Chronicle photo by Al Camp

Anglers try their luck in the many lakes area.

     Anglers can travel a central loop around the middle of Okanogan County to take in many great fishing opportunities on lowland lakes.
     The best place to start is Conconully, which sports two lakes - the upper lake, sometimes called Salmon Lake or just plain Conconully Lake - and the lower lake, referred to as Conconully Reservoir.
     The lakes are planted especially heavy each spring since they are the most popular with tourists and residents alike. There is a state park in Conconully along with resorts on each lake.
     Deer often meander through the campgrounds early in the morning.
     Swimming and water skiing also are popular summer activities.
     The loop continues north past Sugarloaf Lake, which can offer great early season fishing, then north to Fish Lake, often the most popular lake in Okanogan County on opening day.
     A quick side trip from Fish Lake takes you west on Pine Creek Road, where several steam engines at the Jones Ranch can be viewed along the road. The steam engines operated into the 1980s for annual threshing bees.
     The loop continues north from Fish. In the Sinlahekin Valley lies Blue Lake, a selective fishery with a one-fish limit. There are smaller lakes, too, such as Forde and Conner, that challenge anglers using rafts or float tubes.
     The loop turns east at historic Loomis to Spectacle Lake, which sports several resorts.
     Farther down the road is one of the few largemouth bass lakes in the county, Whitestone.
     The loop concludes by heading south on County Road No. 7, going through Tonasket and south on Highway 97 past Crumbacher and Booher lakes. Both lakes are private and no longer stocked.
     There are several ways to extend the loop or take side trips from it, including:
     - While heading to Tonasket on County Road No. 7, keep going south a couple miles then west to Aeneas Lake. This selective fishery offers great fishing and an area to park a camper.
     - Or from Tonasket, you can go east on Highway 20 to reach Ell (selective fishery), Round and Long lakes, which are clustered near each other on the same road.
     - If you want to extend the loop, you can head north from Loomis to Palmer Lake, which holds smallmouth bass up to six pounds plus naturally spawning rainbow, kokanee, largemouth bass, yellow perch, crappie and burbot (freshwater ling).
     An angler interested in seeing the views can continue north through Nighthawk to Canada - this border crossing is open during the day - and follow the Similkameen River past small mines and old railroad beds.
     A return loop goes east to Osoyoos, where you will travel down a steep hillside that shows off the Canadian side of the Okanagan Valley. Head south on Highway 97 across the border to Oroville (24-hour crossing).
     Both Oroville and Osoyoos offer golfing.
     A great side trip from Oroville goes to Molson and Sidley lakes, which offer great fishing for rainbows in the fall. There are two historical museums in Molson that are must-see stops.
     Using a map, you can head south from Molson, past the Sitzmark Ski Hill and through the Highlands with rolling hills and back to Tonasket through Havillah, which features a beautiful, steepled church along the road.
     - A side trip northwest out of Loomis also could include Chopaka Lake, a premier fly fishing-only lake.
     - Another side trip could be made north of Whitestone to Wannacut Lake, where fishing heats up in mid-summer with great-tasting fish that live in the saline lake.
     Anglers can keep going north to Blue Lake, which is a selective fishery offering rainbows and browns.
     Anglers can retrace the route to rejoin the loop at Whitestone or head west to Oroville.