New bridges at Rocky Ford Creek make great stretch of trout water safer

EPHRATA — Access to one of the best fisheries in central Washington just got a little safer with the installation of two new foot bridges to the trails on both sides of Rocky Ford Creek, a fly-fishing holy water north of Moses Lake, at both the upper and lower ends near Trout Lodge fish hatchery.

Bank erosion along the eastern and western shorelines caused the footbridge approaches to fail and compromised the wooden piers the footbridge rests on. During the spring of 2013, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife closed it for safety reasons.

The $185,000 project replaced both of the rickety old wooden bridges, installing new, solid metal models on re-graded approaches and new footings.

“The bridges that were there had been there for quite awhile and were being undermined,” Chad Eidson, Columbia Basin Wildlife Area manager. “It’s a highly used area, so we were able to get the funding a lot faster than I thought.”

Rocky Ford Creek is a special place originating from groundwork done by the Ice Age Floods and emerges from the ground east of Ephrata at around 57 degrees. It has become a popular trout water before the stream eventually warms and runs into Moses Lake.

The three fishing access lots are along 1.3 miles of public road between the two Trout Lodge hatchery facilities.

“The water is stocked by Trout Lodge and a lot of the big fish that end up in there are old brood stock,” Eidson said. “In a high desert environment, we don’t exactly have a lot of great native trout around here. So this is a pretty unique opportunity for sure.”

Last year, as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began delivering a new arm of water to irrigators, flows in Rocky Ford Creek began to increase. The change was in stark contrast to the nearby Columbia River, where sturgeon and sockeye salmon were dying from record low, warm flows. It’s one of the few trout stream trout options available during winter.

“The habitat is ideal. It’s good water and not some of the scuzzier warm water flows we have here in the Columbia Basin,” Eidson said. “It’s perfect for trout and with the big fish coming from the hatcheries, it makes it ideal for fishing.”

Walk-in anglers in the stretch between the two hatcheries have access to about three miles of the creek. The water ranges from narrow riffles to broad open areas where the current moves slowly.

Trails offer easy access to the west side of the creek in this stretch. A footbridge crosses the creek’s upper end near the disabled fishing access platform.

The fish range from 16-inchers to 6-pound lunkers. Rocky Ford rules allow fly fishing only. Single, barbless hooks are required. Wading is prohibited, but most of the water is accessible to good casters with patience and line handling skills to avoid snag-up in the shoreline vegetation.

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com