Cup Lake Fishing near Gold Bar, Washington

• Overview

  Look for Cup Lake in Chelan County, Washington. What surrounds it is lake country bush. At roughly 11 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Gold Bar sits 26 miles from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Everett is 50 miles off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end. Most people fish the same few areas, which leaves the rest quiet.

• Where to Fish on Cup Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Cup Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 23°F and August at about 57°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Cup Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Saucer Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Cup Lake as something to verify.