Banks Lake Fishing
A 26,888-acre Washington lake in Grant and Douglas counties.
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First look at Banks Lake
By the WDFW lake layer, Banks Lake covers 26,888 acres of Grant and Douglas counties. Expect an elevation of about 1,574 feet at the shoreline. Coulee Dam lies near 12 miles from the WDFW lake point. WDFW treats it as mixed-species water managed with a warmwater emphasis. It falls within WDFW Region 2 by the plant report.
Boaters can choose among 12 launches (12 public) in the WDFW and State Parks layers. The shore fishing layer adds 14 shore fishing sites. Read 4 Special Rules before keeping a fish. The trout plant report counts 1 trout plant for 2026. The access field reads good.
WDFW Fish Washington lake layers on geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov (surface acres, elevation, management emphasis, shoreline access, species), USGS NHD outlines, Census 2023 places, retrieved October 31, 2026.
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Fish on file for Banks Lake across the WDFW layers and plant report:
WDFW Fish Washington species layers (presence, not abundance), WDFW records and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.
Launching on Banks Lake
- Ankeny (north) boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, gravel surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Ankeny (south) boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, unimproved surface surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Barker Canyon boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, concrete surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Million Dollar Mile (north) boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, unimproved surface surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Million Dollar Mile (south) boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, concrete surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Osborn Bay Lake boat launch on Banks Lake1 ramp, unimproved surface surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Steamboat Rock -North Banks Lake launchDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Steamboat Rock -Northrup launch on Banks LakeDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Steamboat Rock -cove boat launch on Banks LakeDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Steamboat Rock launch on Banks LakeDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Steamboat Rock -Northrup launch on Banks LakeDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
- Steamboat Rock launch on Banks LakeDiscover Pass, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
WDFW piers and shoreline sites on Banks Lake
- Fordair on Banks Lakeaccess point (no launch)
- Populars on Banks Lakeaccess point (no launch)
- Banks Lake shore accessshore fishing site, 400+ meters of shore fishing area
- Banks Lake shore access near Coulee Cityshore fishing site, 100+ meters of shore fishing
- Banks Lake shore access near Banks Lake Southshore fishing site, Expansive shore fishing area within short walking distance
- Banks Lake shore access near Hartline (south)shore fishing site, 200+ meters of shore fishing
- Banks Lake shore access near Hartline (north)shore fishing site, Off-highway parking, expansive shore fishing area, can be st
- Banks Lake shore access near Electric City (south), Grant Countyshore fishing site, Multiple small off-highway parking areas with variable size
- Banks Lake shore access near Electric City (south), Grant Countyshore fishing site, Expansive shore fishing areas within walking distance
- Banks Lake shore access near Electric City (east), Grant Countyshore fishing site, Limited shore fishing within hiking distance
- Banks Lake shore accessshore fishing site, Off-highway parking, 100+ meters of shore fishing, steep roc
- Banks Lake shore access near Electric City (east), Grant Countyshore fishing site, Several multi-vehicle turnouts with shore fishing
- Banks Lake shore access near Electric City (west)shore fishing site, Multiple shore fishing areas withing walkin and driving dist
- Banks Lake shore access near Grand Couleeshore fishing site, Inlet Canal with 200+ meters shore fishing area, can be stee
WDFW Water Access Sites and Shore Fishing Sites layers (geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov) and the Washington State Parks boat launch layer, retrieved October 31, 2026. A Discover Pass is needed to park at WDFW access sites and State Parks launches.
Where the surface sits on Banks Lake
USACE Northwestern Division water management data, BNK.Elev-Lake.Inst.~1Day.0.CBT-REV, reading for October 30, 2026 PST, retrieved October 31, 2026; series datum not stated. Provisional.
USGS lake gauges update live; Corps forebay figures are the dated reading we retrieved.
WDFW releases into Banks Lake
Plants logged for Banks Lake this year: 1 rows, 1,200 fish.
- BANKS LakeRainbow, 1,200 fish at 2.5 per pound, April 17, 2026, Columbia Basin Hatchery
WDFW Trout Plants report (rows January 2 to October 27, 2026), read October 31, 2026.
Daily limits, Banks Lake
| Species | Daily limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only largemouth bass less than 12" may be retained, except 1 over 17" may be retained. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Smallmouth Bass | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only 1 smallmouth bass over 14" may be retained. Daily limit 10. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Walleye | Min. size 12" in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Daily limit 8. Only 1 over 22" may be retained. May be caught, retained, and released alive from a livewell until daily limit is in possession. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Channel Catfish | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Burbot (Freshwater Ling) | No min. size. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Crappie, Northern Pikeminnow, Peamouth Chub, Perch, Suckers, Sunfish, | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Grass Carp | Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules. | Closed |
| Kokanee | No min. size. Daily limit 10. When fishing with bait, all kokanee that are lawful to possess and are equal to or greater than the minimum size are counted as part of the daily limit whether kept or released. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Tiger Muskellunge (Tiger Muskie) | Min. size 50". Daily limit 1. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Whitefish | No min. size. Daily limit 15. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Steelhead | Release all wild steelhead. Min. size 20". Daily limit 2. Open during salmon or game fish seasons unless as otherwise listed. | Open during salmon or game fish seasons unless as otherwise listed |
| Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Golden Trout, Tiger Trout | In lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: No min. size. Daily limit 5. | Year-round (statewide lake season, p.23) |
| Trout (combined rivers and lakes same day) | The combined daily limit for an angler that fishes in both rivers and lakes on the same day is 5 trout, no more than 2 may be from rivers. | see the pamphlet |
| Lake Trout | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Eastern Brook Trout (EBT) | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Dolly Varden/Bull Trout | Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules. | Closed |
The statewide freshwater limits are the default at Banks Lake, with Special Rules on top.
