Northwest Fishing Reports

I wanted to find a good topo fishing map of Lake WA. Any recomendations on which one and where to get it. The only one I could find online is by Fish-n-map... are these any good? Thanks!

I see that you are in N. Seattle... if you go to Joe's just across from Northgate you can find a good map of Lk. Wa. I can't recall what it's called exactly, but it is basicly white, with some blue on the cover. It will be right at the fishing counter, or by the books/maps section. It is part of a series which includes the North and South Puget Sound maps. You can buy just the one if you like. they have carried it at most times, but they don't do the best job keeping things stocked. It will also give tips as to where trout/bass/perch etc. are ( at least according to who wrote the map) LOL

I have the map from Fish-N-Map for LW, and I like it. I was a total newbie to LW when I got it, and now I have some idea of how the bottom structure is, and where potential target fish could be. I is not extremely detailed, but deff worth having. Especially if you have not fished the lake for the past 10+ years and now every inch of it.......

there is also a topo map on the UW geological site somewhere - its hard to find and comes in big PDFs for different sections of the lake. I am unable to locate the link at the moment tho.

How accurate/detailed is the fish-n-maps version?

Fish n Map

Outdoor Emporium sells them

danielt wrote:Fish n Map

Outdoor Emporium sells them

Yep. Fish-N-Map. Sports Authority sells them for I think around $7.00 - I was there yesterday and opened it up. I know LW pretty well, but it opened some of my eyes looking at certain point bars and what not. Also in this section was Banks Lake. Sports Authority carries it too, so you have options on where to purchase one.

I have the map with potholes on one side and sammamish on the other side. (you think it would make more sence to have a map with banks and potholes and the other map of WA and sammamish) Good maps, really detailed. But they are REALLY big when they fold out, wich makes it kind of difficult to look at when in the boat. I have never fished Sammamish so I dont know how good that map is, but the one of Potholes is the most detailed map I have ever seen of potholes. I have 1 hanging on the wall and another one that I bring with me.

Seems it is pretty tough to find good maps of lakes in Washington, either I can't find them on the web or they hasn't been very many lake surveys contucted to have good information.

Deadeye wrote:Seems it is pretty tough to find good maps of lakes in Washington, either I can't find them on the web or they hasn't been very many lake surveys contucted to have good information.

That's really true. The Fish-n-Map is a good map, but still you can't beat the GPS display of the bottom countours and everything like that...the chips run pretty expensive, let alone the unit. A good paper map with a detailed Fish Finder will do wonders when used correctly. Lastly, I wish they would have lamaneted the maps. With all the rain we've been having it's no wonder paper maps only last for 1-2 months...if that.

There are quite a few maps of the local lakes available on line. When searching for them you need to use the correct terms. You are not looking for a topo map of a lake unless you are concered with hiking into it. If you want the bottom contour you are looking for a bathymetric map of the lake. The other thing you'll need is mapping software to put the maps together. Ozi-Explorer has a free version but it's kind of limited. Most mapping software is pretty spendy. Here is a link to some fairly detailed maps of the area. You can find others and stand alones if you dig enough. good hunting!!

Topo Bathy Pug Basin

That there is a link to some long nights in front of the computer! Thanks for the info, you can be sure that you've just helped atleast one individual!

It's a disease be careful. One that can only be cured by more fishing. check out MI and Seattle South If you put the two together in a mapping prog you'll have the whole lake. 2' contours not too bad.

Went to Joes and I could not find any lake maps. They had them for the sound but no lakes. I even asked the 7 people at the counter. That is a horrible store for bass fishing - big bummer bc I don't think there is anything else around me. I guess it is back to online shopping.

Outdoor Emporium isnt that far if you drive

Maybe next time - actually got them through amazon. The one w/ LW/Banks and the potholes/sammamish one. Figured that would give a good start. Ended up being $16 + $7 for shipping - lol. Fishingmap.com had them listed a lot cheaper but I couldn't find a button to order?

trucknmusic wrote:Went to Joes and I could not find any lake maps. They had them for the sound but no lakes. I even asked the 7 people at the counter. That is a horrible store for bass fishing - big bummer bc I don't think there is anything else around me. I guess it is back to online shopping.

JOES in Bellevue has a decent selection for bass fishing stuff. OE has decent stuff too. 3 Rivers has a good selection of stuff, lots of local baits too...