In 1996, the Colville Tribes, working with Columbia River Fish Farms (an aquaculture facility on Rufus Woods Reservoir) began a fish release program using Tribal funds in order to supplement the Rufus Woods rainbow trout fishery.  This project was a huge success but grew beyond the capabilities of Tribal funding.  The current Washington State record rainbow trout was caught in Rufus Woods.  In 2007 and 2008 there were more than 40,000 angler days spent fishing in Rufus Woods each year, making Rufus Woods the most popular fishing destination on the Colville Reservation.  The current bag limit is two fish per day.  In 2007 and 2008 boat anglers averaged approximately 1.6 fish per angler per day.  During some months the average fish caught exceeded two kilograms.

The FY2008 creel study indicated that angling pressure has nearly doubled while catch rates and average size have substantially declined.  FY2009 data indicate that catch rates and average fish size are continuing to decline.  A primary goal of the 2-010 study will be to determine how to manage the fishery so that catch rates return to 2007 levels.

In order to ensure the continued success of this fishery the Colville Tribes will continue a detailed creel study in order to determine: (1) Angler effort; (2) Angler success rates; (3) In reservoir fish movements; (4) the source of fish (entrainment through Grand Coulee Dam, net pen escapement or releases, State or Tribal fish plants or natural reproduction) caught by anglers and (5) determine if Rufus Woods Reservoir has sufficient secondary production potential to allow fishery managers to supplement the fishery with smaller (and therefore less costly) fish and allow sufficient numbers of these fish to reach a desirable size.  If sufficient secondary production potential is present an attempt will be made to determine what size fish can most efficiently (in terms of cost and growth potential) be planted.  In addition the fishery will be supplemented by the release of 40,000 lbs fish purchased from one of the local aquaculture facilities.  Target weight of released fish will be 3-4 lbs., but actual size will be determined by price and availability.  All released fish will be Floy tagged.

The results of the study will be used to determine the necessary management efforts needed to ensure the continued success of this fishery.