Florence 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 Florence 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 Florence Lake on the board.

Fishing Florence Lake: what the data says

80-acre lake near Johnson Landing. The lake tops out around 30 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

On the chart, Florence Lake draws 80 acres inside 1.8 miles of shoreline. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.5) — enough points and pockets to pattern. 30% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 0.8 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.2 mi at the beam. The water lies in Pierce County. For a second option, Lake Louise lies 6 mi east.

Brown Trout fishing at Florence Lake

When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 9 to 30 ft game here, winter a 4 to 30 ft one. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 28 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (28 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	9 to 30 ft	night & dawn	Deep basin (30 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Creek inflow (28 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	4 to 30 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (28 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Florence Lake

In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 6 to 30 ft for winter. Summer rainbow trout concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 28 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (5 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (28 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	9 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (22 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	6 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (30 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 30 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 28 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 22 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft

Florence 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 Florence Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Florence Lake?

Florence Lake is about 30 ft (9 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 Florence Lake?

Anglers target brown trout, rainbow trout on Florence Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Florence Lake?

Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Florence Lake?

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

What are the fishing regulations for Florence Lake?

Fishing on Florence 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

Lake Louise 6 mi · Bay Lake 6 mi · American Lake 7 mi · Steilacoom Lake 7 mi · Gravelly Lake 7 mi · Long Lake 11 mi · Little Wapato Lake 11 mi · Hicks Lake 11 mi · Lake Saint Clair 12 mi · Spanaway Lake 12 mi · Chambers Lake 12 mi · Pattison Lake 13 mi

See how Florence Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best brown trout lakes in Washington

More water nearby: Pierce County fishing maps (18 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.