On Lake Roosevelt, anglers with a state fishing license can fish almost anywhere from a boat, but a tribal license is required for fishing from the reservation's shoreline. Thousands of trout are raised at the Colville Tribal Resident Fish Hatchery downstream from Bridgeport to stock in other reservation lakes. Colville Confederated Tribes: Spokane Tribe of Indians: Is a fishing license required from a boat? Yes: Yes: Yes: Are youths under 15 required to have a fishing license when accompanied by an adult? No: No: No: Is my state access permit good at Lake Roosevelt? No: No: No: Is driving motor or off-road vehicles on beaches or exposed lakebeds. The RV site is a coordinated effort between the Colville Confederated Tribes and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to provide enhanced public access for fishing and camping by tribal and nontribal persons along the reservation shoreline of the reservoir. Regular camping permits are not accepted at this site.

• Colville Fishing Regulations
• Colville Fishing Permit
• Colville Fishing Report
• Colville Fishing Permits Online
• Colville Tribal Hunting Permits

CTFW staff ensure that wildlife populations are maintained on the Colville Indian Reservation and North Half (within the Tribe’s Ceded and Usual and Accustomed Areas), to meet the cultural and subsistence needs of the membership by maintaining healthy, self-sustaining game and non-game populations.

Colville Fishing Regulations

The division contributes towards population recovery of Federally-Threatened and Endangered species, and other priority species that occur within the boundaries of the Colville Indian Reservation.

Wildlife Mitigation

The Wildlife Mitigation staff primarily works on the “Hellgate Big Game Winter Range Project”, which is a BPA funded project that focuses on the operations, maintenance, and enhancement of over 62,000 acres of land, on 18 Wildlife Area’s that lie within the boundaries of the Reservation. The Mitigation Project focuses on the management of lands on the west half of the Reservation (Okanogan County) and half focused on the east lands, primarily within the Hellgate Game Reserve (Ferry County). Crews spend a significant amount of time constructing new property boundary fences, repairing existing boundary fences, removing interior fences, noxious and invasive weed control, removing trespass livestock and feral horses.

Hound Hunting, Trapping & Game Reserve Predator Permits PDF
Colville Tribes Special Hunt Tag Holders PDF
Gray Wolf Plan PDF
Lead Bullets and Wildlife PDF

Special Hunt Application Information for 2020 PDF

Colville Fishing Permit

Staff from the Colville Tribes Resident Fish (CTRF) program released approximately 5,700 “triploid” rainbow trout ranging from two to three pounds each into Lake Rufus Woods July 31.

Colville Fishing Report

The fish, which can be identified by the absence of the adipose fin, are part of a supplementation effort of the Rufus Woods Net Pen Project, which the program’s staff oversees. The CTRF program purchases these fish from a local commercial aquaculture facility. Since 2011, some 118,100 triploid rainbow trout have been released into Lake Rufus Woods. Approximately 48,000 will be released this year alone.

“Normally, fish are diploid and have two sets of chromosomes (one from each parent),” Hatchery Manager Jill Phillips said, explaining the word triploid. “When a treatment of heat or pressure is applied to a fertilized egg prior to a certain egg development stage, the results are triploid or three chromosomes within the cell.”

She said, “Triploid rainbow trout females do not develop eggs. Male triploid rainbow trout sperm is not viable. Basically, both sexes are sterile. Utilizing triploid rainbow trout to supplement fisheries allow managers to mitigate impacts on native fish species.”

Colville Fishing Permits Online

“Our overall goal of the CTRF program is to provide a subsistence and recreational fishery on Lake Rufus Woods which remains a popular fishing attraction,” said Bret Nine, resident fisheries manager for CTFW.

Colville Tribal Hunting Permits

All non-members fishing by boat on the boundary waters of the Colville Indian Reservation or from the shore of Lake Rufus Woods at a Designated Fishing Area must have either a valid Colville Indian Reservation Fishing Permit, or a valid fishing license issued by the state of Washington, a tribal press release states. Tribal members must possess a Colville tribal identification card, which is a legal permit to fish.