Summit 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 Summit 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 Summit Lake on the board.

Fishing Summit Lake: what the data says

626-acre lake near Thurston County. The lake tops out around 100 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Brook Trout fishing at Summit Lake

Come spring, look for brook trout tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm is the honest summer answer here.

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

Brown Trout fishing at Summit Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: brown trout in 3 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 25 to 60 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for after dark and early morning. Summer baits: a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Break off the point (74 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Cutthroat Trout fishing at Summit Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: cutthroat trout in 3 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 35 ft, wintering in 10 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 15 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon
Summer	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner
Fall	5 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Inline spinner
Winter	10 to 40 ft	dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig

Kokanee fishing at Summit Lake

Come spring, look for kokanee tight to the bank in 10 to 30 ft. They move out to 30 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 2 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (100 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Break off the point (74 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (100 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Summit Lake

When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 40 ft one. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (2 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (1 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

Summit Lake carries 9 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 100 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 100 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 93 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 74 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 1 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Summit Lake — ramp (concrete)

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

Summit Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
May 20	Rainbow trout	1,500	—
May 18	Kokanee	203,950	—
May 15	Rainbow trout	4,620	—
Apr 20	Rainbow trout	524	—
Apr 16	Rainbow trout	4,000	—
Apr 15	Rainbow trout	5,562	—
Apr 15	Rainbow trout	938	—
Oct 9, 2025	Kokanee	20,000	—

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

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

Check the official Washington fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Summit Lake?

Summit Lake is about 100 ft (30 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 Summit Lake?

Anglers target brook trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee, rainbow trout on Summit Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Summit Lake?

Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

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

Yes — per WDFW fish-stocking reports records, Summit Lake was most recently stocked May 20 with 1,500 rainbow trout. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Summit Lake?

Fishing on Summit 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

Black Lake 7 mi · Isabella Lake 8 mi · Lost Lake 10 mi · Forbes Lake 11 mi · Ward Lake 11 mi · Chambers Lake 13 mi · Island Lake 13 mi · Deep Lake 14 mi · Hicks Lake 15 mi · Phillips Lake 15 mi · Long Lake 16 mi · Pattison Lake 16 mi

See how Summit 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: 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.