Where to Fish in King County, Washington

Even the quickest glance at a map of King County shows a landscape dotted with lakes and crisscrossed by streams, but what a map won't tell you is that these waters harbor an incredible abundance of fish. From fertile bass lakes to ice-cold trout streams, anglers with a current Washington fishing license can access nearly limitless fishing opportunities in King County.

  1. The Big One

    • Nestled between Seattle and Bellevue, Washington Lake is by far the largest lake in King County and also one of the most varied. Bass are the main attraction for many anglers, particularly in summer, and you can find big smallmouth bass around rocky shoreline areas, docks and bridge pilings. Largemouth bass are slightly less common, but you can find plenty of them around weedy areas. In spring and fall, emphasis shifts toward cold-water species like steelhead, chinook salmon and cutthroat trout. Being so close to major urban areas crates a lot of fishing pressure on Lake Washington, but with 22,000 acres of water to choose from it shouldn't be too hard to find a spot.

    Spring Trout Action

    • The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks trout in dozens of lakes across King County every year, but few lakes provide such consistently excellent tout fishing as Lake Margaret. A fairly small body of water at 53 acres, Lake Margaret's trout fishing kicks off in high gear with the season opener in mid-April and doesn't begin to trail off until June, rewarding spring anglers with hefty stringers of both rainbow and cutthroat tout. The opening date of trout season varies from year to year, and you can find current information on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website. Lake Margaret is about 45 minutes east of Seattle, and a boat launch cite is located at the south end of the lake.

    Perch Galore

    • Arguably the best lake in King County for yellow perch, 285-acre Lake Sawyer sits near the southern edge of King County. Perch fishing is excellent from June through August, and these fish often strike live worms, small jigs and live minnows around weeds, rock piles and gravel-bottom areas. Lake Sawyer is a diverse warm-water lake, and perch fishermen are likely to catch a mixed bag of other panfish as well, including pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill and black crappie. Anyone in search of bigger game can cast for largemouth and smallmouth bass, which bite best between April and September.

    A Little of Everything

    • A few miles south of Seattle, Angle Lake is almost completely surrounded by private homes and cottages, but don't let its suburban setting fool you into thinking this lake is fished out. This 100-acre lake provides some of the hottest kokanee salmon fishing in the region during the summer months, and spring fishermen can find tons of rainbow trout right after the season starts in April. If warm-water species are more your style, you can find crappies near shallow brush piles in May, largemouth bass around weed beds in June and July, and rock bass in rocky areas all summer long.

    A River Runs Through It

    • The Cedar River flows through more than 45 miles of King County. One of several prime trout streams in the county -- Issaquah Creen and the Sammamish River are also well worth a visit -- the Cedar River supports year-round populations of rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout. Trout and salmon species including chinook, coho, sockeye, kokanee and steelhead make their way into the river to spawn at various times between fall and spring. The river is well suited to kayaks and float tubes, and dozens of parks, access sites and bridge crossings provide places to fish from shore. Dispite flowing through several urban areas, the Cedar River's banks are largely shady and forested, making the river perfect for fishermen in search of solitude.