A new and improved fishing dock will greet anglers when they venture out to Waldport’s Eckman Lake to do a little trout fishing this spring. Construction of a new dock was completed in January and will get a test run the week of Feb. 10 when the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks the lake with more than 900 rainbow trout, including several dozen “trophy” fish weighing in at more than half a pound apiece. The fish were originally bound for Perkins, Alder and Dune lakes but were redirected because of low water levels at those lakes. “This will be a good opportunity for anglers to come out and see their license dollars at work,” said Christine Clapp, fish biologist at ODFW’s Newport office. “This is a first class facility made possible by the hard work and initiative of the Central Coast Fly Fishers and funding from the Restoration and Enhancement Program.” The new dock replaces an old, wooden structure that was deteriorating and became a safety hazard last summer. The new aluminum dock was built by Ken’s Floatation Services, Inc., of Oregon City with $68,000 in funding from ODFW’s Fish Restoration and Enhancement Program and $10,000 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The dock was installed in early January with the help of demolition volunteers, including members of the Central Coast Fly Fishers, Longview Hills Fishing Club, and First Baptist Church of Waldport, which hosts a youth fishing event at Eckman Lake every year in May. The dock is intended as a fishing platform but also provides temporary moorage for small watercraft. It is open year around. ODFW usually stocks Eckman Lake with trout two or three times a year. In addition to trout, the lake provides habitat for cutthroat trout, coho and largemouth bass. Another trout stocking at Eckman Lake is planned for the week of March 17. For more information about trout fishing opportunities, please visit ODFW’s trout stocking page at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/trout_stocking_schedules/.
