Northwest Fishing Reports

Drove into Fish Lake Friday Feb 9 and was greeted with a sign saying "Ice Unsafe". There was some water on top of sketchy looking ice.

I was up there last Sunday and only managed one 9 inch kokanee. There is still plenty of water to launch the boat thanks to the beautiful six month long March we've been having. They do blasting across the lake after about 1800 (the lake is closed to navigation during blasting) so camping may not be...

We are heading up tommorow morning, should get there around noon. My wife got us a cabin in Rockport so we will fish Friday AM also. I'm going to rig up like I would for Lake Washington or Wenatchee, 0 dodger and bare red hook.

I know that in Lake Union we used to catch large perch. We would fish tightlined off the AGC bldg.The parking attendents ealy ams are cool with letting you park near the water for free.I dont talk much about Lk Union cuz its a very large polluted body of water.I personally wont eat a thing comming ...

McIntosh Lake by Tenino has a good population of fair sized perch. The downside is that there could be an algae bloom this time of year as the lake is only ten to twelve feet deep.

I'm taking the family and friends to Blue Lake. Sure, there are a lot of people but I truly believe not as many as when I was a kid.

Yellowbear My wife and I usually fish Downs in September for nice sized perch. We usually run the boat up into the edge of the lilly pads and fish with jigs or worms. The water is only three or four feet deep when we do this. The pads probably haven't emerged yet so I would probably find a deeper sp...

Hm Crazy, I wonder if maybe they had already moved in there earlier because of the weather. I remember reading in a mag a few years ago that the perch go up there in Feb so that's why I was wondering about it. In normal years I have done well in February at Winchester and the freeway bridge at Mose...

JB

I fished Winchester Wasteway where Road 5 NW crosses it today for perch after getting a quick limit of rainbows at Martha Lake. It was dead! When the perch are there there will be a crowd of locals.

Dualt,

I have fished from the bank along the shoulder of Hwy 504 just E of the public access.

Bruce Nelson

jb,

There are perch in the cove immediately on the left side of the boat ramp and the one off the swimming beach at the S end of the lake. I think the N end has better fishing but you should be able to have plenty of fun at the S end.

Bruce Nelson

Quad,

When I was a kid Crumbacher had public access with the cooperation of the landowner. It was stocked with brookies and rainbows. I think the landowner got sick of his property being trashed by the public so he ended access.

Bruce Nelson

Mike, If you are willing to drive over to Ellensburg FioRito and Mattoon Lakes offer fair to good shore fishing prospects. There is public shoreline at both lakes, ample casting room, and they have gradually sloping shorelines in case a child accidently falls in. Check the WDFW fish planting section...

There is a good article in "Northwest Sportsman" about the harm Johnny Bass Seed does with his bucket biology. To bad the WDFW doesn't have the bucks to rotenone more lakes!

Getting up to Lost Lake in the dead of winter may be a chore unless you do it by snowmobile or take the mother of all snowshoe hikes!

Mattoon Lake by Ellensburg occasionally freezes over enough to fish on. That and Fish Lake would be the two closest to Seattle.

Bodo,

No kidding about time flying! I remember when Issaquah was "in the sticks"!

I think Tradition is open for fishing. There are some reports in the King County section for it. It sounds like there can be some decent bass and perch fishing in it. Bring a raft or float tube.

I've heard Swift Reservoir above Merwin is finally kicking out rainbows.

Bruce Nelson

Aaron,

I work in the maritime industry and I know that the COLREGS just say you would need to display a white light in sufficient time to avoid a collision. So probably a flashlight or lantern if someone was near you.

Bruce Nelson