Varden Lake Fishing Guide, Okanogan County, Washington

• Overview

  Okanogan County, Washington, is where Varden Lake sits. Height above sea level is 6,211 feet. The water measures roughly 4 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Our Okanogan County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest place of any size is Okanogan, 46 miles away. The nearest city of size is Chilliwack, 76 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Varden Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Okanogan County include rainbow trout, largemouth bass and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Varden Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 54°F and December about 18°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Plan any trip to Varden Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Shelokum Lake is 3.1 miles off. What applies at Varden Lake may have changed since it was mapped.