Ell Lake in Okanogan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Okanogan County, Washington. The surface lies 2,592 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 22 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. For a base, Tonasket sits 16 miles out. The big place round here is Kelowna, 90 miles distant. Within a short run: Round Lake just 0.4 miles, Long Lake a touch under 1.1 miles, Cathrene Cecile Lake just 3.1 miles, Crawfish Lake a touch under 9.6 miles and Davis Lake just 9.6 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Ell Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. 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. Survey and observation records for Okanogan County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass, sockeye salmon, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Anyone new to Ell Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 64°F in August and bottoms out near 22°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Count the season from break-up, usually late March. From about late March to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Time your trip to Ell Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Round Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Signs at Ell Lake carry more weight than any list.