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Best brown trout lakes in Washington

38 Washington waters hold brown trout, 28 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. Lake Cushman — 147 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
2. Cle Elum Lake — 67 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
3. Sullivan Lake — 320 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
4. Eloika Lake — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Brown TroutWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Diamond Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Merrill Lake — 77 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
7. Waitts Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Mineral Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Patterson Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Saddle Mountain Lake — 14 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
11. Medical Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Florence Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
13. Bay Lake — 11 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Chambers Lake — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Channel Catfish, Brown TroutWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Summit Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Spectacle Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
17. Beaver Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Aeneas Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Carney Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Park Lake — 85 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
21. Grimes Lake — 64 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
22. West Medical Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Bayley Lake — 16 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout, Brook TroutWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
24. Lake Lawrence — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Brown TroutWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Bonaparte Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, KokaneeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 13 more Washington waters holding brown trout.

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When to fish brown trout in Washington

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in Washington: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes

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