Every year, many anglers flock to open waters; whether to take in some sun, play on water toys or to enjoy a relaxing day of fishing.
Liberty Lake offers just over 700 acres of fun for all ages. The lake opens for fishing March 1st and remains open through October 31st. March has been notorious for outstanding brown trout fishing just after ice-out, but once the water begins warming up anglers have the opportunity to catch yellow perch, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, brown bullhead and both large and smallmouth bass.
Each year, during the end of March or the beginning of April, the lake is stocked with fish by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In early April of this year, the lake was stocked with rainbow trout. It also received several hundred bonus fish that were left over from the fishing ponds at the annual Big Horn Show.
There is currently one public launch and many private or community boat launches around the lake. Staci Lehman, Communications Manager for the Eastern Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) advised that the WDFW will be redeveloping the current boat launch by repaving, repainting lines and replacing broken or missing concrete. “The current two toilets will be replaced with new up-to-code ADA toilets and the floating dock will be bigger. I don’t have an exact date for this to happen and it won’t be this year. We’re looking at sometime within the next couple of years,” states Lehman.
WDFW is encouraging Washington residents to take advantage of free fishing weekend. Beginning on Saturday, June 8, licensing restrictions will be lifted through Sunday June 9. It’s a great opportunity to grab your poles and hook some memories.
