Lake Cavanaugh 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 Lake Cavanaugh

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 Lake Cavanaugh on the board.

Fishing Lake Cavanaugh: what the data says

975-acre lake near Lake Cavanaugh. The lake tops out around 80 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Lake Cavanaugh

Early season cutthroat trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Summer is a 10 to 35 ft game here, winter a 10 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 1 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (51 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Kokanee fishing at Lake Cavanaugh

Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 80 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (80 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (80 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (1 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (80 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Cavanaugh

The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.

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 (1 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (45 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

11 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 80 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 80 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 51 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 50 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 45 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 16 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Lake Cavanaugh — ramp (gravel)

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

Lake Cavanaugh stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 19	Cutthroat trout	10,500	—
Sep 22, 2025	Kokanee	13,150	—
Aug 16, 2025	Kokanee	25,000	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Cavanaugh?

Lake Cavanaugh is about 80 ft (24 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 Lake Cavanaugh?

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

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Cavanaugh?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 80 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in winter. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Cavanaugh?

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 Lake Cavanaugh stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Lake Cavanaugh was most recently stocked May 19 with 10,500 cutthroat trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Cavanaugh?

Fishing on Lake Cavanaugh 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

Riley Lake 6 mi · Lake Armstrong 8 mi · Bryant Lake 9 mi · Lake McMurray 10 mi · Sixteen Lake 13 mi · Beaver Lake 13 mi · Sunday Lake 13 mi · Clear Lake 14 mi · Lake Ketchum 16 mi · Lake Ki 17 mi · Lake Loma 17 mi · Crabapple Lake 18 mi

See how Lake Cavanaugh stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best kokanee 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.