Upper Fox Lake Fishing in Okanogan County, Washington

• Overview

  In Washington, Upper Fox Lake falls inside Okanogan County. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Okanogan County. For supplies, Keremeos is 31 miles out. Cawston is 33 miles and Oroville 40 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Upper Fox Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Okanogan County list rainbow trout, largemouth bass, sockeye salmon, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Upper Fox Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 52°F at the top of summer and 16°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. At Upper Fox Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Lower Fox Lake at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Upper Fox Lake as something to verify.