Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan Lake on the board.

Fishing Sullivan Lake: what the data says

1,738-acre lake near Pend Oreille County. The lake tops out around 320 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Drawn out, this is 1,738 acres of water rimmed by 7.6 miles of bank. Nearly circular (index 1.3), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. About 3% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 3.3 mi, about 1.1 mi across. The water lies in Pend Oreille County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Mill Pond, 3 mi north of here.

Rainbow Trout fishing at Sullivan Lake

In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 40 ft for winter. Fall rainbow trout concentrate at Secondary point, a prime-rated point around 23 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (23 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (23 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (23 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (279 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Sullivan Lake

When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 5 to 35 ft one. Start at Secondary point. It's a point holding about 23 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (23 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Main-lake point (55 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Secondary point (23 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Break off the point (279 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Kokanee fishing at Sullivan Lake

Spring puts kokanee in skinny water — 10 to 30 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 320 ft, rated good for spring kokanee. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (320 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Deep basin (320 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 (320 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Sullivan Lake carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 320 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 320 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 279 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 75 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 55 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 50 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 37 ft
Secondary point: point, around 23 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp (paved)

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Sullivan Lake?

Sullivan Lake is about 320 ft (98 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 Sullivan Lake?

Anglers target rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee on Sullivan Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Sullivan Lake?

Secondary point is the top-rated area: a point in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Sullivan Lake?

For rainbow 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Sullivan Lake?

Fishing on Sullivan 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

Mill Pond 3 mi · Lomond Lake 13 mi, BC · Big Meadow Lake 14 mi · Deep Lake 15 mi · Lake Leo 15 mi · Rosebud Lake 16 mi, BC · Lake Heritage 16 mi · Cedar Lake 16 mi · Lake Thomas 17 mi · Gillette Lake 18 mi · Sherry Lake 18 mi · Boundary Lake 22 mi, BC

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

More water nearby: Pend Oreille County fishing maps (11 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.