Fishing for a dock

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin Walleye Club is building a fishing dock parallel with Interstate 90 to keep patrons safe and provide a fun activity.

"Sometime, someone is going to fall off that bridge and get hurt," Club Board Member Gary Main said.

He worries those who fish off the bridge could get hit by a car, so he proposes an alternative.

Main first thought of the idea several years ago and is finally seeing his vision come to life. The club board authorized the project in November 2006.

The dock, referred to as the Blue Heron Fishing Pier, will be wheelchair accessible and extend 120 feet from the shore. The design comes to a "T" at the end, extending 40 feet across the pier leading to shore. It will feature benches, railing, solar lighting and wheels to pull the dock out of the lake during the winter season.

The dock is limited to those who are fishing or viewing.

Boats will not be allowed to tie down to the dock and people will not be allowed to dive off for swimming. The city will enforce a "no wake" zone in the area.

It should take a few days to construct and is expected to be completed in about a year, once funds are obtained, he said.

The dock will cost close to $100,000 and be funded through donations, Main said. A few thousand dollars have already been collected.

The dock will be community owned.

"When you walk on it, you can see who bought the pier," Main said.

When people donate money, their name or organization will be written on a metal fish with vinyl lettering. The metal fish will be mounted around the perimeter of the dock.

A golden colored large mouth bass placard is available for those who donate more than $2,000.

A medium-sized silver colored walleye placard is designated for those who donate more than $100.

A smaller-sized bronze colored fish placard is designated for anyone who donates $5 or more.

"I'd like to see a whole bunch of those small fish with people's names on them," he said.

Once the dock is constructed it will be given to the city to maintain.

Donations can be taken to American West Bank located at 322 S. Division St. in Moses Lake under the Blue Heron Fishing Pier account.