Retreat Lake Fishing near Ravensdale, Washington

• Overview

  You will find Retreat Lake in King County, Washington. The coast is 18 miles away. Surface area is around 51 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our King County list. Nearest place of any size is Ravensdale, 2 miles away. For a city, Kent is 14 miles off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Retreat Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across King County, recorded fish include Chum salmon, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Retreat Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 38°F and August at about 64°F, the water has a wide range to work through. No part of the year shuts this water. March through May is the strongest run, with autumn a second stretch. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. The season on Retreat Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Ravensdale Lake, 2.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Retreat Lake before loading the car.