Carp Lake Fishing near Steilacoom, Washington

• Overview

  Carp Lake is a Pierce County water, Washington side. The bank is 240 feet above sea level. About 8 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Ground here is low by Washington standards. The town to know is Steilacoom, 2.2 miles out. The big place round here is Tacoma, 8.7 miles distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Carp Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Pierce County include pink salmon, sockeye salmon, largemouth bass, Chum salmon and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Carp Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 39°F to 65°F. It fishes twelve months of the year. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. That is the shape of the year on Carp Lake. Water temperature lags behind air temperature by days, not hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Boyles Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position on Carp Lake before loading the car.