NorthWest Kayak Anglers
Regional Discussions => Washington Kayak Fishing => Topic started by: Dark Tuna on March 18, 2019, 09:25:44 PM
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I plan to be in the area the weekend of April 6-7 and am looking for some intel. WDFW says
Fishing opportunities include stocked Rainbow Trout, Coastal Cutthroat Trout, and Channel Catfish and resident Largemouth Bass and Yellow Perch. Resident Bluegill, Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and Bullhead Catfish are also present.
That's a pretty wide range of fish. My luck scoping lakes first day out is pretty near zero. At almost 400 acres the lake could take a while to scope. Any local knowledge would be much appreciated! Navionics shows it to be a shallow -- max 15 foot deep -- and broad lake.
Thanks!
Jon
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As a kid I probably spent hundreds of hours on lake Erie and Pass lake and maybe went out on lake Campbell twice. My dad just said the fish in it were too bony! Well, that was 50 years ago now. I hope other's who know the lake better post some info as I wouldn't mind learning more about it.
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Lake Erie doesn't open before I'm there, and Pass Lake is C&R Fly Fish only according to the regs. Last time I took the fly rod out on the kayak I had to send it back for repairs...
Cranberry Lake could be an option (if there's a spot to put in) but I see nothing in WDFW regulations about this lake.
Any other reasonably near lakes (say within 10 miles) I should consider?
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I used to fish Campbell Lake as teen back in the '70s, so my knowledge is dated at best, or just plain wrong due to faulty memory, but we targeted perch there pretty successfully, and also landed a few smallmouth. I remember fishing the NE side of the island, and towards the lily pads at the NE corner. I think that may be the deepest area of the lake, but we certainly didn't have sonar, so that is just pure speculation.
My best memories of the lake are swimming to the island and jumping off the cliff on the west side. I used to stop there most days on the way home when I worked the tulip fields during the summer.
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I fished it a couple times 3-4 years ago. We caught fish (bows) nothing super memorable stands out. Although I do know guys in my fishing circles who have caught large trout 2+ lbs, over 18”
The deepest part is the opposite side of the island from the launch. There is a hole about 22-24’ deep.
A lot wind on those lakes up there.
Regarding Cranberry... I think that lake sucks, and is a mess. It is about 80% full of weeds. One good open area way out across from the park. There is another member on here who fishes Cranberry with better success, maybe he can chime in.
Cambell though is definitely a worthy pursuit.
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Thanks!! I’ll check out Lake Campbell.
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I have fished it a few times for rainbows. It's one of the better trout lakes winter to early spring. It's very shallow, most of the lake is 12-15 feet. There is one deep hole around the island. It gets brood stock dumped in it periodically, so there can be some decent sized trout there. I've heard the bass fishing isn't bad either. I also believe there is carp in the lake if you are into that.