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#63319 - 07/11/01 10:34 AM Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Joefish Offline
Egg

Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 2
Loc: Lynnwood, Wa
Went over to find this lake on Ebey hill before I tried to fish it. Thought I found the road/trail to the lake so I asked some locals nearby if this was correct and they gave me some attitude and said that access is not allowed due to private land rights. I said thank you and left. Does anyone know if this is true?

Fish hard or go home!

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#63320 - 07/11/01 05:28 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
FishnfellaS Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 06/17/01
Posts: 319
Loc: Grand Coulee,Wa. 99133
Eby Lake is a 1 fish limit,"catch and release " lake. It has had "walk in" access for years.
The information you have is bunk...probably intended to keep people from fishing someones favorite fishing hole. laugh
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#63321 - 07/12/01 09:41 AM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Joefish Offline
Egg

Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 2
Loc: Lynnwood, Wa
Thanks FishnfellaS for your reply.
Here's what I came up with from the County of Snohomish, Surface Water Management Division, Mr. Gene Williams:
All land surrounding Ebey Lake is privately owned. The lake itself is not owned by any individual and is open to the public if you can get there.
Technically, you are trepassing if you walk to it. The only option is to get permission.
Note:One fish limit, min. 18" trout

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#63322 - 07/12/01 11:54 AM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Dogfish Offline
Poodle Smolt

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 10878
Loc: McCleary, WA
Sounds like there needs to be some sort of easement for access, otherwise an earlier post is correct as they essentially fenced in their own private fishing hole.

Catch 22.
_________________________
"Give me the anger, fish! Give me the anger!"

They call me POODLE SMOLT!

The Discover Pass is brought to you by your friends at the CCA.

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#63323 - 07/12/01 12:51 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Zen Leecher aka Bill W Offline
Spawner

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 972
Loc: Moses Lake
unless some of the land immediately around Ebey has been sold, it's DNR land and belongs to you and me.

There's an easement that exists for access to the lake. A fair amount of people feel that the gates are illegal and some people are working with the DNR to gain access again.
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zen leecher

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#63324 - 07/12/01 02:00 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Old Man Offline
Spawner

Registered: 05/02/01
Posts: 762
Loc: Silver Star,Mt
I would like to know if any of you fishermens have ever been to Ebey lake. I was there once about 20 years ago and you had to walk in at that time too. Matter of fact walked there two times that day. Once to check it out, then walk back to car to get pole. Real smart huh. frown frown
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#63325 - 07/12/01 02:36 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
FishnfellaS Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 06/17/01
Posts: 319
Loc: Grand Coulee,Wa. 99133
The Zen is quite correct as usual! The State of Washington (you and I) own the land around the lake. The gate and walk in access was put in by the Department of Natural Resources years ago because of vandalism,garbage dumping,poaching and X-mas tree theft.
Personally,I prefer to fish harder to reach places like Eby and wish there were more of them. laugh
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If you can't go fishing today,
At least talk fishing!

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#63326 - 07/12/01 07:27 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Zen Leecher aka Bill W Offline
Spawner

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 972
Loc: Moses Lake
I fished Ebey from 1975 to 1994. 1994 might have been the last year of "no gates".

I used to fish it alot back in 1977 to 1980 as I worked 3rd shift at Boeing and would drive there after work let out on Friday morning. I'd fish to about 1PM and then drive home. It was fun walking around the edges and hoping I wouldn't step in a deep spot. This was back when the beavers were killed off and the lake was smaller.
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zen leecher

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#63327 - 07/12/01 07:28 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Zen Leecher aka Bill W Offline
Spawner

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 972
Loc: Moses Lake
Also, the first year I fished it, 1975, I had to walk in as someone blew the beaver dam with dynamite and the ensuing "flood" washed out the Hell's Creek culvert where it went under the FS road.
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zen leecher

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#63328 - 07/12/01 07:32 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Zen Leecher aka Bill W Offline
Spawner

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 972
Loc: Moses Lake
One more thing.

Back when one could drive to the lake, one had to park on the FS road and walk about 1/4 of a mile to the lake. This "walk in" is not to be confused with the current "walk in" which is a couple of miles.

Back when the beaver dam was removed and the rush of water washed the culvert out, the walk was 1 to 1 1/2 miles, still not even close to today's walk.
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zen leecher

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#63329 - 07/12/01 10:03 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Mike Wilson Offline
Egg

Registered: 06/18/01
Posts: 3
Loc: Spangle, WA
Howdy fella's.

This was a hot topic on the WAflyfishers forum for quite some time. Here is the situation as I understand it.

The DNR owns land close to the lake but it can't be reached without passing through private property. The homeowners used to allow access and/or a right away was available to the DNR land but that was lost within the last year or two. As a result, all of the land around the lake is private property.

One of the WAflyfishers list members contacted an attorney friend and looked into what action can be taken but it looks grim at this time. Several list members were looking into utilizing the local fly clubs to lobby for a right of way passage into it but I think the effort has stalled out.

