Milk Lake in Yakima County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Milk Lake is set in Yakima County, Washington. The country here is rolling bush. At 3 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest town is Cle Elum, 15 miles away. Ellensburg lies 21 miles off, Tieton another 23 miles. Not far off: Shoestring Lake a shade over 2.4 miles, Manastash Lake roughly 2.5 miles, Lost Lake a shade over 2.6 miles, Taneum Lake roughly 5.7 miles and Flat Iron Lake a shade over 11 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Milk Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name rainbow trout, pumpkinseed, mountain whitefish and cutthroat trout. The county list is broader than any single water. On Milk Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 24°F in January and 58°F in August. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Milk Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Shoestring Lake at 2.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat Milk Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.