Story and photos by Chip O’Brien
Fishing eastern Washington’s Rock Lake is positioning your boat 6 feet from shore only to discover your 35-foot anchor rope isn’t long enough. Fishing Rock Lake is sitting in a boat in hundreds of feet of water thinking about the way a trout hits a helpless grasshopper knowing there could be just about anything down there. Fishing Rock is casting to rising trout only to have a 35-pound carp muscle in and vacuum up your fly. Game over. Rock Lake can spook you, and to some extent, it should.
Rock Lake is the largest channeled scabland lake in eastern Washington and comes with more than its fair share of colorful history, rumors, alleged facts, and complete BS. It’s about an hour south of Spokane where the word remote doesn’t seem to go far enough. By virtue of its size (about 7 miles long by a half a mile wide) and depth (over 300 feet), Rock Lake usually doesn’t freeze in winter and can serve up some much-needed January fishing bliss in the form of rainbow and brown trout.
Carved from solid rock by the Missoula Floods near the end of the last ice age, Rock Lake has long sections hemmed in by hundred-foot-tall basalt walls like layers of a birthday cake. The channeled scablands were formed when prehistoric Lake Missoula ice dams ruptured, sending thousands of feet of water across the landscape at hundreds of miles per hour. These were some of the largest floods to ever occur on planet Earth and sculpted the landscape for hundreds of miles around.
Spooky Water
I usually access Rock Lake by driving to Cheney and following the signs to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Go past Turnbull and the name of the road changes to Rock Lake Road. The lake is about 30 miles south of Cheney, and along the way you will pass a selection of Caterpillar tractors sitting atop tall pedestals. I can’t help grinning every time I drive by, knowing I like living in a world where people hoist Caterpillar tractors up in the air just because they can.
The list of things we don’t know about Rock Lake is extensive. Documented Rock Lake history merges with lurid stories of alleged sea monsters, things that may or may not have sunk to the bottom. Unfortunately, the human tragedy, the list of people who have drowned in Rock Lake over the years, is far from fiction. For now, let’s stick with what we know for sure. It is a tremendous fishery for rainbow and brown trout and, if you’re so inclined, the carp fishing can be great as well.
The lake also has largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and perch, but the trout and carp fishing attract a growing contingent of fly anglers. Rainbows are most abundant, but brown trout to 17 pounds have been recorded. Many people suspect a new state-record brown trout may lurk in the depths here. The crude boat launch at the south end of the lake is the only access point. The entire rest of the shoreline, however remote and inaccessible, is private property.
A trip to Rock Lake implies paying particular attention to the weather, most notably the wind. The lake is prone to create its own wind tunnel effect, a natural process that accelerates wind. Rock can go from dead calm to 3-foot whitecaps in 15 minutes. On large sections of the lake, should your boat capsize, there is literally no place to get out of the water. Even if you were James Bond and capable of climbing a 100-foot vertical basalt wall, the lake rests squarely in excellent rattlesnake habitat. Have fun with that.
So why bother with Rock at all when there are plenty of other lakes in the Spokane area? First, there can be some outstanding winter fishing at Rock. During December, January, and February, Rock Lake is usually the only unfrozen still water in the area. But there really isn’t a bad month to fish Rock Lake, which is a fish factory that is liberally stocked with hatchery rainbows, browns, and steelhead every year, and they grow large. Rainbows and browns more than 20 inches are common, and where else in the Spokane area can you spend a balmy day in January sitting in a boat hauling in big fish after big fish? When the conditions are right, Rock can provide superb fishing year-round.
Approaching Big Water
Some anglers are intimidated by the sheer size of Rock Lake. They don’t seem to realize you don’t need to fish the whole thing. Anglers with larger powerboats tend to fish farther up the lake away from areas smaller boats can reach. Anglers in smaller craft, like float tubes and pontoon boats, generally fish within sight of the boat launch ramp, or explore the smaller water between the Rock Lake Road bridge and the outflow.
