Fishing at Lake Chaplain, Snohomish County, Washington

• Overview

  Snohomish County, Washington, is where Lake Chaplain sits. The bank gives way to oak and grass. At 423 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 4.6 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Snohomish County list. You are 6.1 miles from Woods Creek. Everett sits 17 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lake Chaplain

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Open biodiversity records for Snohomish County list Chinook salmon, pink salmon and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Lake Chaplain where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 63°F and December reads 38°F. Heat sets the pattern from late spring onward. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. It holds true on Lake Chaplain more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Lost Lake is 0.9 miles off. Signs at Lake Chaplain carry more weight than any list.