Hicks 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 Hicks 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 Hicks Lake on the board.

Fishing Hicks Lake: what the data says

160-acre lake near Lacey. 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 160 acres of water rimmed by 2 miles of bank. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 44% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Call it 0.8 mi long by 0.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Thurston County. The nearest mapped water is Long Lake, 1 mi to the east.

Brown Trout fishing at Hicks Lake

Come spring, look for brown trout tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 11 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 26 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (26 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	11 to 35 ft	night & dawn	Deep basin (35 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Creek inflow (26 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (26 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Hicks Lake

Spring puts rainbow trout in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 7 to 35 ft. Summer rainbow trout concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 26 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (26 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Old creek channel (30 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	7 to 35 ft	dawn	Deep basin (35 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 35 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 35 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 30 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 26 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Hicks Lake — ramp (concrete)

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

Hicks Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
Apr 21	Rainbow trout	2,600	—
Apr 20	Rainbow trout	1,833	—
Apr 17	Rainbow trout	2,500	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Hicks Lake?

Hicks 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 Hicks Lake?

Anglers target brown trout, rainbow trout on Hicks Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Hicks Lake?

Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 26 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 Hicks 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.

Is Hicks Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Hicks Lake was most recently stocked Apr 21 with 2,600 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Hicks Lake?

Fishing on Hicks 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

Long Lake 1 mi · Chambers Lake 2 mi · Pattison Lake 2 mi · Ward Lake 4 mi · Lake Saint Clair 4 mi · Offutt Lake 8 mi · Black Lake 9 mi · Deep Lake 10 mi · McIntosh Lake 11 mi · Florence Lake 11 mi · American Lake 13 mi · Forbes Lake 14 mi

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

More water nearby: Thurston County fishing maps (14 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.