Petes Camp Lake in Adams County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Washington holds Petes Camp Lake, in Adams County. The surroundings are mixed woodland. A pocket of water where every cast reaches cover. It is a small entry by Adams County standards. Dayton is the closest place, 28 miles off. Waitsburg is 30 miles away, with Ritzville at 31 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Petes Camp Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Adams County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, bluegill and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Petes Camp Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 73°F, the coldest about 32°F. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Petes Camp Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Little Petes Camp Lake, 0.4 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Petes Camp Lake.