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.