Fishing Chopaka Lake in Okanogan County, Washington

• Overview

  This water sits in Okanogan County, Washington. The bank is 2,917 feet above sea level. With some 148 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge covers about 3.3 miles, enough to hold several distinct areas. It is among the larger waters listed here for Okanogan County. Nearest place of any size is Oroville, 12 miles away. Kelowna sits 68 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Chopaka Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Okanogan County: rainbow trout, largemouth bass and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Chopaka Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 22°F in December to roughly 62°F in August. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late March. Climate figures give an open season running late March to late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Chopaka Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Bowers Lake is 1.4 miles off. Treat Chopaka Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.