New to the frozen lake thing......

[whitten1823]

I'm new to WA and have never had to deal with frozen lakes. I live in the Spanaway area. I fish out of a kayak and am looking for some yak friendly lakes to search for Crappie or anything else that will bite. Looking for ideas or a yaker that wouldn't mind some company. Any non-frozen lake ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[BentRod]

Welcome to the forum!
Most of the lakes on the west side of our state down at the lower elevations do not freeze over in the winter. You can use the lake index section to find lakes near you and also the WDFW water access site search for your county can be helpful (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/water_access/index.html)
Make sure you consult the current WDFW fishing regs to determine what bodies of water and species are open this time of year before going.
Good luck.
BR

[Rosann G]

There's quite a few non-motor lakes on the west side that would be great ones for your yak and I know I have seen yaks on alot of the motor lakes too. We have friends that go out in their yaks on Lake Tapps but not after about noon in the summer time. Like Bentrod says, check the regs to see what's open for fishing now if you want to winter fish.

[tluedeke]

Try actually ditching the yak during winter, and trying out ice fishing. It'll be something that will addict you, like it did me!!

If not, and focusing on Eastern Washington, try the larger lakes, or those in the southern part of the state (Tri-Cities/Yakima area). They tend to not freeze up reliably in the winter.

Any further information on the species you are seeking would help (e.g. trout, spiny rays, salmonoids)

[whitten1823]

I'd wouldn't mind trying out the ice thing, but I know nothing about it to go out walking on ice. By next winter hopefully I'll have enough knowledge to attempt it.