Catfish Lake in Mason County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Mason County, Catfish Lake is a Washington water. Tidal water begins 1.6 miles from here. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Washington listings. Nearest place of any size is Allyn, 1.5 miles away. The big place round here is Tacoma, 20 miles distant. Round about: Mill Pond 0.2 miles off, Lake Anderson some 1.1 miles off, Coon Lake 1.7 miles off, Prickett Lake some 2.4 miles off and Devereaux Lake 2.8 miles off. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Catfish Lake

  Mapped as wetland rather than lake, it fishes as a maze of channels and pockets. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Mason County, recorded fish include Chum salmon, cutthroat trout, Coho salmon, largemouth bass and rainbow trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Catfish Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 39°F in January and 63°F in August. Summer heat is the limit here, not winter cold. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Expect Catfish Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Mill Pond is 0.2 miles off. None of that is settled for Catfish Lake in what we hold.