As of this time, your best bet is to buddy up with a land owner to gain access. I know it stinks but that is the way this one worked out. Now if anyone has access to a helicopter, call me. My float tube and I won't take up much room laugh [email]null[/email]

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#63330 - 07/13/01 01:53 AM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
BASSER Offline
Juvenille at Sea

Registered: 05/02/01
Posts: 246
Loc: Tacoma Wa,
ZEN you said you worked at boing. confused
Things must have been different back then
Now days maybe five percent of the work force "works" eek it is crazy!!!
I wounder if that could be the reason
air fair is so much $$$$

If you try that dremel trick
make sure you dont get the hook too hot
or you will become an expert at the long distace release mad mad mad
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#63331 - 07/13/01 01:35 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
FishnfellaS Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 06/17/01
Posts: 319
Loc: Grand Coulee,Wa. 99133
RE: Mike Wilsons post.
Mike this sounds "fishy" to me. The DNR has long pursued a policy of permanent easement to state timberlands to avoid being blackmailed when they want to remove timber.
I would be surprised if the easement has been
"lost" as you are hearing.
Furthermore, there are very specific requirements regarding enforcement of "Trespass" laws. The property must be fenced and "no trespass signs" posted at regular specific intervals for the law to be enforced.Also many Judges will not enforce trespass unless the landowner can prove some malicious intent or damage to the property.
I'm not trying to encourage "trespass" here,but I suspect there is permanent public access to that road or people would have been locked out of there long ago.
The fly fishing clubs over there should be up in arms and storming the gates of the DNR right of way section demanding answers.
Like I mentioned, there are few if any parcels of state land that do not have permanent easement nowadays and I suspect strongly the road to Eby Hill has one.
_________________________
If you can't go fishing today,
At least talk fishing!

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#63332 - 07/13/01 07:08 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Mike Wilson Offline
Egg

Registered: 06/18/01
Posts: 3
Loc: Spangle, WA
Interesting post Fishnfella's. I find the situation to be unusual too. Since I live in the Spokane region I haven't been involved in the activity to gain access to the lake but if I lived in the region, I sure would be talking to everybody I could.

On a side note, I grew up in Okanogan and go through Grand Coulee all the time to and from the hometown. I bet you get some fun fishing in and around your area with Banks and Roosevelt right there.

Mike

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#63333 - 07/15/01 06:18 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
FishnfellaS Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 06/17/01
Posts: 319
Loc: Grand Coulee,Wa. 99133
Well gee Mike, I live overlooking Roosevelt and can walk to Banks in 10 mins.,but I don't fish either one.
It's flies you see that I'm liking to fish and neither one are good "fly" lakes. I fished Banks a few times with hair poppers, but it's mostly an early morning late evening thing...and then it's chancy and the bass are small. I like to fish all day when I go out.
As for most of the rest of the lakes in E.Wash, I been there. Even pioneering fly fishing for trout on O'sullivan Rez. and Moses Lake,both of which are fair "fly" lakes,but I feel sooooo alone. laugh
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If you can't go fishing today,
At least talk fishing!

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#63334 - 07/16/01 02:48 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Preston Singletary Offline
Returning Adult

Registered: 03/29/99
Posts: 373
Loc: Seattle, WA USA
Access to Ebey Lake is a real problem. Some years ago the DNR gated the road at the edge of DNR land about three miles from the lake due to timber theft and trash dumping. Hiking the three miles from the gate to the lake was no problem and, in fact, kept a lot of pressure (and poachers) away. About two years ago, property owners in the belt of privately-owned land traversed by the road erected another gate far enough back down the road to make hiking to the lake impractical, as well as posting it "private property, no access except to property owners". This has effectively blocked all public access to Ebey Lake. I talked to the DNR and WDFW about this a couple of years ago and essentially got nowhere. The road in question has been used as a public thoroughfare for at least thirty years that I personally know of but I don't know just how much legal authority this would afford if it went to court. Several fly fishing clubs have been actively pursuing a couple of options and I understand that F&W Commissioner Pete Van Gytenbeek is trying to organize a three-way discussion between WDFW, DNR and the property owners, with an eye to regaining public access. The lake has an area of about 25 acres with a relatively small area of deep water (about 15 feet max. depth) surrounded by extensive shallows which provide lots of insect life. The lake level was stabilized by a beaver dam until some of the locals dynamited it back in the 'sixties and the WDFW built a concrete dam to replace it. The lake has a self-sustaining population of coastal cutthroat and has been managed as a fly-only lake as far back as I can recall (at least since the early 'fifties), albeit with occasional outbreaks of poaching because of its isolated location.
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#63335 - 07/16/01 07:47 PM Re: Ebey (Little) Lake access problems
Dogfish Offline
Poodle Smolt

Registered: 05/03/01
Posts: 10878
Loc: McCleary, WA
This is the second case of private landowners essentially appropriating our state land that I have heard of in the last few months. The way we attacked the issue on the Cowlitz was to make formal complaints and delivered them to the WDFW. I personally handed letters to Jeff Koenings and the head office of enforcement in Olympia. I followed up and by sending a copy of the complaint to King 5 news, I insured that I would get a response. It took a few weeks, but if the current landowner that is involved in the Cowlitz mess doesn't come around, the Attorney Generals office may press charges for destruction of public property (mal mis 2nd), and disorderly conduct for blocking a road that they have no right to do so. If anyone is interested in what another fellah has been working on, let me know, and I may be able to point you in the right direction. Andy
_________________________
"Give me the anger, fish! Give me the anger!"

They call me POODLE SMOLT!

The Discover Pass is brought to you by your friends at the CCA.

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