Fishing Report For Cle Elum Lake, WA

Current Report: Good

Lake trout feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, sunfish or small trout are good choices. Other choices include bottom fishing with nightcrawlers or Berkeley Power Crawlers, fished on drop-shot rigs. Flashy spoons can be fished at any depth, either jigging, trolling or cast and retrieve. For big lakers, use larger baits. According to WDFW, "Lake trout up to 20 lbs. have been taken". These big lakers are being caught from shallow (15 to 20 feet) to 120 feet or more.

FALL. Lake trout are returning to relatively shallow water, as Fall weather cools the lake. They spawn in the Fall, and for a few weeks can typically be found 20 to 40 feet deep on points, flats and humps that have a rocky bottom. Lake trout feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, sunfish, perch or small trout are good choices. Cloudy days, early mornings and early evenings are the best time to catch big lakers. Later in Fall they return to 40 to 60 feet deep, or deeper. Spoons, jigged vertically within the target depth can entice bites. Trolling with spoons, brightly-colored jerkbaits, and spinners with a variety of rigging methods to get these lures to run deep. For big lakers, use larger baits.

WINTER. Favoring water temperatures in the 40's, lake trout find areas to their liking in 30 to 80 feet of water, and tend to stay there throughout the cold months. Patient anglers willing to work slowly are catching some nice lake limits in these cold depths. After ice out, trolling with leaded line or downriggers, or vertical jigging with spoons and jigs, completes the cold-water season in 70 to 90 feet of water, or deeper.

SPRING. Spring weather finds lake trout, along with baitfish, into 15 to 40 feet of water. Early Spring is a prime time to catch big lakers. Lakers are caught in areas of the lake which have deep water next to shallower, feeding spots. Jigs and heavy spoons are catching the majority of these big lakers. Slow trolling with leaded line or downriggers allows small crankbaits and spinners to be worked in deeper water, which also produces some nice fish. May, June and July are the best months to pursue lake trout at Cle Elum Lake, and the most productive time of day is the first hours of morning.

SUMMER. Summer heat drives lake trout deep. In May and early June they stay around 15 to 60 feet deep. Lake trout look for depth variations like ditches, channels, humps and ledges, but are being caught in the deeper water around this structure. Heavy spoons and jigs, as well as very slow trolling, with leaded line or downriggers, produce many of the lakers being caught during Summer. In late summer concentrate on 40 to 120 feet of water.

Current Report: Good

Rainbow trout make up for almost 50% of the trout in Cle Elum Lake. The diet of a rainbow trout consists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans. Use small lures, imitating their natural food, to tempt them into biting. Small spinners, miniature crankbaits and swimbaits are catching rainbows, as are nightcrawlers, salmon eggs and prepared baits. Early morning is the best time of day to be successful chasing rainbows here. The current population of rainbows is naturally reproducing as there has been no stocking for some time now.

FALL. Cooling water temperatures in the shallows, draw rainbow trout out of deeper Summer depths. Anglers are now catching them 20 to 60 feet deep on rocky banks, wind-blown points, rocky structure, humps, and anywhere baitfish are gathering. Now that they had a full summer to grow, there are some nice size rainbow to be caught. Small spinners, spoons, jigs, miniature crankbaits and swimbaits are good choices, as are salmon eggs and prepared baits. Later in Autumn, they move into 60 to 80 feet of water.

WINTER. When Winter sets in jigging spoons, and jigs tipped with bait, are catching nice limits of rainbows out of 60 to 120 feet of water. These baits work well before, during and after ice fishing season. After ice out, deep trolling with leaded line or downriggers, or vertical jigging with spoons and jigs, are the best approach during the cold-water season.

SPRING. As water begins to warm in early Spring, rainbow trout move from their late winter holding areas to shallow, warmer water 20 to 60 feet deep. A good number of rainbows are typically caught from mid morning to late afternoon, during the warmest water of the day. Shallow flats and rocky structure are quick to warm in the afternoon sun. A wide variety of small spinners, spoons and bait are catching most of the fish.

SUMMER. Once Summer arrives, the warmer water drives rainbow deeper, 30 to 80 feet deep, occasionally deeper. Trolling with spoons, spinners and crankbaits, using downriggers or leaded line, and drift fishing with bait, are currently the most productive methods. Following drop-offs into deeper water, along structure or creek channels, is a major key to getting bites. Anglers fishing from the bank are using nightcrawlers or Berkley PowerBait, with heavy weights on a Carolina rig, to get baits in deeper water. During July and August they typically drop into 50 to 120 feet of water.

Current Report: Fair

FALL. Cooling water temperatures again draw browns shallower. Successful anglers are catching them 20 to 40 feet deep on points, rocky structure, humps, and mouths of bays where baitfish are gathering. Weekend anglers are catching brown trout on spinners, small jerkbaits, nightcrawlers and a variety of other small offerings. Brown trout can be very aggressive, and put up a good battle. Decent catches are coming on jerkbaits, miniature crankbaits, small spinnerbaits and swimbaits. Once they have had a full summer to grow, it's a good time to catch a trophy. When they move out to structure in deep water, spoons, jigs and bait are catching browns.

WINTER. When Winter sets in, and the lake freezes over, ice fishing is quite popular here. Jigging spoons and jigs tipped with bait are catching most limits of brown trout, in 40 feet deep, and deeper.

SPRING. As water begins to warm in early Spring, brown trout move from their deep winter holding areas to shallow, warmer water, especially into inflowing creeks and backwaters. The most productive fishing is happening from mid morning to late afternoon, during the warmest water of the day. A wide variety of small spinners, jerkbaits and flukes are catching most of the fish.

SUMMER. Once Summer is here to stay, the warmer water drives brown trout deeper, 30 feet deep, and deeper. Early in the morning and at dusk, they are being caught shallow in these low-light conditions. Trolling around structure, using downriggers or leaded line, and drift fishing with bait, are currently the most productive methods. Anglers fishing from the bank are using fairly heavy weights, on a Carolina rig to get baits into deeper water.