Offutt 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 Offutt 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 Offutt Lake on the board.

Fishing Offutt Lake: what the data says

204-acre lake near Offut Lake. The lake tops out around 25 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Drawn out, this is 204 acres of water rimmed by 2.3 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 57% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 1 mi, about 0.5 mi across. You'll find it in Thurston County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Deep Lake, 4 mi west of here.

Brown Trout fishing at Offutt Lake

Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 8 to 25 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 25 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 20 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (20 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	4 to 25 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	4 to 25 ft	dawn	Break off the point (20 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Offutt Lake

Early season cutthroat trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 7 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 25 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 20 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	7 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (20 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (20 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	6 to 25 ft	dawn	Break off the point (20 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Rainbow Trout fishing at Offutt Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. As the season builds they drop to 7 to 25 ft, wintering in 5 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 20 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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	Break off the point (20 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	7 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (20 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	7 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (20 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	5 to 25 ft	dawn	Break off the point (20 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

The chart marks 6 structure features on Offutt Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 25 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 25 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 20 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Offutt Lake — ramp (concrete)

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

Offutt Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 15	Rainbow trout	502	—
Apr 18	Rainbow trout	11,200	—
Apr 6	Rainbow trout	4,500	—
Mar 10	Rainbow trout	3,500	—
Jan 23	Rainbow trout	300	—
Nov 24, 2025	Rainbow trout	1,000	—
Sep 29, 2025	Rainbow trout	809	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Offutt Lake?

Offutt Lake is about 25 ft (8 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 Offutt Lake?

Anglers target brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout on Offutt Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Offutt Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

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

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Offutt Lake was most recently stocked May 15 with 502 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Offutt Lake?

Fishing on Offutt 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

Deep Lake 4 mi · McIntosh Lake 4 mi · Pattison Lake 6 mi · Ward Lake 7 mi · Hicks Lake 8 mi · Chambers Lake 8 mi · Long Lake 8 mi · Lake Saint Clair 8 mi · Black Lake 9 mi · Lake Lawrence 13 mi · Summit Lake 16 mi · Harts Lake 17 mi

See how Offutt Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best brown trout lakes in Washington · best cutthroat 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.