I learned in some “Reading the Water” class I took somewhere along the way that fish in moving water generally sit still and let the food come to them. In lakes it’s just the opposite—the fish are constantly on the move looking for food. The good news is that all you have to do in a smaller boat is sit still and wait for the fish to come to you. While few anglers have that kind of patience, it’s comforting to picture fish just swimming by you all day long, because they are.
The boat launch at Rock Lake is primitive, and I’ve heard bigger boats scrape on the rocks while launching. Bigger boats with gas motors are just the ticket for staying safe and fishing the upper lake (and inflow) that receives less fishing pressure. Not only is the scenery gorgeous up there, but there are fish everywhere and fewer people. A powerboat can get you safely away from the lower end of the lake, where the smaller boats tend to fish, but use caution. Rock Lake is infamous for its “pinnacles,” underwater rock towers that reach up from the bottom to just beneath the surface of the water and can tear a fast-moving boat apart. They are roughly a half mile from the boat launch toward the east side of the lake, but are not marked in any way. Just know that if you’re cruising up or down the lake to stay toward the middle.
But most anglers don’t have access to big, expensive watercraft, and that’s okay. Pontoon boats and float tubes have their place at Rock, too. They can’t cover as much water as power boats, but you quickly learn there are plenty of fish not far from the boat launch. Often, bait anglers fish from shore at the boat launch, and they catch quite a few fish. Safety is rule number one for anglers in personal watercraft: wear a personal flotation device, watch the weather, and don’t venture too far from the launch site. There are plenty of fish above and below the boat launch area. The section under and below the Rock Lake Road bridge is popular with fly anglers because it is a little more protected from the wind, seldom sees any big boats, and offers plenty of fish. Be sure to remember that both ends of the lake (the inflow and outflow) are private property. You can get out and wade if you can find shallow enough water, but respect landowners’ rights and stay off their land without permission. The lower lake (below the bridge) starts off quite shallow under the bridge. The edges remain shallow for some time, but the middle drops off quickly. The drop-offs are easy to spot, and fish (trout and carp) cruise these subterranean rock walls constantly. Don’t overlook the outflow area either.
Strategies for Trout
Carry two rods, one rigged with a floating fly line, the other with a fast-sinking line. With a lake as deep as Rock, fish might show up at different depths on fish finders. Nevertheless, I usually start with a floating fly line and a Balanced Leech pattern under a floating strike indicator. With this setup, you can explore the top 8 or 9 feet of the water column. The tippet between your strike indicator and fly/flies should be level, and 3X or 4X fluorocarbon works well for this. The level tippet sinks more quickly and offers more sensitivity than tapered leaders.
Balanced Leeches in a variety of sizes and colors are almost always a good choice at Rock. The shoreline and shallow areas where aquatic insects thrive are narrow, so Rock Lake fish are programmed to find most of their food swimming. The Balanced Leech is a local fly pattern. About 30 years ago, Spokane angler Jerry McBride was challenged to find a way to get a fly to sit horizontally (rather than vertically) under a floating strike indicator. Using pins and beads to extend the front of the fly beyond the eye of the hook solved the problem. McBride came up with the balanced fly idea, but he credits his friend, Canadian angler and author Phil Rowley, with suggesting jig hooks. Instead of protruding from the front of the fly, the eye of the hook on a Balanced Leech can be found a quarter inch or so behind the bead. An all-around great fly pattern, the Balanced Leech has accounted for Rock Lake rainbow and brown trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and carp so far. Darker colors (like brown and black) with fluorescent beads are most effective.
“Dangling” is an effective technique for fishing Rock Lake providing the water isn’t too deep. Dangling employs the use of fast-sinking lines (no strike indicator) to fish directly below your boat, ideally a foot or two off the bottom. Clip some forceps to your fly and drop it until it hits bottom. Lift the forceps a foot or two and mark the spot on your fly line. Reel in any slack fly line. Remove the forceps and dump your line back overboard, secure in the knowledge your fly is now just above the bottom. Some complain that dangling is boring, but so is staring at a strike indicator all day long, willing it to disappear.
