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

• Overview

  Fawn Lake is an Okanogan County water, Washington side. The water sits 6,230 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is high ground by Washington standards. Keremeos is the closest place, 30 miles off. After that come Cawston at 31 miles and Oroville at 39 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Fawn Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Reported across Okanogan County: rainbow trout, largemouth bass, sockeye salmon, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Fawn Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 16°F and August at about 52°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count the season from break-up, usually mid May. The water is typically free of ice between mid May and early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Fawn Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Lower Fox Lake at 1.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Fawn Lake before loading the car.