Washington State Parks...

Washington's state parks offer a wide range of fishing opportunities for Evergreen State anglers. What's more, some State Parks facilities have room for more visitors, especially during mid-week periods in April, May and early June, when many anglers are out prospecting for the hottest fishing action.

The fact that Washington State Parks offer access to more than 100 freshwater and saltwater fisheries may be one of the state's best-kept angling secrets. Some 56 parks are on freshwater lakes and streams, another 48 provide saltwater angling access, and 2 parks offer both fresh and saltwater fishing.

State parks provide a whopping 825 miles of freshwater shoreline for anglers to explore, ranging from tiny ponds and creeks to vast expanses along the shores of the Columbia River and some of its largest impoundments.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission also maintains boat ramps at more than 50 of its parks. Thirteen of those ramps are on saltwater, the rest on freshwater lakes and streams. Daily launch fees of $3 to $4 are collected at most sites, but an annual boat-launch permit is available. This annual permit sells for $40.

State parks with freshwater boat ramps include Alta Lake, Anderson Lake, Battleground Lake, Beacon Rock (Columbia River below Bonneville Dam), Bridgeport (Columbia River above Chief Joseph Dam), Central Ferry (Snake River above Little Goose Dam), Chief Timothy (Snake River near Clarkston), Conconully, Crow Butte (Columbia River below McNary Dam), Curlew Lake, Daroga (Columbia River near Entiat), Horsethief Lake, Ike Kinswa (Mayfield Lake), Lake Chelan, Lake Cushman, Lake Easton, Lake Sammamish, Lake Sylvia, Lake Wenatchee, Larrabee, Lincoln Rock (Columbia River near Wenatchee), Lyons Ferry (Snake River above Lower Monumental Dam), Maryhill (Columbia River below John Day Dam), Moran (Cascade and Mountain lakes on Orcas Island), Moses Lake, Nolte (Deep Lake, near Enumclaw), Osoyoos Lake, Paradise Point (East Fork Lewis River), Pearrygin Lake, Potholes, Riverside Sacajawea (confluence of Snake and Columbia rivers), Steamboat Rock (Banks Lake), Sun Lakes, Twenty-Five Mile Creek (Lake Chelan), Wanapum (Columbia River near Vantage), Wenatchee Confluence, and Wenberg (Lake Goodwin).

Saltwater boat ramps are located at Camano Island, Fay Bainbridge, Fort Canby, Fort Casey, Fort Flagler, Fort Ward, Fort Worden, Illahee, Mukilteo, Mystery Bay, Penrose Point, Sequim Bay and Twanoh State Parks.

Deception Pass and Fort Ebey state parks have both freshwater and saltwater boat ramps.

All but six of these parks have camping facilities. Those that don't are Fort Ward, Lake Sammamish, Moses Lake, Mukilteo, Mystery Bay and Nolte.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission offers a free brochure entitled "State Parks with Fishing, Boat Launch and Underwater Parks," which lists the location, telephone number, facilities description and fish species available to anglers. For a copy, or for other information on Washington State Parks, contact the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, 7150 Cleanwater Lane, Olympia WA 98504-2650, (360) 902-8500.

For information on disabled accessibility in state parks, contact the ADA Coordinator for State Parks at (360) 902-8580 in Olympia, or call site-specific Park Rangers. Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation have a jointly-produced brochure titled Guide to Barrier-Free Recreation at Selected Sites. Write or call any of these agencies to request a copy.