Fishing at Long Lake, Kitsap County, Washington

• Overview

  Within Kitsap County, Washington, you have Long Lake. The ground round it is pine and hardwood. Surface area runs to roughly 318 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. You are looking at roughly 4.4 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. It is the biggest water on our Kitsap County list. The nearest town is Bethel, 2.1 miles away. The big place round here is Seattle, 15 miles distant. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Kitsap County include Chum salmon, Coho salmon and cutthroat trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Long Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 40°F and August at about 63°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Warm months push fish deep; cool months bring them back. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on Long Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Deep Lake is 2.1 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Long Lake.