Riffe Lake

By Hannah Pennebaker

Is it that time of year already? That’s right, go dust off the trout rods and dig out those jars of dough bait! The 4th Saturday in April traditionally marks the opening day of many lowland lakes in Washington State. Many anglers anxiously look forward to it and count the days down on their calendar. WDFW stocks hundreds of lakes with thousands of catchable size rainbow trout in preparation for this event. Freshly stocked trout are often willing biters and scrappy fighters, perfect for kids or those new to fishing. Here’s a list of my favorite lakes to hit on opening day in Western Washington. See if your favorite is on the list, or maybe plan to try a new one this year!

Clear lake

Clear Lake will always have a special place in my heart; it’s where I learned how to troll for rainbow trout. I have many fond memories of warm spring days spent cruising around the lake, kicking back and watching the rods go off. Only about 15 minutes away from the city of Puyallup, this lake has an outstanding view of Mt. Rainier on a nice day, and it truly is a crystal-clear lake. 99% of it is private property, so bank anglers will probably do better at Tanwax Lake, just down the road. There is a pay to fish dock there and plenty of shore access at the boat launch on the south end of the lake. A word of warning, it’s best to fish Clear Lake early in the morning. By about noon, especially on a nice day, the lake can become a washing machine for pleasure boaters and jet-skiers. You can either troll or still fish on this lake. Green dough bait is always killer! The key is to troll slowly and keep an eye on your fish finder. This lake is surprisingly deep, but shallows up quickly, so be prepared to pull up your gear if needed.

Harts Lake

Harts Lake is unique simply for its wide variety of fish species. Come here for the rainbow trout, and stay for the channel catfish, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed, crappie, and bluegill. It is small and shallow: perfect for small boaters and kayakers. The rainbows seem to hug the boat launch during the early season, but spread out as time goes on. Try targeting the edges of the lily pads that surround the lake. There is a little tackle shop on the lake where you can buy worms or a cold drink. The owner is very nice and loves showing off the photos of customers with 15 pound channel catfish caught off his dock! You can pay to fish off his dock or try your luck off to the side of the boat launch for free.

American Lake

Located next to JBLM, this lake is renowned around the state for its plentiful jumbo size rainbow trout. There’s also a chance you may hook into a kokanee; the lake is planted with thousands of them every year. There is a good amount of shore access around the lake in the form of boat launches and parks, but check to see if they are military only first. You don’t want to be turned away at a military checkpoint like we were the first time we tried to fish there! The lake is large, so there is plenty of room to spread out and get away from other boaters. Finding the fish can be a little tricky, so don’t be afraid to pull up your gear and motor over to try new spots.

Rapjohn Lake

Don’t be fooled by the tiny size of this lake, it’s a great producer of rainbow trout throughout the season! The boat launch is pretty barebones, so don’t expect to launch more than a small boat or kayak here. This is one of our favorite lakes to take our inflatable boat out on when we don’t feel like gassing up the Smokercraft. Dough bait and eggs work very well on this lake, as do worms under a bobber. This is a very kid-friendly place to fish since the vast majority of fishermen use small aluminum boats powered by electric trolling motors or oars. There is a decent amount of shore access at the boat launch and kids can do very well casting out a chunk of green or orange dough bait.

Mineral Lake

Any list of the best trout lakes in Washington State would be incomplete without Mineral Lake. This lake boasts not only trophy rainbow trout, but brown trout as well. It is unique among Western Washington lakes in that it is stocked with thousands of fry every year, which grow to impressive sizes thanks to the rich forage available. WDFW also supplements the fry with catchable size rainbows and browns before opening day. There is a boat launch, tackle shop, resort, and a pay to fish dock off the side of the lake. The dock can get crowded with swimmers during peak season, so it’s best to get there early. It’s no secret how good the fishing at this lake can be, so expect to have company at the boat launch on opening day.

