Fishing at Dumbbell Lake, Yakima County, Washington

• Overview

  You will find Dumbbell Lake in Yakima County, Washington. It sits at 5,112 feet above sea level. Around 38 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. On our Yakima County list it sits near the top for size. Tieton lies 30 miles from the water. Gleed is 36 miles away, with Ahtanum at 37 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Dumbbell Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Yakima County include rainbow trout, pumpkinseed, mountain whitefish, cutthroat trout and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Dumbbell Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and 25°F at the bottom of winter. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Dumbbell Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Pipe Lake is 0.6 miles distant. The position on Dumbbell Lake is worth confirming on the day.