With opening day of the Western Washington Lowland Lake opener in the rearview mirror, many of us are looking for future lake fishing opportunities. Let’s take the family fishing! Following are a list of 5 family oriented Northern Washington trout/kokanee fishing adventure lakes. One of them, Lake Samish, would be a day adventure. The other four could be a multiday family camping and fishing expedition. All offer at least one boat ramp and shore fishing, a fishing pier, or both. This article will focus on opportunity, and not necessarily technique. All the lakes offer opportunities for trollers, bait soakers, and even fly fishers. That said, pack up the family, a frypan, maybe the sleeping bags, your favorite gear, then hit the road!
Cranberry Lake (Island County)
Cranberry Lake is located within the boundaries of Deception Pass State Park. There are multiple shore fishing access points and a very nice fishing pier. There is also a small boat ramp with very limited parking. If you are boating, internal combustion engines are not allowed on Cranberry Lake. You can use an electric motor but oars, paddles, or peddle power are perfect.
At 133.9 acres, Cranberry Lake hosts rainbow trout, coastal cutthroat trout, and an occasional brown trout. I’ve heard that that there are also smallmouth bass and perch in the lake but I’ve never seen anybody fishing for them. No picture, but when I was a teenager (Boy Scout camping trip) I caught a huge brown trout from one of the large boulders by the campground. The brute hit a worm/corn/marshmallow combo.
Not really sure why, but I love fishing Cranberry Lake. Although it is not, to me it feels like you’re fishing some remote lake in the Canadian wilderness. Be aware though, NAS Whidbey is right next door. There may be military aircraft doing maneuvers right overhead. I am in awe anytime one of the Navy aircraft are overhead but not everybody feels that way. It’s the sound of freedom!
If you’re not familiar with Deception Pass State Park, it is an absolute recreational gem. There are multiple well separated campsites, miles of hiking trails, and 77,000 feet of saltwater beaches to enjoy. Across Highway 20 from the lake, there is even a large saltwater boat launch with moorage. It’s not really mentioned anywhere, but in season you can fish for dungeness crab and smelt from the moorage floats. On the west side of the park, the sunsets from West Beach can be spectacular.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/cranberry-lake
https://www.parks.wa.gov/497/Deception-Pass
Lake Samish
At 809.9 acres, Lake Samish is open to fishing year-round. It is managed as a multi-species lake, offering coastal cutthroat, large and smallmouth bass, crappie, brown bullhead/catfish, yellow perch, and excellent kokanee populations. I can personally attest that there are also largemouth bass and brown bullheads in the lake. The lake consists of a smaller lake connected to a larger main lake by a narrow channel. The larger main lake has significant weedy shallows at the south end and a max depth of 60 feet or so. The smaller lake located at the west end of the two-lake chain is up to 150 feet deep and maintains a large pocket of cool water throughout the late summer and fall. The cool water effectively extends the Lake Samish kokanee fishery when other west side lakes are too warm to support a fall kokanee fishery.
In late April-June, Lake Samish can be red hot kokanee fishing, easily giving up limits of fat 12”-16” kokanee. One of our biggest local kokanee came out of the smaller lake during a mid-October trip a few years back. It hit our old school gear running 2 colors on the lead line, 40’ of 8-pound leader, a rainbow color kokanee gang troll, and an orange wedding ring spinner tipped with a maggot. The fish was nearly 3 pounds and was in full spawning colors.
While the kokanee fishery is a trolling show, there is a fishing pier at Lake Samish Park. The fishing pier catch is primarily coastal cutthroat and peamouth chub. Lake Samish Park offers a couple of well-groomed picnic areas, a swim beach, hiking trails, and seasonal boat rentals. The park is the perfect place for a family outing and picnic with a little fishing thrown in.
An AIS Permit is required for every boat operating on Lake Samish. Here’s a few words about the AIS program at Lake Samish. Aquatic invasive species are non-native plants, animals, and pathogens that live primarily in water. They thrive in a new environment and cause economic loss, environmental damage, and harm to human health and property. An Annual AIS Permit and a per use boat inspection is required to operate your boat on Lake Samish. Whatcom County maintains an AIS inspection station at Lake Samish.
Boat inspections are important because they can help to prevent the transport of aquatic invasive species to Whatcom County lakes. AIS are transported on boats travelling from infested waters and can result in significant impacts to lake ecosystems, water quality, and water supply infrastructure. AIS can also make shoreline areas hazardous and uninviting for recreational users and property owners. To prevent the introduction, AIS inspectors are on the lookout for any animal or plant material on the watercraft that might pose a risk to Lake Samish. They will also be checking to see if your boat has been cleaned, drained, and dried, as some aquatic invasive species larvae can be transported in any areas on the boat that remain damp or have standing water in them. Inspectors will also conduct a physical inspection of the outside of your boat to feel for any signs of mussel larvae, algae, or other organic material on the hull that could pose a risk to the lakes.