How Banks Lake breaks with the statewide tables
| Water as printed | Species | Rule and season |
|---|---|---|
| Banks Lake | All species | Chumming permitted. |
| Banks Lake | Crappie | Min. size 9". Daily limit 10. (Year-round) |
| Banks Lake | Yellow perch | No min. size. Daily limit 25. (Year-round) |
| Banks Lake | Other game fish | Statewide min. size/daily limit. (Year-round) |
Special Rules as printed in the 2026-2027 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (WDFW pamphlet, in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), pamphlet page 92 (pamphlet PDF), read on eRegulations October 31, 2026.
Anglers 16 and older need a Washington Freshwater license ($39.95 resident, $115.85 nonresident for 2026-27) or a Combination license; salmon, steelhead and sturgeon also take a catch record card.
Limits and seasons as printed in the 2026-2027 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (WDFW pamphlet, in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), PDF page 27 (pamphlet PDF; eRegulations statewide freshwater page), read October 31, 2026.
Banks Lake beside nearby lakes
Rufus Woods Lake is the biggest of these neighbours, 8,022 acres by WDFW.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Elevation | Launches | 2026 plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banks Lake | 26,888 | 1,574 ft | 12 | 1 | |
| Rufus Woods Lake | 19 miles north | 8,022 | 950 ft | 2 | 0 |
| Dry Falls Lake | 19 miles southwest | 88 | 1,211 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Deep Lake (Grant County) | 20 miles south | 101 | 1,236 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Perch Lake | 20 miles southwest | 16 | 1,208 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Rainbow Lake (Grant County) | 20 miles southwest | 10 | 1,136 ft | 0 | 0 |
WDFW Fish Washington lake layers, access layers and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.
Not far from Banks Lake
More Washington lakes around Banks Lake
- Rufus Woods Lake19 miles north
- Dry Falls Lake19 miles southwest
- Deep Lake (Grant County)20 miles south
- Perch Lake20 miles southwest
- Rainbow Lake (Grant County)20 miles southwest
Shops to stop at before Banks Lake
- Sportsman's Warehouse East Wenatcheesporting goods store, East Wenatchee
- Desert Fly Anglerfly shop, Ephrata
- Sportsman's Warehouse Moses Lakesporting goods store, Moses Lake
Cities and towns within reach of Banks Lake
- Coulee Dam12 miles
- Bridgeport25 miles
- Brewster33 miles
County pages covering Banks Lake
- Grant Countyseat: Ephrata
- Douglas Countyseat: Waterville
Piscifun tackle sorted for the drive to Banks Lake
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Photographs of fishing water around Banks Lake
Photo: Jan Helebrant, CC0 1.0
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Douglas Sherwood, CC BY 2.0
Photo: reverendlukewarm, CC BY-SA 2.0
Clearing up a trip to Banks Lake
Which county line is Banks Lake near?
Its WDFW point falls inside Grant and Douglas counties, about 12 miles from Coulee Dam.
How many surface acres does WDFW list for Banks Lake?
Roughly 26,888 acres.
Where does a trailered boat go in at Banks Lake?
12 launches, including Ankeny (north) boat launch on Banks Lake (12 public in all).
Which species swim in Banks Lake?
WDFW points to rainbow trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch and black crappie.
Does a minimum or slot size apply to fish kept at Banks Lake?
Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Golden Trout, Tiger Trout: In lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: No min. size. Daily limit 5.; Year-round (statewide lake season, p.23). A Special Rule changes part of that here, as shown above.
Is a catch record card needed on Banks Lake?
Anglers 16 and older need a Washington Freshwater license ($39.95 resident, $115.85 nonresident for 2026-27) or a Combination license; salmon, steelhead and sturgeon also take a catch record card.
How many trout has WDFW put in Banks Lake?
The report lists 1 plants, latest Rainbow, 1,200 fish at 2.5 per pound, April 17, 2026, Columbia Basin Hatchery.
Which Washington tackle counter on our list is handy to Banks Lake?
Closest on our list: Sportsman's Warehouse East Wenatchee in the same county.
How full is Banks Lake by the latest reading?
The level band draws on USACE NWD water management (dataquery).
Put Banks Lake on the list before the next plant
Buy the WDFW license online before leaving town.