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Best cutthroat trout lakes in Washington

50 Washington waters hold cutthroat trout, 50 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. The native trout of the West, named for the orange slash under its jaw. A shoreline cruiser that hunts drop-offs, inlets and rocky points for baitfish and insects.

1. Willapa Bay — 94 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
2. Grays Harbor — 116 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
3. Lake Crescent — 570 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
4. Lake Wenatchee — 240 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout
5. Mason Lake — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
6. Bumping Lake — 89 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
7. Lake Cavanaugh — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
8. Badger Lake — 105 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
9. Diamond Lake — 55 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
10. Summit Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Kokanee
11. Lake Roesiger — 115 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
12. Dungeness Bay — 162 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
13. Liberty Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
14. Sequim Bay — 126 ft max · survey depth data · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Cutthroat Trout
15. Spencer Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
16. Lake Campbell — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
17. Marshall Lake — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Cutthroat Trout
18. Nahwatzel Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
19. Tanwax Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
20. Mountain Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout
21. Leland Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
22. Offutt Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
23. Kitsap Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
24. Tiger Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
25. Sidley Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout

…plus 25 more Washington waters holding cutthroat trout.

When to fish cutthroat trout in Washington

• Spring 3–15 ft — Pre- and post-spawn cutthroat gang up at tributary mouths and cruise gravel shorelines — swing a spinner or fly through the inlet current.
• Summer 10–35 ft — Summer cutthroat hold along the first shoreline drop and off rocky points, sliding deeper as the surface warms — troll or cast the 15-30 ft edge.
• Fall 5–25 ft — Cooling water brings cutthroat back onto rocky points and gravel shoals to feed hard before winter.
• Winter 10–40 ft — Cold-tolerant like all trout — cutthroat hang on the deep shoreline drops and basin edges through the cold months.

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 brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes

Cutthroat Trout elsewhere: Montana · Wyoming · Utah · Colorado · Nevada · Idaho