Badger Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (WA)

Hatch outlook

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun)Active window

Typical here: Aug 15 – Sep 15 · the smaller fall brood

nymphthe hours before the midday emergence — nymphs rise off the weed tops in a vertical zigzag that can take hours — sources split between slow 2–4 inch strips with long pauses and a quicker steady retrieve; carry both speeds
dunmidday, roughly 11am into early afternoon
spinnermid-to-late-morning falls

Trout browse the weed-bed edges knocking nymphs loose, then cruise the flats sipping duns at midday — the marquee western lake mayfly.

The midday emergence puts cruisers over weed flats in under 20 ft: a casting bubble with a #14 Callibaetis nymph retrieved dead-slow with pauses is the honest match. Between hatch hours, small spoons and #1 inline spinners along the weed edges and drop-offs pick off the same fish.

The event happens over weed flats and weed-bed edges in 20 ft of water or less

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: May 1 – Oct 31

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Water boatman fall flightsActive window

Typical here: Aug 25 – Oct 10 · peaks on crisp, bright fall days after the first cold snap

adultmiddday-ish on calm, sunny fall days — the fishable moment is the splashdown: boatmen dive in headfirst trailing an air bubble and make repeated trips back to the surface — a fly or lure that dives nose-first on the drop imitates exactly this

Takes are seldom subtle — trout ravage boatmen as they hit the water and during their subsurface runs.

Tailor-made for hardware: a small 1/16 oz silver-bellied spoon or jig cast AT the rings of a splashdown sinks headfirst exactly like the natural — twitch-pause it back through the top few feet. On flight days fan-cast the shallow weed margins.

The event happens over near-shore shallows, weed beds and shoal margins on calm sunny fall afternoons

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jun 15 – Sep 30

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Next on this water

Damselfly migration · forageMay 15 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Loading depth chart…

Recent catches at Badger Lake

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Badger Lake on the board.

Fishing Badger Lake: what the data says

567-acre lake near Spokane County. The lake tops out around 105 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.

The drawn water covers 567 acres wrapped in 5 miles of bank. With a 1.5 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 12% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 2.3 mi, about 0.5 mi across. It sits in Spokane County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Williams Lake, is 3 mi to the southwest.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Badger Lake

Spring puts cutthroat trout in skinny water — 3 to 15 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 40 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 28 ft, rated prime for summer cutthroat trout. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (7 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (28 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (20 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (28 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Kokanee fishing at Badger Lake

Spring kokanee on Badger Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 30 ft. By summer they slide out to 30 to 70 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 28 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (28 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Break off the point (28 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (28 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (101 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Badger Lake

Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 40 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 28 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (20 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (28 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (20 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (28 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 101 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 101 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 28 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 24 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 20 ft
Secondary point: point, around 7 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Badger Lake — ramp (concrete)

Access data: Washington WDFW — Water Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Badger Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 14	Cutthroat trout	20,017	—
May 11	Rainbow trout	9,849	—
May 7	Rainbow trout	20,085	—
Mar 4	Rainbow trout	100	—
Oct 9, 2025	Kokanee	1,710	—
Oct 9, 2025	Kokanee	18,290	—

Source: WDFW fish-stocking reports, retrieved 2026-08-18.

Badger Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Washington waters are set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Badger Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Badger Lake?

Badger Lake is about 105 ft (32 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.

What fish are in Badger Lake?

Anglers target cutthroat trout, kokanee, rainbow trout on Badger Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Badger Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Badger Lake?

For cutthroat trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

Is Badger Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Badger Lake was most recently stocked May 14 with 20,017 cutthroat trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Badger Lake?

Fishing on Badger Lake is regulated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official Washington regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Williams Lake 3 mi · Clear Lake 13 mi · Medical Lake 15 mi · West Medical Lake 16 mi · Sprague Lake 21 mi · Spokane River 30 mi · Liberty Lake 33 mi · Newman Lake 38 mi · Chatcolet Lake 41 mi, ID · Lake Coeur d'Alene 43 mi, ID · Blue Lake 45 mi, ID · Loon Lake 48 mi

See how Badger Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best kokanee lakes in Washington · best cutthroat trout lakes in Washington

More water nearby: Spokane County fishing maps (9 charts). Browse all Washington fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.