Fishing Phillips Lake in Mason County, Washington

• Overview

  You will find Phillips Lake in Mason County, Washington. The land about it is pine and hardwood. It runs to roughly 108 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.9 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Few waters listed in Mason County are bigger. For supplies, Shelton is 7.1 miles out. The nearest city of size is Tacoma, 24 miles away. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Phillips Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Mason County records list Chum salmon, cutthroat trout, Coho salmon, largemouth bass and rainbow trout among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Read Phillips Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 63°F for August and 39°F for January. It fishes twelve months of the year. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. It sets the rhythm of the year at Phillips Lake. The week either side of a change of season often fishes hardest.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A launch point is recorded some half a mile off. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Spencer Lake at 0.9 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Phillips Lake may have changed since it was mapped.