Chitwood Lake, Washington: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Chitwood Lake stands in Snohomish County, Washington. Salt water lies 15 miles off. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Granite Falls lies 3.9 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Everett, 16 miles away. Water in the same corner: Lake Julia a touch under 1.4 miles, Smelling Lake 1.7 miles away, Hubbard Lake a touch under 1.9 miles, Bowers Lake 2 miles away and Swartz Lake a touch under 2.4 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Chitwood Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name Chinook salmon, pink salmon, Coho salmon and largemouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Chitwood Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 36°F in December up to 62°F in August. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. That is the shape of the year on Chitwood Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Lake Julia, 1.4 miles away. Where Chitwood Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.