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Fishing Lake Crescent: what the data says
4,816-acre glacial lake in Olympic National Park, 570 ft deep and famous for its clarity. USGS multibeam survey. Home to the endemic Beardslee rainbow and Crescenti cutthroat trout plus kokanee; artificial lures only, catch-and-release. The lake tops out around 570 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.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Crescent
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep break: a drop-off around 63 ft that scores good in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Lake Crescent
Spring cutthroat trout on Lake Crescent hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep break: a drop-off around 63 ft that scores good in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Kokanee fishing at Lake Crescent
Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 61 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Notable structure
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 158 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 74 ft
- Deep break: drop-off, around 63 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 61 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 52 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 48 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Crescent?
Lake Crescent is about 570 ft 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 Crescent?
Anglers target rainbow trout, kokanee, cutthroat trout on Lake Crescent.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Crescent?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 61 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Crescent?
For rainbow 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.
Nearby waters
Lake Sutherland · Lake Pleasant · Dungeness Bay · Ozette Lake · Sequim Bay · Sportsmans Lake
See how Lake Crescent stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best kokanee lakes in Washington · best cutthroat trout lakes in Washington
Browse all Washington fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.