Fishing at Deception Lake, Pend Oreille County, Washington

• Overview

  In Washington, Deception Lake falls inside Pend Oreille County. The bank gives way to lake country bush. This is a pocket water of some 3 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Most waters listed here for Pend Oreille County are larger. Nearest town is Fruitvale, 29 miles off. Further out sit Colville (29 miles) and Trail (31 miles). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Deception Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Pend Oreille County cover rainbow trout, tench, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Deception Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 64°F on average, January about 24°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near mid March; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near mid March, and forms again about early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Deception Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Ione Millpond is 3.8 miles distant. Treat access at Deception Lake as something to verify.