State Plans War On Liberty Lake Perch

Sat., Sept. 2, 1995

By Adam Lynn adaml@spokesman.com

Liberty Lake used to be one of the premier trout lakes in Eastern Washington.

In years past, it wasn’t unusual for anglers to pull 40 percent of Spokane County’s rainbow trout catch out of the 710-acre Valley lake.

But those days are long gone.

Yellow perch, illegally introduced, are the dominant fish in Liberty Lake these days and are out-competing the rainbows for food.

To compound the problem, most of the perch are too small to be of interest to people who fish the lake.

Some rainbows still inhabit the waters, but they are few and far between.

“The whole fishery is mediocre now,” said Madonna Luers, Spokane area spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Fish and Wildlife officials want to change that and are seeking public input for a plan to improve trout fishing in the lake.

State biologists are considering several options for reviving the trout fishery, Luers said.

Introducing walleye, a predatory game fish that feeds on perch, to the lake is the alternative getting the most support from biologists at this time, Luers said.

Other options include stocking the lake with Chinook salmon or tiger muskies, which also feed on perch, or treating the lake with a naturally-occurring substance called rotenone.

Rotenone, which is derived from the roots of certain plants, would kill all fish in the lake, and biologists would then re-stock the waters with native trout.

That option isn’t being given much consideration because it is unpopular with people who own homes on the lake shore, Luers said.

“In the short term, it’s ugly because you have large quantities of dead fish out there,” she said. “The agency is in no way trying to push the rotenone option out there.”

A management plan is expected to be completed by this fall.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Public hearing State Fish and Wildlife officials seeking public input on a plan to improve trout fishing in Liberty Lake plan a public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Otis Orchards Elementary, 22000 E. Wellesley.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Public hearing State Fish and Wildlife officials seeking public input on a plan to improve trout fishing in Liberty Lake plan a public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Otis Orchards Elementary, 22000 E. Wellesley.