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

• Overview

  This water sits in Yakima County, Washington. The land about it is mixed forest. At 25 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Few waters listed in Yakima County are bigger. Head to Tieton, 27 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 62 miles to Kent, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Pear Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Yakima County include rainbow trout, pumpkinseed, mountain whitefish and cutthroat trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Pear Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 55°F; by January the average is down near 24°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Pear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Apple Lake, 0.4 miles away. Treat Pear Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.