Fishing at Lake Charles, Chelan County, Washington

• Overview

  Within Chelan County, Washington, you have Lake Charles. What surrounds it is lake country bush. At 7 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It sits higher than most water we list in Washington. For supplies, Leavenworth is 14 miles out. It is 60 miles to Bellevue, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lake Charles

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Chelan County records list cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Lake Charles the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 55°F, while December sits near 21°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Lake Charles by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Upper Grace Lake, 0.7 miles out. Treat access at Lake Charles as something to verify.