Fishing at Mad Lake, Chelan County, Washington

• Overview

  This water sits in Chelan County, Washington. It stands 5,791 feet above sea level. It covers about 7 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It sits higher than most water we list in Washington. 21 miles away sits Granite Falls, the nearest town. Manson is 23 miles away, with Leavenworth at 23 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Mad Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Chelan County list cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Work Mad Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 55°F for August and 21°F for December. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Mad Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Two Little Lakes is 1.2 miles off. Where Mad Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.