Fishing Kidney Lake in Okanogan County, Washington

• Overview

  Kidney Lake is set in Okanogan County, Washington. It stands 7,211 feet above sea level. At roughly 8 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Washington listings. Keremeos is the closest place, 32 miles off. For a city, Chilliwack is 81 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Kidney Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name rainbow trout, largemouth bass and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Kidney Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 55°F in August and bottom out at 17°F in December. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Kidney Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Crystal Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Kidney Lake are worth checking on the day.