Riffe Lake

Riffe Lake might be more well-known for its land-locked coho salmon, but a few years ago thousands of triploid rainbow trout were planted there. These trout are reaching the 14 to 20-inch range, and they put up plenty of fight! The coho salmon are perfectly willing to bite rainbow trout gear, so expect to come home with some of those too. Trolling is the name of the game here. Try trolling faster in the morning, when the fish are more active, and slower in the afternoon. Small spinners such as Mack’s Wedding Rings take a lot of fish here. You can pull them behind lake trolls or small dodgers. There is some shore access near Mossyrock Dam and at Taidnapam Park. Most shore anglers fish pieces of shrimp or worms under a bobber. Be cautious when fishing Riffe, the lake is deep and wide, and afternoon winds can kick up to dangerous levels.

Black Lake

Black Lake is located near Olympia, and, like Harts Lake, boasts a wide variety of fish species. There is public shore access at the boat launch and park. The lake is long but shallow, so trolling can be difficult. Long lining in the early season can be very productive. This is one of my favorite lakes to cast out small spinners and spoons. The fish will gladly gobble up worms, corn, or dough baits as well. If you don’t have any luck with rainbow trout, you can always try targeting the vast amounts of crappie and bluegill in this lake.

Swift Reservoir

Though it’s more off the beaten path than the other lakes, Swift Reservoir shouldn’t be overlooked. If you do make the drive, you’ll be rewarded with unbeatable views of the surrounding mountains and forests. This is a peaceful, beautiful lake, and the fishing can be just as amazing. I highly recommend trolling on this large, deep reservoir. Wedding Rings pulled behind lake trolls are deadly effective. Don’t be afraid to tip your spinner with a piece of corn, worm, or shrimp. Try trolling near the dams to start out with. Launching can be difficult/impossible if the water level is drawn down too low, so make sure to call and check the water level before heading out (the phone number is listed on WDFW’s Swift Reservoir webpage).

Lake Meridian

Unlike Swift Reservoir, Lake Meridian is an urban lake, surrounded by houses. It can get crowded on a nice day! But this lake has good populations of rainbow trout and kokanee, and shouldn’t be overlooked. Most fishermen will anchor up and throw out their offering on a bottom rig with a sliding weight. There is a fishing pier and shore access at the boat launch. Every year, fishermen get some nice holdovers from the year before. Try fishing a bit deeper and increase the size of your offerings to target these larger fish.

Lake Sammamish

Though this lake is open year-round, April is a great month to fish it. This is Western Washington’s premier cutthroat trout lake! Small plugs stuffed with tuna, spinners, and spoons all work well here. Troll faster than you would for rainbow trout, and remember to target structure, such as points or coves. Switch up your techniques and tackle until you find out what the fish want that day. Cutthroat trout are highly predatory, but can be surprisingly fickle. Have fun catching these fish, they are incredibly athletic and often jump when you’re reeling them in!

No matter where you decide to fish, make sure to follow all the proper safety rules, and don’t forget to renew your fishing license. Check out our YouTube channel, Northwest Fishing, for videos on many of these and other opening day rainbow trout lakes. We hope to see you out there!

While there are so many lakes with amazing fishing opportunities in Washington State that I love, Riffe Lake may just be my favorite. Located just 60 miles south of Tacoma, Riffe Lake is a 13-mile long reservoir that’s famous for its landlocked salmon fishing. Tacoma Power not only raises and lowers the water levels of this lake, but they also stock it with thousands of coho salmon every year. Once they meet their quota of fish, they put the excess fish in Riffe Lake to give sportsmen an opportunity to target them there. It’s usually well worth the drive, Riffe Lake is a consistently good fishery. I cut my teeth learning how to troll on this lake. Landlocked coho taste amazing on the grill and the smoker. The action is typically hot and fast. Let’s go over how to have a successful day at Riffe Lake!

Trolling is by far the most popular way to fish Riffe Lake. You don’t need to run all the way across the lake to catch fish; you can start trolling right after you launch. You can use your kokanee setups- the coho here are about the same size. Coho in Riffe Lake love the color pink! You’ll want to use small pink dodgers and pink lures. Some popular lures include Mack’s Wedding Rings, Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plugs, small spoons, and small hoochie spinners. The coho are usually willing, aggressive biters. If you get some hits but no fish, reel up and check your bait. This trait also makes them a great way to teach kids how to reel in bigger fish. Before taking your kids out to the Sound to target the big boys, let them practice reeling in these feisty Riffe Lake coho!

