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Washington lakes and reservoirs

Rock Lake Fishing

A 2,190-acre Washington lake in Whitman County.

Get driving directions

Pick for troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 ~~$79.99~~

Photo of Lake Herbert G West: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0

Whitman County

Rock Lake at a glance

Spread over 2,190 acres, Rock Lake is a lake of Whitman County on the WDFW map. The WDFW elevation field reads 1,728 feet. The nearest town is Cheney, some 22 miles off. The lake layer classes it as mixed-species water managed with a trout emphasis. WDFW plants for its county are listed under WDFW Region 1.

Trailers go in at 1 launch, with 1 of them public. WDFW also lists 1 shore fishing site. Shoreline access on the WDFW record: good.

2,190surface acres

1,728 ftelevation

1launches

1shore sites

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.

Directions to Rock Lake

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Species

Fish worth chasing on Rock Lake

What the WDFW lake data says swims in Rock Lake:

Rainbow trout Brown trout Kokanee Largemouth bass Smallmouth bass Brown bullhead Yellow perch Black crappie Pumpkinseed Bluegill

WDFW Fish Washington species layers (presence, not abundance), WDFW records and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.

Access

Trailer access to the water at Rock Lake

Rock Lake boat launch1 ramp, unimproved surface surface, Discover Pass, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fishing piers at Rock Lake

Rock Lake shore accessshore fishing site, Over 400 feet of shore fishing, respect private property

More WDFW and park launches around Rock Lake

Williams Lake boat launch (south)Williams Lake, 10 miles north
Badger Lake boat launchBadger Lake, 11 miles north
Fishtrap Lake boat launchFishtrap Lake, 14 miles northwest
Hog Lake boat launch on Hog Canyon LakeHog Canyon Lake, 15 miles northwest
Fourth of July Lake boat launchFourth Of July Lake, 15 miles northwest

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.

Limits

Size and daily limits on Rock 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

On Rock Lake the statewide freshwater rows hold unless a Special Rule below says otherwise.

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.

Washington licenses and limits

Compare

How Rock Lake compares in its part of Washington

By WDFW acreage, Downs Lake tops the table with 406.

Lake	Distance	Acres	Elevation	Launches	2026 plants
Rock Lake		2,190	1,728 ft	1	0
Bonnie Lake	9 miles northeast	327	1,793 ft	0	0
Downs Lake	9 miles northwest	406	1,961 ft	0	0
Williams Lake (Spokane County)	10 miles north	317	2,056 ft	1	2
Amber Lake	12 miles north	91	2,168 ft	1	0
Badger Lake	12 miles north	217	2,178 ft	1	1

WDFW Fish Washington lake layers, access layers and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.

Nearby

Next to Rock Lake

Lakes a brief detour from Rock Lake

Bonnie Lake9 miles northeast
Downs Lake9 miles northwest
Williams Lake (Spokane County)10 miles north
Amber Lake12 miles north
Badger Lake12 miles north

Washington towns with beds close by Rock Lake

Cheney22 miles
Colfax25 miles
Medical Lake27 miles

The counties around Rock Lake

Whitman Countyseat: Colfax

Piscifun

A Piscifun spinning setup worth packing for Rock Lake

Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.

Fish photos

A photo key to fish at Rock Lake

Rainbow Trout, Washington — Rainbow Trout
Photo: Olympic National Park, Public domain

Brown Trout, Washington — Brown Trout
Photo: USDAgov, Public domain

Kokanee, Washington — Kokanee
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0

Smallmouth Bass, Washington — Smallmouth Bass
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain

Answers

Quick replies about fishing Rock Lake

How do I find Rock Lake on a county map?

Search Whitman County on the map, about 22 miles from Cheney.

Is Rock Lake a large lake for Washington?

Some 2,190 acres by WDFW.

Can a trailered boat get onto Rock Lake from a listed launch?

The layers list 1 launch (1 public); Rock Lake boat launch is one.

Which fish do WDFW sources tie to Rock Lake?

rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead and yellow perch, by the WDFW layers and plants.

How many trout go home from Rock Lake under the 2026-27 pamphlet?

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).

What does a WDFW freshwater license cost for a day at Rock Lake?