EventsAboutGet InvolvedContact
Sign InGet Tickets
DerbyRedband TroutResourcesPast ResultsLodging
Register
Sasq'ets Classic

Resources & Licensing

A curved gravel beach on a calm lake, below sagebrush slopes and forested hills, under a wide sky of streaked cloud.
Start here

Sort this out before you come

This derby is fished on tribal water, so licensing works a bit differently than you might be used to. You don’t want to find out about any of this at the ramp on the morning of day one.

Heads up

Your derby ticket isn’t a fishing license.

The ticket gets you into the derby, but you still need a WDFW fishing license to be out there. Enrolled Spokane Tribe members are the one exception, so check the list below.

Licenses & permits

What you need

Not an enrolled member

A current Washington (WDFW) fishing license.

You need one whether you fish from a boat or the shore, and all WDFW rules for this water still apply. Buy it online or from any license dealer before you make the trip, and have the number ready when you register.

Reservation shore anglers

The same WDFW license.

Fishing from the Spokane Reservation shoreline doesn't change it: if you're not an enrolled member, you need your WDFW license there too.

Enrolled Spokane Tribe members

No state license needed.

Tick the enrolled member box when you register and give your Spokane Tribe enrollment number in place of a license. Bring your tribal ID to check-in.

Access

Getting on the water

The National Park Service runs Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, which covers most of the shoreline, the launches and the campgrounds. Tribal land along the reservoir is managed by the tribes, not the Park Service, and you can’t always tell from the water where the line is.

  • Boat launchesTwo Rivers maps the nearby launches, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay and Hawk Creek, with the ramp at each and directions.Visit site
  • Clean, drain, dryWashington's invasive species rules apply to every watercraft. Out-of-state boats have to be inspected before they launch.Visit site
Respecting the land

You’re a guest here

This derby is fished on and next to the tribe’s land, and they’re our hosts. The usual rules apply: pack out everything you bring in, stick to established access, leave gates and equipment the way you found them, and ask before you take anyone’s photo.

Guidance from the tribe on conduct, cultural sites and photography, in their words
Safety

Cold water and a long lake

Wear your life jacketIt's November and the water is cold enough to knock the air out of you if you go in. Keep your life jacket on the whole time you're out, calm water included.
Watch the windLake Roosevelt is over 100 miles long, and the wind can stack up waves fast. Check the forecast before you head out, and again before a long run back to the ramp.
Leave a float planCell service is spotty along a lot of the shoreline. Tell someone on shore where you're launching, about where you'll be fishing, and when you plan to be back.
Mind the water levelThe lake rises and drops through the year, so a spot that was open water last time might be a gravel bar now. Take it slow in arms you don't know, and watch for floating logs after a storm.

If something goes wrong on the water, call 911 first. Event staff at the marina can help too, but don’t go looking for them before you call.

Get on the water

Ready to fish it

Ticket sales fund the prize pools, so every ticket sold means bigger prizes for the anglers who place.