Chiwaukum Lake Fishing in Chelan County, Washington

• Overview

  The Chelan County entry here is Chiwaukum Lake, in Washington. The land about it is mixed forest. With some 68 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.6 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is among the larger waters listed here for Chelan County. Leavenworth lies 14 miles from the water. It is 62 miles to Bellevue, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Chiwaukum Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Chelan County, recorded fish include cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Chiwaukum Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 55°F, with December the cold end at about 21°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Chiwaukum Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Honour Lake is 0.3 miles off. Rules at Chiwaukum Lake are worth checking on the day.