Placid Lake Fishing Guide, Skamania County, Washington

• Overview

  Placid Lake is a Skamania County water, in Washington. Height above sea level is 4,078 feet. At roughly 16 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Size puts it in the front rank of our Skamania County list. The closest town, Carson, is 22 miles distant. Gresham sits 48 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Placid Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Skamania County: Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and rainbow trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Placid Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 56°F on average, January about 28°F. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. The season on Placid Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Chenamus Lake, 0.7 miles away. Rules at Placid Lake are worth checking on the day.