During this time of year, the heat will have pushed the coho down in the water column. Salmonids do not tolerate warm water temperatures as well as other species. They will also travel deeper during the heat of the day to escape the sun. During sunset, sunrise, and on cloudy days, you won’t have to fish quite as deep.  A good fish finder is essential to find out how deep to run your downriggers. Riffe Lake is extremely deep and large. With 13 miles of 200 feet deep water, there’s a lot of room for fish to spread out.

Keep a close eye on your fish finder, it’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security when trolling in such deep water. The lake shallows up surprisingly quickly, especially near islands. Some days the fish can be 90 feet deep. The fish school up very tightly, so they will be easy to find on your fish finder. Be ready to adjust the settings on your fish finder, especially if you’re used to fishing shallow lakes. You don’t need to see all 200+ feet of the lake, adjust your settings so you only see the depth you need. 

As of this writing, all boat launches except Mossyrock Park are closed due to low water levels. As previously mentioned, Tacoma Power raises and lowers the water levels throughout the year. You can give them a call or check their website to see which boat launches are open. There’s a nice fish cleaning station at Mossyrock Park, restrooms, ample parking, and a play area for the kids. You can find restaurants, stores, and other amenities at the nearby town of Mossyrock.

Once you’ve launched, you can start your troll and turn left or right. I’ve consistently found fish in both directions. Some days, we’ve limited out all 4 people in an hour, and couldn’t even get all 4 rods back in the water! There are fish all over Riffe Lake. If you’re struggling to find willing biters, try targeting points and islands. These fish like drop-offs, just like their saltwater cousins. 

There’s something for everyone at Riffe Lake. Don’t have a boat? No worries, there are several places near the dams that you can shore fish. Cast out a piece of shrimp underneath a bobber, and wait. Just like when you’re fishing from a boat, you’ll want to adjust the depth you’re fishing at to find the fish. Remember that there is a 5 fish limit. You can catch a variety of species at this lake other than coho, including cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, chinook salmon, and steelhead. Salmonids have a hard time surviving catch and release, especially in this hot weather.

Another word of warning, check the forecast before heading out. Riffe Lake is famous for those afternoon winds that can blow small vessels off the . Most importantly, remember to have fun! Riffe Lake is a special fishery. Where else can you consistently bring home limits of land locked salmon? Go catch your limit, let the kids play at the park, and have some ice cream and burgers in Mossyrock before heading home to barbeque your fish!

Fishing season is officially in full swing! With so many lakes, rivers, and marine areas to choose from, it can be hard to pick your next adventure. If you’re never fished Riffe Lake before, or if it’s been a while, you should put it at the top of your list. It’s one of my favorite fishing destinations, and I make it a point to fish it as much as I can every year. Not only is the fishing top notch, but the scenery is beautiful and the surrounding towns are well worth visiting. I can’t think of many other lakes that offer such a wide variety of fish, let alone with such a good opportunity.

You can catch brown trout, cutthroat trout, smallmouth bass, chinook salmon, coho salmon, crappie, and brown bullhead. The lake is simply packed with fish, and they’re willing biters. You can take the boat out or shore fish, and finish out the day with a Dam Burger from Pioneer Bar & Grill in Mossyrock before heading home to grill your catch. It’s a bit of a drive, but it’s a great way to spend a day!

Located in Lewis County, Tacoma Power created RIffe Lake by constructing Mossyrock Dam on the Cowlitz River in 1968, flooding the communities of Riffe, Nesika, and Kosmos. It has a maximum depth of 360 feet and is about 23.5 miles long. Not only does the lake boast good populations of land-locked coho salmon, but you can also catch triploid trout! Back in 2020, Tacoma Power bought about 400,000 Rufus Woods strain triploid trout and released them into the lake for anglers to catch. The fish have had plenty of time to grow and they are a ton of fun to catch. If you’re lucky, you may even hook into a steelhead or a chinook salmon on the same day! Tacoma Power releases these fish into the lake as well, once they’ve met their stocking quotas. With such a plethora of fish to catch, you can see why Riffe Lake is a favorite of many northwesterners.