As currently planned for 2023, Whatcom County will be staffing the inspection station at the Lake Samish WDFW Boat Launch. The AIS program is sensitive to the needs of anglers participating in the kokanee fishery at Lake Samish. They are planning/budgeting to staff the inspection station 5:30am-8:30pm 7 days a week. Although the AIS inspection program will be a bit of an inconvenience, having AIS inspectors on-site at Lake Samish will help to reduce the unfortunate vandalism problem at the Lake Samish WDFW launch.
On a similar note: Boat motor labels must have at least one star to operate on Lake Samish. Generally, any motor that is certified and labeled as meeting the 2006 or later model year United States EPA emissions standard will be compliant.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/lake-samish
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/3542/Samish-Park
https://whatcomboatinspections.com/annual-permits-and-fees
Silver Lake – Whatcom County
157.3 acre Silver Lake in Whatcom County is another unique recreational opportunity. It is a family friendly destination with camping, good trout fishing, and a WDFW boat ramp. The WDFW boat ramp is located at the north end of the lake and has ample trailer parking. The fishery is primarily for planted rainbow and coastal cutthroat trout. Even though the average depth is only 24 feet, holdovers are not uncommon. The fishery is friendly to whatever trout fishing style suits your style, but don’t be afraid to soak some dough bait.
Silver Lake Park is a large Whatcom County Parks and Recreation facility on Silver Lake. The park has 3 campgrounds and a RV accessible group campground. There are also cabin rentals, a handful of hiking trails, a playground, multiple picnic areas, an equestrian center, seasonal boat rentals, and a small boat launch that is probably best suited for hand carry boats.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/silver-lake-whatcom
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/3517/Silver-Lake-Park
Fish Lake – Chelan County
Another family friendly trout destination is Cove Resort on 492-acre Fish Lake in Chelan County. For whatever reason it is probably better known for its winter, hardwater perch fishery but it hosts a solid spring and fall rainbow trout fishery. The lake also has a few respectable brown trout available. The brown trout fishery is kind of a specialty, but if you stick with it there are some true trophies cruising around, just waiting to be caught. In an interesting twist, the WDFW has been experimenting with kokanee fry plants in Fish Lake and it seems that there is blossoming kokanee fishery at hand. The lake also hosts a spring fishery for largemouth bass along with a year-round perch fishery. Access to the lake is primarily through Cove Resort.
Cove Resort is operated under a Forest Service private concession. You can bring your own boat: Cove Resort has a boat launch and moorage. They also have a store, boat rentals, a fishing dock, cabins, and a large campground.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/fish-lake-chelan
https://www.coveresortatfishlake.com/
Lake Pearrygin
183-acre Lake Pearrygin is another first-rate choice for a family outing. There are 4 boat ramps, including a WDFW access point/boat ramp, 2 state park ramps, and a ramp at Silverline Lakeside Resort. For the shore fisherman there are many options. The state park alone has 11,000 feet of shoreline and there is a handicap accessible dock.
The trout fishing at Lake Pearrygin can be either fast and furious or just plain good. The seasoned trout angler can pull out the stops and get technical in their approach to the fishery, or, fortunately, anybody can catch fish using dough bait or casting their favorite spinner. A single salmon egg or a small piece of nightcrawler under a float can be deadly. As a bonus, Lake Pearrygin gives up more than its share of fat holdovers each season. Whether your family are trout fishing newbies or experienced trout hunters, Lake Pearrygin is an excellent choice for a family fishing getaway.
Lake Pearrygin State Park has a swimming beach, 169 various use campsites, 2 group sites, and cabin rentals. There are also 6.5 miles of hiking trails and picnic areas. As staffing permits, they offer campfire programs; they are conducted every Tuesday and Thursday night from June 15 - Labor Day. The park also offers a Junior Ranger program for kidlets.
It just keeps getting better; Silverline Lakeside Resort on Lake Pearrygin is a clean, well-maintained resort. They offer RV and tent sites and a group campground. The resort has RVs available for rent, boat rentals, aquatic equipment rentals, propane fire pit rentals, a store, and a small restaurant. If that’s not enough to spark your interest, Silverline Lakeside Resort also has 3 fishing docks, horseshoe pits, a playground, swimming beach, and mini golf.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/pearrygin-lake
https://www.parks.wa.gov/563/Pearrygin-Lake
https://www.silverlineresort.com/
Have a hankering for a family outing and the sizzle of fresh trout in the ole cast iron? If so, add a trip to one or all of these lakes. Cranberry Lake, Lake Samish, Silver Lake, Fish Lake, and Lake Pearrygin each offer a unique family trout fishing experience. With the exception of Lake Samish, there is a campground adjacent to each lake with many of the campsites right on the lake. You better go pick up the phone, or bring up their websites, reservations are going fast!