For those living in Washington State, you have some of the best fishable waters waiting for you within arm’s reach. Whether you want to fly fish or fish from your boat with a boat gas tank bladder to keep you going for hours, there will be something here for you. Here are seven of the best fishing spots in the state, so you can get the most out of your time fishing here.
- Green Lake
One of the best angling spots in Washington State is Green Lake. This lake offers the opportunity to fish from all of its shores, as they’re all open and available to use. There’s also fishing piers that you can use too for fishing, so if that’s your preferred fishing mode, you’re going to love it here.
It’ important to note that the lake does not allow fishing by boat, so you won’t be able to come with your boat and marine fuel bladder and go fishing from the surface. However, you can launch boat toppers from the shore, so that is an option. The lake is open to swimmers as well as anglers, so make sure you’re mindful of them when you’re here.
As well as the angling, there’s lots of amenities around the lake like restaurants and cafes, so you can spend hours here relaxing and enjoying what the lake has to offer.
- Lake Washington
This is second natural largest lake in Washington State, located right within Seattle. Even if you’re in the city, you can get away from it all by exploring its waters. Just load up your boat and fill up your fuel bladder for boats and you can leave it all behind you.
Even if you don’t have your own boat, you can rent one from one of the many companies that offer this service to you. Even if you’re just in town for a little while and didn’t want to bring your boat with you, you don’t have to miss out.
When it comes to fish, the lake offers steelhead, black crappie, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, green sunfish, cutthroat trout, sockeye salmon, pumpkinseed sunfish, and much more. With so many different fish calling the lake home, that gives you lots of variety.
- Banks Lake
Banks Lake is a popular spot with local anglers, and for good reason. With 26,900 acres of water, you’ll need to make sure you bring a fully loaded boat gas tank bladder to explore the whole thing. With so much space around the shoreline too, there’s lots of room for you to cast your lines.
One of the best things about the lake is that it’s a great ice fishing spot too. Because of that, you don’t have to stop fishing when the lake freezes over, making it an excellent year round fishing location.
Here, you’re going to find lots of different fish, with smallmouth bass being the main draw. You’ll also find walleye, lake whitefish, panfish, rainbow trout, and kokanee here too.
- Lake Kapowskin
This lake is a must see for not only anglers, but hunters and boaters too. With lots of lush vegetation and beautiful scenery, you’ll have an amazing time here taking it all in. As an angler, you can explore the waters from your boat, and you’ll want to make sure you bring the marine fuel bladder as there’s 500 acres to sail. You can also fish from the shore, or even use a kayak.
There’s a large variety of fish here, so you can catch a lot of different varieties during your time here. It’s best known for rainbow trout, so you’ll find lots of them when you come by.
- American Lake
Located near Tacoma, this lake offers you the chance to get close to nature even when you’re near by the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellvue metropolitan area. As it’s around 1,100 acres, there’s more than enough room for all the anglers that want to come by and enjoy some time here. If you’re looking to fish by boat, make sure you bring your fuel bladder for boats with you.
You can trout, kokanee, bass and panfish here, and the waters are indeed fruitful. It won’t take you long to get a bite here.
- Banks Lake
Banks Lake is one of the biggest spots on this list, measuring a whopping 26,900 acres, with a 135 mile shoreline. If you want to spend some time here, there are ample places to stay. That includes RV and campgrounds, so you can really get the most out of your time here. You even have the chance to rent a boat or kayak, if you haven’t brought your own boat and boat gas tank bladder with you.
Walleye and smallmouth bass are the biggest populations in Banks Lake, but that’s not all that you’ll find here. Panfish, rainbow trout, and kokanee are also abundant here, as well as lake whitefish. Make sure you bring your marine fuel bladder, as you’ll be out here for a while.
- Lake Sammamish
This lake is a true hidden gem in Washington State, and you won’t want to miss it as an angler. Located east of Bellvue and around 10 miles from downtown Seattle, it’s very easy to reach and is a perfect getaway from the city.
There’s a public boat launch so you can easily bring your boat for this fishing trip, as well as some private resort launches. Bring your fuel bladder for boats and you can spend all day exploring the waters. You can find everything here from small bass and chinook salmon to brown bullhead, coastal cutthroat trout, coho salmon, kokanee, pumpkinseed sunfish, and many more besides.
There are so many places to enjoy angling in Washington State, and this list only scratches the surface. If you’re planning a trip there soon, ensure you bring your boat and your boat gas tank bladder, so you can fully explore what the state’s lakes have to offer you. You’ll soon see why local anglers love the fishing scene so much here.