As most anglers seem to know, as soon as you take your eyes off your indicator, you will get a grab. That is typically followed by a confused moment while your brain tries to answer the question, “Hey, where is my strike indicator?” By the time the answer dawns on you, you may or may not still have the fish. Feel free to look anywhere you want while dangling, but make sure to maintain a solid grip on that expensive fly rod. A heavy fish can wrench your rod out of your hands.
Leaders for dangling are short, usually only about 5 feet. Attach a 3-foot section of 0X or 1X mono to your fly line and the other end to a small barrel swivel. Tie another 2 feet of 2X mono or fluorocarbon to the other end of the swivel and you’re all set to tie on a fly and commence dangling. A tungsten-bead Balanced Leech makes a great point fly because it sinks fast. You might even tie another section of 2X to your swivel and fish a second fly up above.
You may or may not find feeding fish in the upper water column. Sometimes the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife infuses the lake with 8- to 12-inch steelhead. For some time after stocking, these fish seem to prefer the upper water column and are easy to catch on a floating line. A good fish finder isn’t cheating when you have so much water available, and they can help teach you where fish are most likely to hang out.
A 10-foot, 6-weight fly rod is an appropriate tool for handling big flies under a floating strike indicator. Longer, stouter rods can pick up 50 feet of fly line along with whatever you have on the end, make one or two back casts, and launch it back out to a different position. When you eventually grow weary of dancing with the little guys, you might wonder, “Hey, where are the bigger fish?” The answer is usually deeper. Stiff 6- and 7-weight rods are best for handling high-density fast-sinking lines. Carry a selection of 3- to 5-inch streamers and a dose of confidence in the fact that Rock has plenty of fish capable of wolfing down a big mouthful. During cooler months, slow trolling big streamers can be very effective.
Most of the trout you catch at Rock are rainbows, but during fall, brown trout move to both ends of the lake in hopes of spawning in Rock Creek, the inflow and outflow stream. The browns differ from the rainbows in that they seem more oriented toward structure and the shoreline, while the rainbows are more likely to be found cruising the body of the lake. Rock Lake’s brown trout are also fairly nocturnal, meaning your chances of connecting with one are much better before dawn and after sundown.
Slumming for Carp
Starting sometime in May, carp, some of them quite large, move into the shallows in preparation for their annual spawning ritual. Carp may be spawning as many as three or four months of the year, and spawning carp are seldom interested in eating. You will often see a big carp (female) being shadowed by several smaller fish (the males), especially in the bay to the right of the boat launch. They also seek the shallow water at both ends of the lake. Spawning carp are not usually feeding carp, but there are often fish on the periphery that can be induced to hit a fly. Some days you won’t hook any. At some point, you are bound to decide that these fish are impossible to catch, until one unexpectedly takes your fly for no apparent reason. Then hold on; the rodeo’s just getting started. When the water is still cold, hooking a carp is like trying to haul in a waterlogged sack of potatoes. But take your time. Trying to horse in a carp is like asking to break your fly rod. As the water warms, the fish get much more active. Make sure your reel has enough backing.
Carp exhibit various behaviors, only one of which involves eating. They may be spawning. They may just be sunning themselves. I’ve had terribly frustrating days carp fishing when carp are leaping out of the water once, twice, three or more times all over the place, but not even one is eating. Fly rod carp fishing builds character. Carp are notoriously harder to catch than trout, begging the question, Why bother? Hook one and you’ll know. A stiff 8-weight fly rod is ideal for carp. You typically aren’t casting far, but rather targeting individual fish or small groups closer in.
