesting on the map. In person, not so much.

Mark

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Mark,

We spent a few days on the lake three years ago and had a good time. That was in August and it was a cool period relative to the normal temps that time of year. The swimming and beaches nearly everywhere were great and the fishing was OK at the time. Did some neat hikes and cliff jumping into a couple of bays. There were a lot more little anchoring pockets in the area than I ever envisioned.

We launched at Hunters Campground, used the little store in Hunters for some provisions and ice for others in the group, and that worked out very nice.

We anchored in an arm of the bay near Falls Creek and Rogers Bar camping area and it was a really nice little spot. It it were busy with campers, we would have gone elsewhere but it was pretty quiet at the time and dead calm back in there.



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Greg
 
I lived nearby about 10 years ago, and really enjoyed Lake Roosevelt. The summer I remember, the water levels were way down too, and there was only one spot to launch. The ramp seemed to go on forever and really tested those trailer backing skills. We spent quite a few weekends camping in secluded coves by ourselves.

One interesting thing to note about the lake, or at least the part we enjoyed.... the far side of the lake is tribal land so the rules/laws are different. I remember this being problematic for some folks that wanted to have a camp fire and party hearty on the beach.

Also we woke up one morning in our boat, and the water levels had dropped over night by probably a foot. Not a problem for us in our small boat, but the houseboat that had decided to beach near our camp was screwed. Something to be aware of.

I wouldn't write the lake off, I have some really great boating memories there.
 
Greg,

Thanks for the pics. That's more like what I had in mind. With your and Paul's endorsement, I guess I won't write it off. Water level is everything. Too bad because right now, with temp soon in the mid-70's and nobody around, that's my kind of cruising.

Another thing that troubled me about the lake, and it's starting to show up everywhere, are the handy little signs at the put-in that tell you how many portions of which fish you can eat per week. I can have three meals of lake trout, but only two of burbot, etc.

Can I eat both? What if I eat more? Is this the new WSFG fisheries management program? And what are the toxins and what is their source? Is it worse for me than Dinty Moore stew? Inquiring minds want to know. More likely, inquiring minds will just not fish there.

Mark
 
Lake Roosevelt water levels are purposefully reduced during late winter and early summer as are many lake levels that are controlled by dams or locks...they need the space for spring runoff. They usually try and bring levels up by late June or July. Same thing every year, but this year they are re pairing the drum gate, which drops the level below 1232. They usually don't drop below that.

https://www.usbr.gov/pn/grandcoulee/lak ... index.html

Most people don't seem to realize how much our rivers and lakes are controlled, particularly the mighty Columbia.

Good recreation and creating a wilderness experience requires great engineering and lots of management. I remember buying a nice canoe that had been swamped and pinned against a rock on the Natahala River in North Carolina. 10 people pulling on a rope couldn't get it out of the water. The owner wanted to leave, so I bought it, in the water, and waited until they turned the river off at 6:00 PM. By 8:00 PM I could get the canoe free.
 
Marco Flamingo":2sfgpby8 said:
Another thing that troubled me about the lake, and it's starting to show up everywhere, are the handy little signs at the put-in that tell you how many portions of which fish you can eat per week. I can have three meals of lake trout, but only two of burbot, etc.

Can I eat both? What if I eat more? Is this the new WSFG fisheries management program? And what are the toxins and what is their source? Is it worse for me than Dinty Moore stew? Inquiring minds want to know. More likely, inquiring minds will just not fish there.

Mark
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I don't remember any signs, or anybody really caring about the contamination back when we fished that lake. We ate a ton of those land locked kokanee we caught while trolling that lake. They were really great. All the beer and whiskey I used to drink in those days was worse for me than the contaminated fish :lol:

I was aware of it though from my work in the environmental field. Water flows into the lake from Canada, where smelters have dumped their slag laden water for generations. It may look crystal clear and beautiful but its a dumping ground for heavy metals from our northern neighbors. Pretty smart on their part, it just flows right into the U.S. and they don't have to deal with it.
 
It was always funny in Northern California when a outsider or flat lander would see the lakes in the late winter. " omg it will take years for the lakes to get full." three months later lakes are over spilling the dams and everyone is worried about the flat lands flooding and the dikes holding. its a cycle that has been going on for ever. Only think new is that more people are using the same water.
 
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