Rock Lake to get 27,000 trout

EWAN — Rock Lake will receive 27,000 rainbow trout this fall, courtesy of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Spokeswoman Staci Lehman said the rainbow trout come from Lyons Ferry Fish Hatchery and cost approximately 4 to 5 cents per stocked fry, or fingerling. Catchable-size fish cost about $1.75 each.

“The larger the fish, the more it costs,” she said, noting they require a longer stay at the hatchery to grow bigger, which requires resources such as food, electricity, and more.

“Rock Lake is the only lake being stocked in Whitman County this fall,” Lehman said, adding other bodies of water are smaller ponds that are stocked once a year in the spring. “We have been hearing through social media and the grapevine that fishing is pretty good at Rock Lake lately, though.”

Other species

Other species fishermen can catch in Rock Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, brown trout, carp, grass pickerel, kokanee, largemouth bass, sucker, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, as well as crawfish,.

Lehman said people usually don’t contact the Fish and Wildlife if they catch a record fish.

“We don’t hear from most people who catch big fish,” she said, noting the agency often finds out about them from social media.

Rock Lake, located on Rock Lake Road north of state Highway 23, is open year-round.