Other freshwatewr fish beside the almighty Salmon or Steelhead

Looking to go out for some lake fishing, hopefully looking to get into to some muskie or tigers? are there any northern pike up this way? also any good lake for big trout or bass?

Lake Curlew has both tiger muskie and lake trout (BIG ONES)...it is well worth the trip from anywhere. You must bring a boat. It is just North or Republic ,Washington...sorta between Grand Coule and Spokane.

Your killing me with your new profile pic.

I believe there ARE some Northern Pike in Washington State, probably in Eastern Washington.
Also there are a couple lakes over near C'oeur d'Alene, Idaho that are really GOOD for Pike at certain times of year...don't remember their names for sure, Hauser Lake maybe?

Yeah, that pic is very Big Stickish. I'd rather it be a another Mingo-like pic than that thing but...

Anyway, closer to you, you could hit Campbell Lake (just over Deception Pass) for bass. I've never done it but I understand there are some good largemouth in there. If you learn to flyfish, Pass Lake can be great (regs=flyfishing only). Lake Whatcom has smallmouth. Lake Samish has largemouth and some big trout. There are several other decent largemouth lakes in Skagit County that I haven't fished. Most of these places will require some sort of boat but that could mean a crappy canoe or some sort of inflatable.

As far as pike and muskies, I don't think there is much of anything close. I know that muskies have been planted in some lakes in the last 10 years. Off the top of my head, I know they've been put in Fazon Lake (Whatcom County) and Green Lake (Seattle). I've always wondered why we don't have pike here but a lot of the west side lakes really aren't very fertile. Hit eastern WA and you will see the difference.

Be sure to check up on the regs because a lot of lakes close at the end of October.

Good luck.

You don't want pike in any waters where they will impact salmonid populations. We have enough management problems as it is with imported cool/warm water species. I'd just as soon see them gone from west coast waters.

Tapps lake in Pierce is turning into a premier hybred tiger muskie lake. Mayfield, farther south, Green, Curlew, Merwin (Cowlitz)... I know I'm missing a few. You can read specific reports and view pictures over at www.WashingtonLakes.com.
No pike I know of except as mentioned in eastern Washington - I believe there are pike in the Pend O'Reille river system.
These tiger muskies don't reproduce so please consider catch and release.
I would mention (bass) but it seems everytime someone says (bass) guys get all mocking and stuff. But I have come to enjoy the quiet solitude of electirc motoring between peoples docks and catching them (the bass, that is). No competition to speak of (certainly nothing like steelheading or salmon fishing rivers). Plus, the thirst for new lures is never-ending.

There are actually freshwater fish other than salmon and steelhead that exist?

Sturgeon, Bass, Trout, Sunfish, Bullhead, Pikeminnow, Carp...

Hey, I published a very interesting carp article a little while ago. Carp fishing is very respectable in England. It was a big thrill for me as a boy to go catch carp in a local pond. Some of my fondest memories...

Washingtonlakes.com
It will give you a great start to lake fishing. Has some saltwater stuff but very limited. No Rivers. Pretty much lakes only. Would be in your best interest to figure out a few lakes and research them before you hit them up.

This will be our future if WDFW keeps shi##ing the bed

Too soon for many here to wrap our heads around that.

Brits have the advantage of having destroyed most of their salmon centuries ago, hence the carp esteem.

Whew! OUTTA the ball park!

The Brits still have salmon, but in Private Waters. The public gets the course fish like carp.

I have seen a few articles on flyfishing for carp in the Columbia (East side). Apparently stalking them in the shallows is a pretty technical task. And they are bigger than most coho and many black mouth......

BTW, there is a big effort to get Northerns out of Lake Roosevelt. Don't know if it has been successful. The Rumor Mill has a few joining the Lake Washington Walleye.

They have a bounty on Northern Pike in Roosevelt...there are bags and deposit freezers at the gas stations in Kettle Falls. My old man just bought 20 acres and built a house on the lake up there, his new Hewescraft is done, just needs the rigging done, but that is on hold now, unfortunately.

He grew up pike fishing, he's excited to go catch a bunch.

I'm supposed to go over there to take him turkey hunting in three weeks, but they just canceled the April 5th youth turkey opener, not feeling too optimistic about the general season that opens on the 15th.

Fish on...

Todd

From the shore of Lake Roosevelt.

Turkeys, I chase them out of my yard every day, they only run about 15-20 yards then watch you go back in the house. My dogs won’t chase them, and the turkeys don’t leave if they do.

They were destroying a rock wall by excavating it.


I catch lots of trout and walleye with a few others species thrown in. Big trout too.


As for people fishing, right after businesses were shutting down the number of boats headed out of Spokane to the lake was amazing, it seemed like every other vehicle was pulling a boat.

That, and the confirmed cases of C19 in my county are from people coming from the west side, people trying to escape King County and going to their lake house.

Look, I don’t blame them, but it spreads the virus.

I could go out front and fish from the beach, but I’m not going to.

I fully understand why they needed to shut it down.

I fished for very large carp in lake Washington back in the 60s, they’re bigger and harder to catch than you think.

Also fished for them in other locations, even lake Powell.