Officials considering season extension for five Eastern Washington lakes

Five lakes in Eastern Washington that closed to fishing on Tuesday could have longer seasons next year.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is taking public comment on a petition to extend the fishing season by about a month on Williams, Badger, Fishtrap, West Medical and Fan lakes.

If approved, the lakes would be open from the fourth Saturday in April to Oct. 31 each year.

Chris Donley, WDFW’s eastern region fish program manager, said closing those lakes at the end of September was meant to protect juvenile fish from over-harvest, but that the rule is somewhat antiquated.

The agency has since changed stocking strategies and now fry go into the lakes at larger sizes. Warmer weather in the early fall has also meant the lakes generally fish poorly in September, which reduces the pressure on those fish.

Donley said that the agency isn’t yet decided on whether extending the season is the right choice, and that they want to know what anglers think.

“We just need public input on whether that’s a good idea or a bad idea,” Donley said.

So far, Donley said the agency has not received any public comments about the proposal.

Four of the five lakes are primarily trout fisheries. Fan Lake is the exception – it is also home to decent populations of crappie, perch and a handful of other warmwater species.

Many other lakes in the region close on Oct. 31. Others close at the end of November or are open year-round. A handful are only open in the winter.

The petition initially sought to extend the season on seven lakes but two were removed from consideration because of access conflicts created by extending the season.

The comment portal merges the Eastern Washington lakes proposal with two others – one related to licensing rules for Vancouver Lake and one related to a proposed closure of part of the Cle Elum River.

Public comments are open until Oct. 17. A hearing is set for Oct. 16. Donley said the agency will make a final decision by the end of October.

More information and a link for submitting public comments online is available at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/regulations/development/2025-recreational-fishing-changes-and-cle-elum-dam-area-closure.

Comments can also be submitted by email to 25recchangescr102@publicinput.com or by calling 1-855-925-2801 with project code 11890. Written comments can be sent by mail to Agency Rules Coordinator at PO Box 43200, Olympia, WA, 98501.