Lake Dorothy near Tanner: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Set in King County, Washington, this is Lake Dorothy. It lies 3,061 feet above sea level. About 261 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The margin runs to about 3.9 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our King County list. Some 19 miles away sits Tanner, the nearest settlement. Then Riverbend, 19 miles, and North Bend, 20 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lake Dorothy

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for King County include Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Lake Dorothy the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 58°F in August and bottom out at 27°F in December. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lake Dorothy.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Lake Pugsley, 0.7 miles away. None of that is settled for Lake Dorothy in what we hold.