Northwest Fishing Magazine September 2025 Volume 5 Issue 1 - Flipbook - Page 39
At this point you're
probably asking what
in the heck Banks lake
kokanee have to do with
Billy Clapp kokanee? Well,
Banks Lake and Billy
Clapp are connected by
a long, large irrigation
pipe which fills Billy Clapp
Lake. This is all part of an
amazing vision by one
Billy Clapp, lawyer, who in
the early 1930s with fellow
community members of
the town of Ephrata came
up with the proposal of
damming the Columbia
River to supply irrigation
water. Namely, their vision
led to the creation of the
Grand Coulee Dam. We
can thank Billy Clapp for
an irrigation and electricity
producing system that
has fed millions of people
since its construction. Say
what you will about the loss
of free-flowing water for
salmon reproduction, you
have to concede that the
Columbia Basin has been
an amazing engineering
accomplishment that
has benefited and fed
generations of people since
its construction.
The underwater pipe that
flows water from Banks
reservoir into Billy Clapp
reservoir also delivered
thousands of kokanee into
Billy Clapp. Those kokanee
thrived in a nutrient rich
environment and produced
(for those in the know)
some amazing kokanee
fishing. But for most
anglers Billy Clapp was an
enigma, a tale, a destination
less traveled and a place
of legendary but seldom
fished kokanee lore.
Fast forward to 2021.
I spoke with WDFW
biologist Mike Smuck
regarding my interest
in Banks Lake kokanee.
During our conversation
he mentioned several
interesting things to me.
First, after an involved study
WDFD had concluded
that further planting of
kokanee in Banks Lake was
futile. The plan is to stop
kokanee plants after 2020,
and to focus on planting
Banks Lake for rainbow
trout. Then Mike dropped
a bombshell on me. He
reported that rather than
me fishing Banks Lake for
kokanee I should consider
Billy Clapp Reservoir.
The reason being, as fish
biologist for that region,
Mike had the discretion
to plant excess kokanee
wherever he thought
appropriate, and he chose
Billy Clapp Reservoir.
He revealed that in 2018
285,000 kokanee fry were
planted in Billy Clapp, and
in the next two years over
100,000 additional fry were
