Lake Howard 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 Howard

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 Howard on the board.

Fishing Lake Howard: what the data says

25-acre lake near Kayak Point. The lake tops out around 50 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:

The drawn water covers 25 acres wrapped in 0.8 miles of bank. Its 1.1 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. Roughly 13% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.3 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. It sits in Snohomish County. If the bite dies, Lake Martha is 1 mi to the northwest.

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Lake Howard

In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 35 ft before dropping to 10 to 40 ft for winter. Fall cutthroat trout concentrate at Main-lake point, a prime-rated point around 12 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (40 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Howard

Spring rainbow trout on Lake Howard hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 40 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (12 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (40 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Lake Howard carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 50 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 50 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 40 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 12 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Lake Howard — ramp (gravel)

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

Lake Howard stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 20	Cutthroat trout	10,500	—
Apr 21	Rainbow trout	2,700	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Howard?

Lake Howard is about 50 ft (15 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 Howard?

Anglers target cutthroat trout, rainbow trout on Lake Howard.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Howard?

Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Lake Howard?

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 Howard stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Lake Howard was most recently stocked May 20 with 10,500 cutthroat trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Howard?

Fishing on Lake Howard 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 Martha 1 mi · Lake Goodwin 2 mi · Lake Shoecraft 2 mi · Lake Ki 3 mi · Crabapple Lake 3 mi · Lake Loma 4 mi · Sunday Lake 6 mi · Lake Ketchum 9 mi · Bryant Lake 10 mi · Lake Armstrong 11 mi · Lake Goss 11 mi · Lone Lake 11 mi

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

More water nearby: Snohomish County fishing maps (28 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.