Patterson 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 Patterson 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 Patterson Lake on the board.

Fishing Patterson Lake: what the data says

166-acre lake near Okanogan County. The lake tops out around 85 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.

On the chart, Patterson Lake draws 166 acres inside 2.7 miles of shoreline. Index 1.5 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Roughly 12% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 1.2 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Okanogan County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Big Twin Lake, 2 mi east of here.

Brook Trout fishing at Patterson Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: brook trout in 2 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 3 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Secondary point, a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (10 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	2 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Secondary point (10 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	3 to 20 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (9 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Brown Trout fishing at Patterson Lake

Spring brown trout on Patterson Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 35 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 24 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. The summer box starts with a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (84 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Kokanee fishing at Patterson Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: kokanee in 10 to 30 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 30 to 70 ft before dropping to 20 to 80 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 84 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in winter. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (84 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (84 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	open water	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (84 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Patterson Lake

Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Secondary point, a point in the 10 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (10 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (24 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (84 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Patterson Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 84 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 84 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 84 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 24 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 11 ft
Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 9 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Patterson Lake — ramp (gravel)

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

Patterson Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
Jun 2	Kokanee	8,771	—
Jun 2	Kokanee	16,229	—
Sep 26, 2025	Rainbow trout	2,500	—
Sep 9, 2025	Brown Trout	2,500	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Patterson Lake?

Patterson Lake is about 85 ft (26 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 Patterson Lake?

Anglers target brook trout, brown trout, kokanee, rainbow trout on Patterson Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Patterson Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 84 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in winter. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Patterson Lake?

For brook 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 Patterson Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Patterson Lake was most recently stocked Jun 2 with 8,771 kokanee. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Patterson Lake?

Fishing on Patterson 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

Big Twin Lake 2 mi · Pearrygin Lake 5 mi · Methow River 5 mi · Davis Lake 6 mi · Rainy Lake 23 mi · Conconully Reservoir 23 mi · Lake Chelan 27 mi · Fish Lake 27 mi · Green Lake 28 mi · Blue Lake 30 mi · Blue Lake 30 mi · Alta Lake 33 mi

See how Patterson Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best brown trout lakes in Washington · best brook trout lakes in Washington · best kokanee lakes in Washington

More water nearby: Okanogan County fishing maps (21 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.