Myrtle Lake Fishing near Tanner, Washington

• Overview

  The King County entry here is Myrtle Lake, in Washington. It stands 3,776 feet above sea level. About 16 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Some 18 miles away sits Tanner, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Bellevue, 39 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line. Access points are few, so the middle stretches see little traffic.

• Where to Fish on Myrtle Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. King County records list Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and yellow perch among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Myrtle Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 57°F and December reads 26°F. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Plan around that when you fish Myrtle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Merlin Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Myrtle Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.