Spider Lake in King County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within King County, Washington, you have Spider Lake. The sea is 35 miles distant. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. You are 8.3 miles from Tanner. Beyond it, Riverbend at 8.4 miles and Wilderness Rim at 9.1 miles. No border sits close enough to matter. The shoreline runs longer than it looks on a map.

• Where to Fish on Spider Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across King County, recorded fish include Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Spider Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 58°F in August and bottom out at 29°F in December. In milder years the surface never sets. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Spider Lake fishes to that pattern most years. Rain lifts the level and moves fish about.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Thompson Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Spider Lake.