Kachess Lake

Situated just north of I-90, about five miles west of Cle Elum Lake. With a year-round open season, Kachess should be good for 8- to 12-inch kokanee by early June. Trolling or still fishing is effective and chumming is permitted. Rainbows, cutthroat, and burbot are also taken. There is a 10-fish catch limit for kokanee in addition to a 2-fish, 14-inch minimum size trout daily limit. The lake is periodically stocked with kokanee and cutthroat fry.

The lake is closed to fishing for bull trout; please carefully release any bull trout that are inadvertently hooked. There are no lake trout (mackinaw) in this lake.

This is a very popular lake with good camping and good boat launching area, but there is no late summer boat launching facility available due to excessive reservoir drawdown. U.S. Forest Service campground and boat launching facilities.

Two-pole fishing is NOT allowed

Shoreline access: Good - Good shoreline access near U.S Forest Service campgounds and hiking trail along lake.

Species you might catch

Lake information

County: Kittitas
Acreage: 4377.80 ac.
Elevation: 2258 ft.
Center: 47.317156, -121.238025
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Fishing resources

Catchable fish plants

10 most recent fish plants in this lake
Stock Date	Species	Number Released	Number of Fish Per Pound	Facility

Visit the Catchable Trout Plants page for a more detailed search of trout plants in this or other bodies of water. To view or download the source data for this table visit the WDFW Fish Plants dataset on the Washington State Open Data Portal

Fishing prospects calendar

Rainbow trout

Fishing success for Rainbow Trout is generally best in the spring when thousands of fish are stocked statewide, but they can be caught year-round in most waters with a little patience and persistence. Success remains high into June and gradually declines as water temperatures increase and fish move offshore to stay cool. Fish that escaped the spring harvest return to the nearshore areas in the fall as waters cool off. Some waters may also be stocked again in the fall further boosting catch rates.

Westslope cutthroat trout

See chart for details.

Kokanee

The Kokanee fishery typically lasts from April-October before the adults leave the lake to spawn in tributaries starting in late-October and early-November. Fishing is best in the spring before they move into deeper water to avoid warming water temperatures, but they can be targeted throughout the summer in deeper offshore areas near the thermocline. There may be a slight uptick in some waters in the fall as adults return to shallower water and move near shore towards spawning tributaries.