Northwest Fishing Reports

I have a friend who is an avid fisherman. I have 2 little kids and a wife who are not. I am wondering if anyone can recommend any places to camp where we could mess around and soak a line with the kids, but also have some serious fishing for us. I don't have a boat so places that rent them would be great. I realize you can't have it all so maybe secluded might be too much to ask, but I would at least prefer not to share the water with personal watercraft and skiiers:-({|= .

To complicate matters further, I am looking mid-July. Yes, I know that is a bad time to fish, but it is the only time we can get together.

Thanks in advance!:)

I would have to recommend Banks lake...esp. Steamboat Rock state park. Not sure if there are boat rentals near the area, but there is serious bank access w/ great fishing along the highway (nearly the full length of the lake). The park is great for families, lots of other kids, a small store, nice sandy beaches.

Mar Don Resort on Potholes Reservoir. It has everything you just mentioned. Perfect place for the kids, small park, swimming area, ice cream. And they can catch fish all day off their dock, and you can get a shot at some very nice fish. They do rent boats and July would be peak time for panfish and bass not to mention walleye and trout would also be hot. There is quite a few skiers and jet skis but the lake is big enought to where you can find seclusion. There is also a number of small lakes with in a 10 min drive (or even a 1 min drive) that will offer decent fishing and seclusion.

http://www.mardonresort.com/

Thanks! Please keep them coming. I will look into all of them and with how quickly places get booked I will probably need options.

Look into Offut Lake resort. There are bows, trips, cutthroat, a few browns, bass, and perch. They also have boat rentals and play areas. Wolf haven is right down the road and Olympia has a lot to do for the non fishermen. Depending on the time Lake Fair may be going on in Oly.. The best part is the lake is fairly small so it is easier to find the fish. (if you need any other info let me know):salut:

Deception pass State Park and campgrounds. There is something for everyone there.RMcvey put up a linc in another thread. You best make reservations now,if there are any left. Thats any campground in Wa state just about.From Deception pass you can go to Whidbey Island,Campbell Lake,Anacortes,.Lots of shopping and lil shops all over.

We do Deception Pass State Park every Labor day and love that one.

i also recommend Banks Lake. Steamboat Rock to be exact. I plan on going there in June.

There is a park for the kids to play. Swimming area. Hiking up the Steamboat Rock if you like. Lots of bank fishing with plenty of fish.

Nice clean bathrooms too.

Banks Lake and Deception pass are both great places to camp.Deception Pass has very secluded camp sites and the Banks lake region offers a mutitude of fishing possibilities.You cant go wrong in either place.If you would prefer to camp sans fighter jets thundering overhead(Deception Pass) or intense heat and Rattlesnakes(Banks Lake) I would suggest Moran on Orcas Island.The ferry ride can be pricey but well worth it.
My family and I have stayed in probably 80% of the state campgrounds in washington as well as many forest service campgrounds.Moran was the best we found.We stayed there 4 times from 2002 to 2010.This campground is huge its 5000+ acres.There are tons of deer.Tons of hiking trails.There is great saltwater fishing available(not in the park).The veiw from MT Constitution is to die for.There is whale watching close by.There is a LOT of artsy fartsy stuff for sale on the island,I never really cared for crafts too much but my wife usually brought back more stuff than we left with.There is a great(crowded) swimming beach on Cascade lake.
Did I mention the freshwater fishing?There are 5 lakes.3 you can drive to and 2 that require a fair hike.We moved to Montana in Feb so I can share some of my secrets.We have a whole new state to explore and the Bighole river,Clarksfork river and Blackfoot river nearby to explore and I'll probably never get back to Moran.Cascade lake Is loaded with good size native( I think) rainbows and kokanee.All fish we caught were from 14 to 18 inches.Also a lot of small LMB and tons of Pumpkinseed.Boat rentals are available on Cascade and Mountain lakes.The price was like 35.00 a day but you had the boat for 24 hours.There is next to no fishing pressure.There are a lot of paddleboats and swimmers but few fishermen.The fishermen that were out mostly had no clue.People were amazed when me,wife,2 kids would come in with 20 fish on the stringer.All good sized Rainbows and Kokanees.Cascade and Mountain Lakes are the only 2 worth fishing.
Late July and August are the best fishing times here.These lakes are both deep and warm up slower.On Cascade lake head towards the cliffs opposite the boat rental.Just to the left of the entrance to the lagoon.We fished mostly in august but the most fish were about 27 feet down 30 to 40 feet of water.In the colder months head way up into the lagoon.You will have to battle the pumkinseeds but eventually you will find the trout.Mountain lake is full of small Kokanee and native cutthroats.There are also a lot of long but thin triploids here.The triploids are mostly sitting behind large rocks.The Kokanee we found are thick around the end of the lake to the left of the boat launch.The cutthroat are in the coves and bays.I would highly recomend rubber snubbers for the Kokanee here.Also this lake is gin clear and approx 110 ft deep(Cascade is 80+ feet deep and slightly stained).
Raindawgs,this campground fills up fast.We made our reservations in January every year.Even if it is too late this year please consider it for the future.We mostly liked forrest service campgrounds(Willows) but in my not so humble opininion this is the best campground in the state.
campsite 31 on the midway is the best site in the park

