Cedar Lake Fishing near Buckley, Washington

• Overview

  Cedar Lake falls in Pierce County, part of Washington. It stands 4,203 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 32 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Around 0.9 miles of margin, front to back. Buckley is the closest place, 11 miles off. Kent sits 28 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. 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. Cedar Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 32°F to 57°F. The year turns gently, without extremes at either end. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. It holds true on Cedar Lake more years than not. A rising level after rain switches things on for a day or two.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lyle Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Cedar Lake in what we hold.