Starvation 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 Starvation 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 Starvation Lake on the board.

Fishing Starvation Lake: what the data says

24-acre lake near Stevens County. The lake tops out around 10 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.

The outline encloses 24 acres, worked by 0.7 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Stevens County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Bayley Lake, is 5 mi to the southeast.

Brook Trout fishing at Starvation Lake

When the water first warms, brook trout slide up into 1 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 10 ft, winter 2 to 10 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon
Summer	3 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (10 ft)	Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm
Fall	1 to 10 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Small spoon (orange), Spinner
Winter	2 to 10 ft	dawn	Deep basin (10 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic

Rainbow Trout fishing at Starvation Lake

Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 3 to 10 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 10 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 10 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	3 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (10 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	3 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (6 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	2 to 10 ft	dawn	Break off the point (10 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 4 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 10 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 10 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft

Starvation Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 5	Rainbow trout	15,000	—
May 4	Rainbow trout	6,010	—
Oct 22, 2025	Rainbow trout	7,008	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Starvation Lake?

Starvation Lake is about 10 ft (3 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 Starvation Lake?

Anglers target brook trout, rainbow trout on Starvation Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Starvation Lake?

Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in winter. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

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

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Starvation Lake was most recently stocked May 5 with 15,000 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Starvation Lake?

Fishing on Starvation 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

Bayley Lake 5 mi · Black Lake 6 mi · Rocky Lake 7 mi · Sherry Lake 11 mi · Gillette Lake 11 mi · Lake Thomas 12 mi · Lake Heritage 13 mi · Lake Leo 15 mi · Big Meadow Lake 18 mi · Waitts Lake 22 mi · Williams Lake 22 mi · Jumpoff Joe Lake 25 mi

See how Starvation Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Washington · best brook trout lakes in Washington

More water nearby: Stevens County fishing maps (15 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.