TACOMA POWER HAS A NICE PARK ON RIFFLE LAKE. AWESOME LARGE SITES. VERY SCENIC NICE PLAY AREAS. ON RIFFLE LAKE GOOD FOR KOKANEE. SWAFFORD POND IS ONLY A COUPLE OF MILES AWAY WITH TROUT, AND AWESOME PAN FISHING LOTS OF BANK ACCESS. AREA IS ABOUT 5 MILES OUT OF MOSSYROCK, WA. GO TO TACOMA POWER WEBSITE FOR RESERVATIONS.

PIONEER TRAILS IN ANACHORTES HAS PASS LAKE AND ANOTHER LAKE CLOSE BY VERY NICE CAMP AREA. LOTS TO DO AND SEE IN THE AREA.

SUNSET RESORT MOSES LAKE HAS WATER SLIDES NEAR AND ITS NEAR MOSES LAKE TONS TO BANK ACCESS.

WINTHOP KOA VERY NICE ON THE METHOW RIVER LOTS OF BANK ACCESS. PERRYGRIN STATE PARK ON PERRYGRIN LAKE NEAR BY WINTHROP AS WELL

CHELAN STATE PARK REAL NICE SWIMMING AND FISHING AREAS

racfish wrote:Deception pass State Park and campgrounds. There is something for everyone there.RMcvey put up a linc in another thread. You best make reservations now,if there are any left. Thats any campground in Wa state just about.From Deception pass you can go to Whidbey Island,Campbell Lake,Anacortes,.Lots of shopping and lil shops all over.

AGREED!!

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... e-Park.asx

When not swimming beach combing, hiking on the trails. Watching the wildlife. Head south down the island to Oak Harbor for some shopping and dinning.

Oak Harbor is a NAVY town, Home to the infamous PROWLER squadrans. Which you get to watch fly over most of the day.

A little farther South is Ft Ebey, an old military gunnery that was one of a batch of anti ship gun batteries that one protected the entrance to the pudget sound.

"Fort Ebey State Park, a 645-acre camping park on Whidbey Island, was originally built as a coastal defense fort in World War II. Concrete platforms mark the gun locations. The park has three miles of saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a freshwater lake for fishing, and miles of hiking and biking trails."

After leaving there, keep heading south to Coupville, its a great little town to just park the car ans walk through all the shops. A very relaxing place to have lunch, shop and relax.

Keep heading south...


Ft Casey, Fort Casey State Park is a 467-acre marine camping park with a lighthouse and sweeping views of Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A coast artillery post features two 10-inch and two 3-inch historic guns on display. The park features 10,810 feet of saltwater shoreline on Puget Sound (Admiralty Inlet), and includes Keystone Spit, a two-mile-plus stretch of land separating Admiralty Inlet and Crocket Lake.







I could go on and on about the cool places on Whidbey island, but that would ruin the surprises.

Definatley a family place to go.

Fantastic Tips!!!!:cheers: