Heart 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 Heart 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 Heart Lake on the board.

Fishing Heart Lake: what the data says

53-acre lake near Anacortes. The lake tops out around 35 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:

Drawn out, this is 53 acres of water rimmed by 1.1 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.1), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. 19% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.4 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. You'll find it in Skagit County. The nearest mapped water is Lake Erie, 2 mi to the south.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Heart Lake

When the water first warms, cutthroat trout slide up into 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 33 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (33 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	9 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (33 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Rainbow Trout fishing at Heart Lake

In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 35 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 33 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (33 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (33 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	7 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (33 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Count 5 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 35 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 35 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 33 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 9 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 7 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Heart Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
Apr 28	Rainbow trout	7,825	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Heart Lake?

Heart Lake is about 35 ft (11 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 Heart Lake?

Anglers target cutthroat trout, rainbow trout on Heart Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Heart Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Heart 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 Heart Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Heart Lake was most recently stocked Apr 28 with 7,825 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Heart Lake?

Fishing on Heart 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 Erie 2 mi · Lake Campbell 3 mi · Pass Lake 4 mi · Cranberry Lake 6 mi · Mountain Lake 15 mi · Sixteen Lake 18 mi · Cain Lake 18 mi · Clear Lake 19 mi · Lake Ketchum 19 mi · Beaver Lake 19 mi · Sportsmans Lake 21 mi · Lake McMurray 22 mi

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

More water nearby: Skagit 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.