Fishing Cup Lake in Chelan County, Washington

• Overview

  Set in Chelan County, Washington, this is Cup Lake. Around the bank it is pine and birch. At roughly 6 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Compared with other Washington water on our list, it sits high. The town to know is Leavenworth, 15 miles out. The nearest city of size is Bellevue, 60 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Cup Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Chelan County list cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Cup Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and 21°F at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. At Cup Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Larch Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Cup Lake if anything is unclear.