Trolling Techniques

Riffe Lake has plenty of room for boats of all shapes and sizes. It is almost 24 miles long and up to 360 feet deep, which can sound intimidating. Not to worry, there are thousands of fish in the lake, and most days they are willing biters. There have been many days when we can’t even put the planer boards out because the two downrigger poles or lead lines are constantly going off! Early in the season, lead lines, divers, and dropper weights work just fine. The fish are still feeding on the surface and haven’t been driven down to the depths by the hot sun. As the season progresses, however, a good fish finder is a must, particularly for the land-locked coho. Troll until you find a school, mark where you get bites, and don’t be afraid to put a little scent on your lure.

I find that the land-locked coho are particularly attracted to pink lures and dodgers. You can use corn or maggots to bait your hooks. Spinners, plugs, spoons- they all catch fish at this lake. I tend to use whatever I already have rigged up for kokanee fishing at other lakes. As for locations, you really can’t go wrong on Riffe Lake- you can start trolling almost as soon as you launch at Mossyrock Park and will usually start catching fish right away. If the fish are being stubborn, try targeting points and coves. Keep an eye on your fish finder if you’re using downriggers, the lake can shallow up surprisingly quickly.

In recent years, it’s been difficult to keep the triploid trout off your hooks if you want to target the land-locked coho salmon in the reservoir. The salmon and trout tend to bite on the same lures and hang out at the same depths in the early season, so you can expect to catch a mixed bag. In general, the coho hang out deeper than the trout in the later season, making downriggers and a good fish finder almost a necessity for targeting them. The salmon tend to like a faster troll, so don’t be afraid to bump it up to 1.9 or 2.2 MPH. However, the trout taste great on the grill and put up a great fight, so most anglers don’t mind catching them.

As a word of caution to boaters, check the water levels at Tacoma Power’s website or give them a call before heading out. The lake’s level fluctuates throughout the year and launching can be difficult when water levels are low. The launch at Mossyrock Park is usually your best bet year-round. It has a large dock with 2 lanes to launch at, which is nice when the ramp is busy. Don’t sweat the crowds too much though, the lake is massive and there is plenty of room for everyone. The other boat launches, Taidnapam and Kosmos, are unsuitable for low water conditions. Check the wind forecast before hitching up the boat- the afternoon winds at Riffe Lake can kick up and create nasty white caps, catching unprepared boaters off guard.

Still Fishing Techniques

Don’t have a boat? No worries, Riffe Lake has plenty of shore access! You can fish at the dam in Mossyrock or at the fishing bridge at Taidnapam Park. These spots can get crowded on nice weekends though. Most shore anglers cast out shrimp or worms under a bobber with a sliding weight. Experiment with setting your bobber stopper anywhere from 3ft to 15 ft until you figure out where the fish are at. 

If you can’t get a spot at the dam or fishing bridge, fishing at nearby Lake Mayfield or Swofford Pond is a good alternative. Lake Mayfield is stocked with tiger muskies, which are difficult but extremely rewarding to catch. WDFW also stocks decent numbers of rainbow trout there every year. Swofford Pond has good populations of panfish, stocked rainbow trout, and brown bullhead. There is a boat launch at both lakes, and good shore access. Many folks fish Swofford Pond with inflatables and kayaks, as there is an internal combustion motor ban. 

Before you grab those poles and hook up the boat, keep in mind that Riffe Lake has a 5 fish limit. They can be any combination of landlocked salmon and trout, so you cannot legally keep 5 coho and 5 trout. The land locked coho don’t tend to survive catch and release very well, particularly in the summer heat. The lake is large and deep, and those afternoon winds can kick up unexpectedly, so make sure that everyone on your boat has a life jacket. Keep these rules in mind, hook up the boat, and have fun!