Northwest Fishing Reports

Most of my 77-year adult life I've fly-fished for trout. This year I want to concentrate on crappie. Would anyone care to share their knowledge of where and how in Washington State, preferably within an hour of Everett, I should look for crappie? I've heard that Lakes Cassidy, Serene, Stevens, Stickney and Washington are worth a look. What say you experts? I wouldn't be sorry to hear some of your favorite techniques, either!

I'm not the greatest Crappie fisherman, but i caught a lot of them at Lake Cassidy last summer. They have to be over 9 inches to keep them there i think, and while i did catch a few over that size, most were smaller.
I trolled a chartruese crappie tube with a chartruese mini scented worm as a trailer. The bite the best there right before the sun rises, and you will know they are active cause they jump all over the lake

JT26 wrote:I'm not the greatest Crappie fisherman, but i caught a lot of them at Lake Cassidy last summer. They have to be over 9 inches to keep them there i think, and while i did catch a few over that size, most were smaller.
I trolled a chartruese crappie tube with a chartruese mini scented worm as a trailer. The bite the best there right before the sun rises, and you will know they are active cause they jump all over the lake

Thanks JT26, You'll do nicely for a start! I appreciate your response and your pics are great.

bboard wrote:

JT26 wrote:I'm not the greatest Crappie fisherman, but i caught a lot of them at Lake Cassidy last summer. They have to be over 9 inches to keep them there i think, and while i did catch a few over that size, most were smaller.
I trolled a chartruese crappie tube with a chartruese mini scented worm as a trailer. The bite the best there right before the sun rises, and you will know they are active cause they jump all over the lake

Thanks JT26, You'll do nicely for a start! I appreciate your response and your pics are great.

Cassidy definitely has lots of crappie, but as JT mentioned, most of them are small. I've done well with 1/16 oz jigs. Chartreuse & white is a good combo for the stained water @ Cassidy. The mister twister "teenie" red/black grub is also very effective.

For fly fishing, you can't go wrong with a black woolly bugger.

bboard wrote:Most of my 77-year adult life I've fly-fished for trout. This year I want to concentrate on crappie. Would anyone care to share their knowledge of where and how in Washington State, preferably within an hour of Everett, I should look for crappie? I've heard that Lakes Cassidy, Serene, Stevens, Stickney and Washington are worth a look. What say you experts? I wouldn't be sorry to hear some of your favorite techniques, either!

I won't even try to advise for your side of the state, but if you visit the East side of the state..................

i fish cassidy quite often and have found how to catch big fish and keep the little guys off the line, 1/16 ounce jigs with a minnow attached. they can by the dead ones in the bag that you can get from joes or were ever. then i fish vertical, and i fish deep. there is alot of stumps and log structer in the middle of the lake if you can find it. once you get on a slab though, do the line and float trick to see were that big boy heads back too. as far as flyfishing goes. i use just a plain white dry fly and drag it thru the lillys or right next to them right before it gets dark. seems to be a hot ticket and ive caught a bunch of trout by doing that. hope that helps you out a little

bboard wrote:

JT26 wrote:I'm not the greatest Crappie fisherman, but i caught a lot of them at Lake Cassidy last summer. They have to be over 9 inches to keep them there i think, and while i did catch a few over that size, most were smaller.
I trolled a chartruese crappie tube with a chartruese mini scented worm as a trailer. The bite the best there right before the sun rises, and you will know they are active cause they jump all over the lake

Thanks JT26, You'll do nicely for a start! I appreciate your response and your pics are great.

No problem. I just went through those pictures and realized one is from Lake Cassidy.


Those ones are all over 9 inches, and the trout was just an extra, caught in August in the heat.

Without a boat on the west side, your options are limited. Most of the waters on this side that do hold crappie are choked with pads and bullrush along the banks for much of the year. However, if you can spring for a small float tube and an in water net creel you may be in business.

Cassidy is only really accessible on the boat ramp (which is annoying for boaters and bank fisher alike) and the public dock on the opposite bank that is accessible from the Centennial Trail.

Personally, I have been searching for a way to navigate the northern part of the park there to find a way to get into Little Martha Lake. I spoke to Snohomish County's Topwater Dept. and they say the lake is not "unfishable" but refrain from being too much more specific. I am betting that it might be worth checking the power line alley that lies about 200 feet to the west for a viable entrance. I know old timers that say there are some large bows and some big slabs in that little bog-like lake.

Hi all give lake martha a try for some slap crappies.This ones by Warm Beach.