Snow Lakes Fishing near Leavenworth, Washington

• Overview

  In Washington, Snow Lakes belongs to Chelan County. It sits at 5,922 feet above sea level. At about 181 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our Chelan County list. The town to know is Leavenworth, 8.9 miles out. It is 68 miles to Bellevue, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Snow Lakes

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Chelan County cover cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The near bank of Snow Lakes is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 55°F and January near 21°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Snow Lakes fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Musky Lakelet is 1.1 miles distant. For Snow Lakes, the notice at the access point is the final word.