Fishing Lake Sutherland in Clallam County, Washington

• Overview

  The Clallam County entry here is Lake Sutherland, in Washington. Elevation runs to 515 feet. At 366 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. With 3.8 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Clallam County. Port Angeles is the closest place, 13 miles off. Victoria sits 30 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lake Sutherland

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Clallam County list Coho salmon, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and American shad. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Lake Sutherland responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 56°F and December reads 33°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. At Lake Sutherland the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Happy Lake, 4.8 miles away.