Roses 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 Roses 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 Roses Lake on the board.

Fishing Roses Lake: what the data says

180-acre lake near Manson. The lake tops out around 30 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.

Brown Trout fishing at Roses Lake

Spring brown trout on Roses Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 9 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 30 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 25 ft that grades prime for summer. 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 (1 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	9 to 30 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	4 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Channel Catfish fishing at Roses Lake

Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 9 to 30 ft. Winter channel catfish concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 30 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dusk	open water
Summer	8 to 25 ft	night & dusk	Break off the point (25 ft)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dusk	Deep basin (30 ft)
Winter	9 to 30 ft	midday	Deep basin (30 ft)

Rainbow Trout fishing at Roses 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 6 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 25 ft range, prime in winter. 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	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (25 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	9 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (25 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	6 to 30 ft	dawn	Break off the point (25 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

7 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 30 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 25 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: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Roses Lake — ramp (concrete)

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

Roses Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 12	Channel Catfish	2,000	—
Apr 7	Rainbow trout	1,620	—
Mar 24	Rainbow trout	3,750	—
Mar 24	Rainbow trout	1,500	—
Mar 24	Rainbow trout	450	—
Oct 27, 2025	Rainbow trout	3,750	—
Oct 27, 2025	Rainbow trout	4,250	—
Oct 27, 2025	Rainbow trout	3,625	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Roses Lake?

Roses Lake is about 30 ft (9 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 Roses Lake?

Anglers target brown trout, channel catfish, rainbow trout on Roses Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Roses Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

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

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Roses Lake was most recently stocked May 12 with 2,000 channel catfish. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Roses Lake?

Fishing on Roses 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

Wapato Lake 1 mi · Alta Lake 13 mi · Lake Chelan 15 mi · Fish Lake 26 mi · Grimes Lake 29 mi · Jameson Lake 29 mi · Lake Wenatchee 29 mi · Methow River 36 mi · Davis Lake 37 mi · Lake Cortez 37 mi · Big Twin Lake 37 mi · Meadow Lake 38 mi

See how Roses Lake stacks up: best channel catfish lakes in Washington · best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best brown trout lakes in Washington

More water nearby: Chelan County fishing maps (7 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.