Fishing Coplay Lake in Pierce County, Washington

• Overview

  Coplay Lake lies in Pierce County, in Washington. It sits at 3,875 feet above sea level. Small at around 19 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Nearest town is Buckley, 13 miles off. Crocker is 13 miles and Enumclaw 14 miles. Also worth knowing: East Lake a shade over 0.6 miles, Twin Lake near enough 0.8 miles, Summit Lake a shade over 1.1 miles, Surprise Lake near enough 1.3 miles and Lily Lake a shade over 1.4 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Coplay Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Pierce County cover pink salmon, sockeye salmon and largemouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Coplay Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 57°F and January about 31°F. Whether it freezes depends on the year. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Coplay Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. East Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Coplay Lake in what we hold.