04_2025_REELLIFE_digital - Flipbook - Page 16
When the ice is on this
lake it is still very popular
with the locals, but just
like the days of years ago
during the winter-only
fishery, once the ice is off,
the lake is all but forgotten.
My dad fished it every day
for a week straight this
past January when the
ice was thick and solid.
He also limited on 10 to
12-inch rainbows in less
than 2 hours each day he
went out and the fishing
continued to be good until
the summer heat warmed
up the water and brought
out the water skiers.
In March, the lake becomes
very active, especially
towards the end of the
month when the water
temps start rising and
bugs start hatching. April
and May are great months
to fish the lake, especially
trolling Mack’s Smile Blade
flies or Carey Special flies
either on a sinking fly line or
on a lightweight spinning
outfit with a few split shot
above the flies. Since the
lake receives trout plants
throughout the year there
always seems to be enough
fish to make it worth the
time to wet a line. On
average this lake sees a
yearly planting of 31,000
rainbow trout, with 25,000
of those being triploids
which are sterile and
grow quickly. Washington
Department of Fish and
Wildlife also stocks around
2,000 brown trout and
another 2,000 tiger trout,
which are planted in hopes
of keeping the warmwater
spiny ray species in check.
There are also catfish in this
lake, though rarely targeted,
and a good population of
bass as well.
Access: Roses Lake is 7
miles from the town of
Chelan, along the north
shore. Take Highway 151
towards Manson. Turn right
on Wapato Lake Road,
which is the same road
that leads to the Colville
Tribes casino and is across
from Mill Bay County Park.
Continue for approximately
2 miles until you come to
Roses Ave. Turn left for
about a ½ mile and the
road veers right onto Green
Avenue. Then head to the
marked WDFW launch
and access site about a ½
mile further. There is ample
parking which was recently
re-paved and has bathroom
outhouse facilities. Roses
Lake access site also had
the boat launch improved
a few years ago with a
dock added to assist in
launching small watercraft.
For those bound to the
shoreline, WDFW just
added a new fishing dock
and a handicapped access
bulkhead to fish from. It
should be noted that this
is the only public access
to the lake as the rest of
the shoreline is private
property.
Where to fish: Right out
in front of the boat launch
and off of the two fingers
at the public access site
has always produced fish.
But if you have a boat there
are two other areas that I
highly recommend. First
is a cove to the Northwest
end of the lake. This cove
area is shallow compared
to the center of the lake
and the water temps can
warm up a little bit here
which makes for better bug
activity and hungry fish.
