More Steelhead For Rock Lake

Guy Gregory said:
And these maps are not of sufficient detail to represent all the hazards. Experienced hunters and anglers die here quite often. Pay attention!!
Click to expand...
There is a reason that Rock Lake isn't a household name like Amber or Coffeepot. Pay attention indeed.
 
Due to this lake's orientation to prevailing winds, great length for wind reach, and vertical rock walls that often reach the water surface you've got the perfect circumstances to get trapped on the lake with huge waves and swells....and in an inflatable unable to row or fin against the wind to reach safety or even get back to the only public launch point (SW end of lake.... which will likely be upwind).

As for using a powerboat at Rock Lake...most will only do so once, feeling fortunate if they manage to avoid damaging their boat at the launch point or on the many sudden rock shoals throughout the lake.

No cell service, frequently nobody else on this big lake....so you're on your own....factors that have led to several deaths at this lake.

en.wikipedia.org

Rock Lake (Washington) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

flyproject.us

Rock Lake (Eastern Washington) Dreams, Facts and Legends

Rock Lake (Eastern Washington) Dreams, Facts and Legends- Fly fishing.
flyproject.us flyproject.us
 
Last edited:
If Rock Lake is so risky, surely there are other choices. Since these fish were raised by fishing license dollars, the goal should be to stock them where license buyers are reasonably able to fish. WDFW put a couple hundred thousand steelhead from a private fish farm in Riffe Lake a few years ago. And Riffe gets a lot of recreational fishing effort.
 
Salmo_g said:
If Rock Lake is so risky, surely there are other choices. Since these fish were raised by fishing license dollars, the goal should be to stock them where license buyers are reasonably able to fish. WDFW put a couple hundred thousand steelhead from a private fish farm in Riffe Lake a few years ago. And Riffe gets a lot of recreational fishing effort.
Click to expand...
I think WDFG, after ruining a few good lake fisheries through poorly considered introductions, is pretty leery about doing so in popular lakes. Unpredictable consequences. I don't think many people worry about impacting Rock's big hodge-podge of game fish species.
 
You guys and your "vertical walls" and "fetchy swells"... you dont understand the goddamn lochness monster spends holidays in rock lake. You're gonna need about tree fiddy if you wanna catch that chrome!
 
Salmo_g said:
If Rock Lake is so risky, surely there are other choices. Since these fish were raised by fishing license dollars, the goal should be to stock them where license buyers are reasonably able to fish. WDFW put a couple hundred thousand steelhead from a private fish farm in Riffe Lake a few years ago. And Riffe gets a lot of recreational fishing effort.
Click to expand...
I think this is much ado about nothing. Folks using the ole “rattle snakes and ticks” technique to keep people away from their honey holes.
 
krusty said:
Rock is one lake I don't worry about hotspotting! It manages to protect itself from over-fishing quite effectively.
Click to expand...
I didn’t make my sarcasm noticeable enough! Not a lake that I have explored much of, but I have caught fish there.
 
Over 30 years ago in a fisheries class at EWU in Cheney we took a large research sampling boat to Rock to see some fish. I had been to Rock Lake and many of the surrounding lakes on my own before for recreational fishing. On Rock we saw the vertical rock spires appear out of nowhere and hanging out under the semi-murky surface of Fall conditions. Very dangerous stuff for real!

We turned on the zapping fingers and captured carp, brown trout, I think maybe tench..and one very neat grass pickerel.

A wicked, beautuful lake, indeed, with steep history.
 
Last edited:
I am not sure what to make of this thread :). Give it a year or two to allow these newly stocked fish to grow a bit, a 16-18 inch steelhead sounds like fun to catch or stay away completely due to the intimate danger that people say Rock Lake has.

Never fished it myself, but after a bit of Google Maps and YouTube research, a pontoon boat fished in the south bay during the Spring looks doable in a pontoon boat, being cautious of the wind and not wondering too far into the main lake.

Peach
 
After this thread it feels like we need a "I fished Rock Lake and lived to tell about it" T-shirt or sticker or something.

Beautiful lake and area. But there's better lakes for fly fishing in the Spokane area.
 
At the FIFTY dollar Level, it is said one can start grabbing the big heavy deals. Gotta spend big to make big!!! If you don't Make Big these guys are nothing! That's the way it is in Morrisville!!
 
Peach said:
I am not sure what to make of this thread :). Give it a year or two to allow these newly stocked fish to grow a bit, a 16-18 inch steelhead sounds like fun to catch or stay away completely due to the intimate danger that people say Rock Lake has.

Never fished it myself, but after a bit of Google Maps and YouTube research, a pontoon boat fished in the south bay during the Spring looks doable in a pontoon boat, being cautious of the wind and not wondering too far into the main lake.

Peach
Click to expand...
Well stated...I have fish it many times in my old 14' Hewes but always check wind forecasts before going and choose my days accordingly.
It was 40+ years ago when I was in my Browning roundy float tube kicking along in the bay you mentioned, Slaughterhouse Bay, when something hit and snapped me off so quick that I still vividly remember it like it was yesterday.
 
Last edited:
I'd consider fishing it (beyond the launch bay) with a fast Hobie, wearing a drysuit, a PFD, a satellite transceiver, and solid weather report. Unlike the other scabland lakes this one is so big and deep it never warms up much.

Gotta be huge browns & 'bows cruising those waters...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top