Fishing Bay Lake in Pierce County, Washington

• Overview

  Within Pierce County, Washington, you have Bay Lake. The sea is 1.7 miles distant. With some 128 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.6 miles, small enough to learn in a day. On our Pierce County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest place of any size is Home, 2.1 miles away. The big place round here is Tacoma, 15 miles distant. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Bay Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Work the tide here — moving water feeds, slack water rests. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Pierce County cover pink salmon, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass and Chum salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Bay Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 63°F and January near 40°F on the long-run figures. The surface stays open the year round. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. It holds true on Bay Lake more years than not. A steady wind fishes better than a still, bright day.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Little Palmer Lake, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Bay Lake in particular, ask before you travel.