Northwest Fishing Reports

After reading the 'Well Duck is still my worst lake' it got me thinking about the lakes i have had trouble with.
So here is another What is your....? post.

What is your worst, hardest or most challenging lake you have fished. State the issue with the lake and what you think may help overcome that issue.


The lake i tend to avoid is Big Lake (Skagit County) I am 7 minutes away from the boat launch and tried to get some Bass in the late spring / early summer. No luck! I spoke with other anglers about locations and bait ... no help. At first i was stubborn and would keep going back, but lately i just go somewhere else. I think my issue with this lake is my lack of confidence on it. And the only way to get that up is to keep trying.

Lake Washington. The fish go deep and I hate fishing deep. Also hate to have the fish bloat up after dragging them up from deep water, I KNOW it isn't good for them, even if they are fizzed/deflated and swim away. I wonder how many fish die later from damaged internal organs.

When I was in WA. Black in Thurston Co. was my nemesis I ended up catching a few here and there but finally found a better lake. If you are not a tournament guy a home or comfort lake is great to have and there is no reason to with lakes you do not like or other wise feel intimidated by. Might as well go where you are going to be productive and then if you want find another lake but by no means get your self wrapped up in having to figure out a certain lake if you are not having luck there when there are soooo many other lakes in WA. that may fit your style of fishing better.

Larsen lake in bellevue. that lake will be the demise of me.

i've fished this tiny lake day and night, seen some giant largemouths, but possibly one of the least productive lakes i've ever fished...ever.

cassidy. i have caught fish out of it but never trout

Nice thread, we'll have to resurface this one in the spring when more people are visiting the site. My "heartbreak" lake...hmmm... so many to chose from. Joy in King comes to mind. So fishy, good reports, but no fish for me yet. I know they are there and "I'll Be Back." :cyclops:

I would have to say Lenore. The fish are in there, big ones, but sometimes it is just a matter of timing. The bite will be on for a week prior to going over there and when you get there, nothing. So many variable with that lake that can change in a day or two. The wind can blow hard in 4 different directions in a day and continue doing that for several days. This just mixes up the entire lake.

Every season is different. One year it may be the last of September and the next year the middle of October. I have tried to duplicate calendar times and weather conditions from a successful year to the next year and come up with nada.....nothing. Not even a fish on the finder or rises on the surface. In the last couple of years, Lenore seems to be a crap shoot. One never knows.

I would say rufus woods. It is not tough to catch fish there it is tough to catch the big fish there. Each time I leave there I think I can change a few things and I feel like I have the place figured out for the lunkers. Then the next time I go, boom, same thing and I leave saying the same thing. Our biggest for our group of guys that go is 10.2 pounds, my biggest is 6.13 pounds. I know there are tons of bigger fish but just cant break that teen mark. Going this january, planning on besting the teen mark.

Angle Lake in Seatac...That lake is 5 minutes from my house, and I cannot catch a Koke to save my life. My buddy always seems to catch them...I cannot figure out why, or what i'm doing wrong...we usually go with the same set-up. I will be back for more though...its usually those lakes closest to you that seem to be the toughest!

Lake washington by farrr !! This is the only lake in this state that will humble some the best sticks floating on water !! :bounce:

Well I thought I knew my least favorite lake, until I started reading other post and now I realize I have multiple lakes that I suck at.

Lake WA, not very good at, and I live less than a mile from angle and have fished it my whole life, and have little to show.

I think my worst (off the top of my head) is Evergreen Reservoir in Quincy. I have fished this lake almost anyway you can, Trolling, casting, threw the ice, all night long for cats. You name it, probably spent 100+ hours on that lake with absolutely nothing to show for. Other than a few snagged carp Anytime Evergreen is mentioned, I get the chills. I literally fished that lake every way you can, for every specie, from winter to fall.


Oh.... and I dont necessarily excel down at the Cow either.......

American Lake and Ward Lake for Kokanee. Now that I think of it, American Lake. I have only caught small perch there.
gpc, fish with us next time we go to Barrier, I'll put you into some fish my friend.

gpc wrote:Well I thought I knew my least favorite lake, until I started reading other post and now I realize I have multiple lakes that I suck at.

Lake WA, not very good at, and I live less than a mile from angle and have fished it my whole life, and have little to show.

I think my worst (off the top of my head) is Evergreen Reservoir in Quincy. I have fished this lake almost anyway you can, Trolling, casting, threw the ice, all night long for cats. You name it, probably spent 100+ hours on that lake with absolutely nothing to show for. Other than a few snagged carp Anytime Evergreen is mentioned, I get the chills. I literally fished that lake every way you can, for every specie, from winter to fall.


Oh.... and I dont necessarily excel down at the Cow either.......

I can roll with that!!! I've caught a few small bass trying for the tigers but way too much time invested! I'd rather walk to Dusty with my tube!

Sounds good to me jens, you guys have it pretty well dialed in.

I also love Dusty, Bodo. Its beautiful down in that canyon. I usually only get about 1 hook up each trip down there, but its always a quality fish. Tubes are the way to go, those guys usually do pretty well.

jens wrote:American Lake and Ward Lake for Kokanee. Now that I think of it, American Lake. I have only caught small perch there.

Me, too, although it was small rock bass at American. This year at Clear Lake Pierce county...last year I did fine.

I tend to stay away from lakes that are large. I find it difficult to find the fish (in my case trout) so I stick with lakes that are smaller to increase my odds of locating them. Over the years I have had a hard time finding the trout at Lake Stevens and Lake Goodwin but tend to fish Goodwin a few times each winter when I start getting the winter itch. Good topic.

Terrell is my Achilles lake. Bass fishers come all the way from Seattle and say it's a prime bass water, which leaves me with the conclusion that I must suck at bass fishing.

O.K. guys and gals, you just gave me an idea.

I am starting a new thread on this section called Lake Fishing Mentors. The idea is to post on the thread that you know a lake(s) very well and have been successful in fishing it. Members on the site can contact you and ask your advise on how to be successful on a particular body of water. Don't post your name on the thread if you are not willing to help out other members.

Learning a lake is always possible. I was stumped on how to fish Amber until one day I hooked up with a friend and he "explained" the lake to me and how to fish it. Dennis has taught me so much about Amber. Why? Because he has been fishing it for over 50 years. Let's share the information and cross some of those lakes off of our frustration list:cheers:

Great idea Marc. I never hesitate to share info with an individual who PM's me.

Marc Martyn wrote:I would have to say Lenore. The fish are in there, big ones, but sometimes it is just a matter of timing. The bite will be on for a week prior to going over there and when you get there, nothing. So many variable with that lake that can change in a day or two. The wind can blow hard in 4 different directions in a day and continue doing that for several days. This just mixes up the entire lake.

Every season is different. One year it may be the last of September and the next year the middle of October. I have tried to duplicate calendar times and weather conditions from a successful year to the next year and come up with nada.....nothing. Not even a fish on the finder or rises on the surface. In the last couple of years, Lenore seems to be a crap shoot. One never knows.

Fish it deeper and you may find them. If you can see them, they can certainly see you, when the wind blows the fish have the advantage. Also at night after the winds die down I have had better luck... Those cutts are very picky. I sometimes think they get tired of eating the little appetizers and want a bigger faire. I have found that by going to a larger fly they will bite when the Chrom's don't work. Good Luck, Steve.