Fishing Yahoo Lake in Jefferson County, Washington

• Overview

  Look for Yahoo Lake in Jefferson County, Washington. The bank is 2,333 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 9 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Forks is the closest town at 25 miles. Port Angeles is 41 miles and Port Angeles East 42 miles. Alternatives close at hand: Lake Dilly about 7.1 miles, 12 miles out stands Round Lake, Lilly Lake about 13 miles, 15 miles out stands Kurtz Lake and Reflection Lake about 15 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Yahoo Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Jefferson County: Coho salmon, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Yahoo Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 37°F and August at about 58°F, the water has a wide range to work through. In milder years the surface never sets. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. That shapes the year on Yahoo Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. You can camp about 130 yards away, going by the mapping. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Lake Dilly at 7.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Yahoo Lake as something to verify.