Fishing at Buck Lake, Okanogan County, Washington

• Overview

  Buck Lake is set in Okanogan County, Washington. It lies 3,274 feet above sea level. It covers about 8 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest place of any size is Okanogan, 33 miles away. Omak is 34 miles and Tonasket 35 miles. Not far off: Siegels Slough just 2 miles, Sullivan Pond at 6.3 miles, Wright Ponds-West Pond just 7.1 miles, Pearrygin Lake at 8.5 miles and Cougar Lake just 9.9 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Buck Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Okanogan County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, sockeye salmon and yellow perch. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Buck Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 63°F and December reads 21°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Anyone fishing Buck Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Siegels Slough is 2 miles distant. Ask locally about Buck Lake if anything is unclear.