The most successful carp flies are usually black, something the fish and the angler can both see, and ride hook-point up. Carp will eat dry flies and flies hung under a strike indicator, but the most effective and fun way to fish for carp is sight-fishing. Cast your fly as delicately as you can past the fish. Carp spook easily. Raise your rod tip and lower it when you think your fly is close to the fish’s head, then let it drop. This “drag and drop” approach is very effective in situations where you can see both the fish and your fly. You might see a giant circle open and close. You may see the fish twitch in the direction of your fly. You may see gills flair. Set the hook and hold on. You won’t land all the carp you hook. Bonefish leaders are good choices for carp fishing. I like 12-foot leaders tapered to 1X. If bow-hunters have been recently harassing the lake’s carp, they may be too spooky to hook on a rod and reel.
An Unusual Treat
One great thing about fishing Rock Lake is the abundant bird life. I kept bird lists for years, and now I recognize almost everything I see. Rock has plenty of eagles, osprey, pelicans, herons, swallows, red-winged blackbirds, red-tailed hawks, Canada geese, and American coots. You may also run into mallards, belted kingfishers, and double-crested cormorants.
Rock is a natural lake fed by Rock Creek, which flows through it. Some interesting attributes of the creek may explain why Rock is such an unusual lake. The channeled scablands have plenty of water underground. There are sections of Rock Creek that dry up during hot months of summer, only to bubble from the ground again clean and cold somewhere downstream. How the fish in Rock Creek manage to survive is something of a mystery, but they do.
A bit of time researching Rock Lake’s history, legends, and lore can be highly entertaining, though telling fact from fiction may be difficult. Many people have died at Rock; some bodies have been recovered, while others have not. Some people claim Rock is connected to the Columbia River system underground, and that there might be giant sturgeon in Rock Lake’s depths. Loads of Model T Fords have fallen from the train trestle into the lake, as have military vehicles. Old boats occasionally wash up on shore, probably only a small sample of what lies down at the bottom.
Rock Lake is an unusual fishery, to be sure, and it is capable of some remarkably good trout and carp fishing. Don’t let its size intimidate you, but break it down into smaller, manageable bites. And most of all, stay safe out there.
Based in eastern Washington, Chip O’Brien is a longtime contributor to American Fly Fishing magazine.
Balanced Leech
By Jerry McBride
Hook: Genryuu 90-degree jig hook
Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 100D
Pin: Hareline Balanced Fly Pins
Tail: Blackmarabou
Flash: Flashabou
Body: Black Hareline Hare’s Ice Dub
Rock Lake
NOTEBOOK
When: Year-round.
Where: 45 mi. south by southwest of Spokane. The only access is from the boat launch area at the south end of the lake.
Headquarters: Spokane (60 min.) and Cheney (30 min) offer all services and amenities.
Appropriate gear: 6- to 7-wt., 9- to 10-ft. rods (8-wt. rods for carp); floating and sinking lines; 3X‒4X tippets.
Useful fly patterns: Trout:Balanced Leech, Bellyflop Balanced Damsel, Balanced Baitfish, Las Vegas Booby, Biscuit Blobs, Sparkle Minnow, Montana Humdinger, Two-Tone Dungeon. Carp: Dirty Monkey, Mini Bugger Leech, Carp Bitter, Headstand.
Necessary accessories: Watercraft, personal flotation device (PFD), sunscreen, hat with chinstrap, water, polarized sunglasses. Note: Always wear a PFD on Rock Lake; if wind is forecasted to be more than 10 mph, go elsewhere because Rock Lake is unsafe for boating during windy conditions.
Nonresident license: $20.15/1 day, $84.50/annual.
Fly shops/guides: Spokane: House of Fly (North 40 Outfitters), (509) 418-9460, www.flyproject.us; Silver Bow Fly Shop, (509) 924-9998, www.silverbowflyshop.com.
Maps/information: Washington Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme. Articles: “The Mysteries of Rock Lake” (1995), www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/apr/09/the-mysteries-of-rock-lake-the-fishings-good-but; “Rock Lake (Eastern Washington) Dreams, Facts and Legends,” https://flyproject.us/blog/Rock-Lake-Dreams-Facts-Legends.
