Lakes in Whatcom County
Anderson Lake (6-8 acres)
Anderson Lake is a high mountain lake located just above Baker Lake and is about 1.5 miles from Watson Lake. Elevation is 4500ft. There are lots of Rainbow trout in this shallow lake. an Easy 2 mile hike.
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Ann Lake
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Athearns Ponds
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Bagley Lakes
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Baker Lake (3,316 acres)
Located about 6 miles northeast of Concrete, Baker has public access, a boat launch and resort. Fishing is excellent for kokanee in May and June and again in the fall. Baker also has very good rainbow fishing in early July. Check the regulations pamphlet for special size limits. Fishing season runs from the last Saturday in April through October 31. An area 200 feet in radius around the pump discharge at the south end of the lake is closed.
Getting there: Drive east on Highway 20 from Interstate 5 to Birdsview. Turn left on Baker Lake Road and continue north for 16 miles. The first Baker Lake access road goes down to the dam. There also are accesses at Horseshoe Cove, Panorama Point, the resort, Scott Flats and Shannon Creek.
Boat launch: Depending on the lake level, Baker’s launches can be a little rough at the first of the season, especially at West Pass and Horseshoe Cove, two of the more heavily used launches. The PSE ramp at the resort may be the best bet for larger trailered boats at the upper end of the lake. Baker is still well below full pool but should fill quickly this spring.
Angler amenities: Old Tarr’s Resort is owned and operated by Puget Sound Energy. Considerable improvements have been made to the launch ramp. Dock space and some sundries are available as well as improved camp spaces.
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Barrett Lake (40 Acres)
Elevation 20ft. Fish Species Present: Largemouth Bass.
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Blue Lake
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Blum Lakes
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Cain Lake (72.2 acres)
Elevation 391ft. Max Depth 62ft.
Another of Whatcom’s neighborhood drop-in lakes, Cain usually treats both trollers and still-fishers well on the opener. Besides the big hatchery rainbows, a few naturally spawned kokanee have adopted the lake and could end up on the end of trollers’ lines. Yellow Perch and largemouth bass will start biting later this spring.
Getting there: Cain can be accessed by heading south on Lake Whatcom Boulevard to Cain Lake Road. Turn right on Camp 2 Road, drive about .2 mile to access at outlet. You can also take Cain Lake Road east from Alger. Off-road parking is very limited.
Boat launch: Fish and wildlife department — gravel, accommodates small, trailered boats.
Watercraft restrictions: Use of non-electric motors (gas-powered) is prohibited on any boat or other conveyance. Speed limit is idle and/or no wake at all times. (Whatcom County Code: Title 11, Chapter 11.32.050).
Angler amenities: Probably the least crowded on the Whatcom openers, a nice, quiet out-ofthe- way place to fish.
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Camp Creek Beaver Ponds
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Canyon Lake
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Cedar Lake
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Chain Lakes
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Copper Lake
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Diablo Lake (910 acres)
There are lot's of Rainbow Trout on this Skagit River impoundment 6 miles northeast of Newhalem, Diablo has a public access, boat launch and resort, and has a year-around season. Primative camping area's near by.
Diablo Lake
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Diobsud Lakes
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Elbow Lake
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Fazon Lake (32 Acres)
Elevation 128ft.
Fazon Lake’s bluegills are among the most obliging fish around. And they can be caught on nothing more than a chunk of worm, a small fly or a 1/32-ounce jig, all fished under a bobber. Alsi in this lake are Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Yellow Bullhead and Brown Bullhead. There is a kid’s fishing contest the third Saturday in June sponsored by the Borderline Bassin Contenders club. Fazon’s biggest limitation is that there is no dock or shore space from which to fish. A boat is necessary here.
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Ferguson Ponds
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Fountain Lake
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Fragrance Lake
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Goat Lake
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Gorge Lake (210 acres)
Fish for rainbow and cutthroat trout in this Skagit River impoundment about 2 miles northeast of Newhalem. Gorge Lake has public access and a boat launch, and the season is open year-around.
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Green Lake (19.5 Acres)
Elevation 74ft. Fish Species Present: Yellow Perch and Brown Bullhead.
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Highwood Lake
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Hozomeen Lake
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Jerry Lake
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Jorgenson Lake (12 Acres)
Elevation 690ft. Fish Species Present: Brown Bullhead.
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Judson Lake (112 Acres)
Elevation 152ft. Fish Species Present: Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie.
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Kendall Lake
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Lost Lake
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Maiden Lake
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Marten Lake
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Mirror Lake
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Mosquito Lake (7 Acres)
Elevation 690ft. Fish Species Present: Brown Bullhead and Channel Catfish.
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Mud Lake (.03 Acres)
Elevation 250ft. Fish Species Present: Black Crappie, Yellow Perch and Brown Bullhead.
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Padden Lake
Lake Padden is renown for its stocked rainbow trout and the occasional kokanee (a landlocked form of sockeye salmon). It has two small fishing docks and a revetment or bulkhead area that fronts right on the water. The sidewalk from the north tennis courts parking area to the revetment is paved. Anglers often fish buoyant (floating) baits on a slip sinker up from the bottom. Padden’s on a Whatcom Transit bus route, too.
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Pine Lake
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Ross Lake (11,674 acres)
This large reservoir is about 9 miles northeast of Newhalem, has a public access and a boat launch at the north end accessible through Canada. There is a resort on the south end, plus several boat-access camping sites along the east shore. Rainbow, cutthroat and eastern brook trout are available. Special catch and size limits are in effect, plus selective fishery regulations (except fishing from boats is allowed). Please check the regulations for details. All bull trout/Dolly Varden must be released. July 1 through October 31 open season.
Ross Lake
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Samish Lake (810 Acres)
Elevation 273ft. Max Derpth 145ft.
Lake Samish has a host of different fish in it from cutthroat trout and kokanee to largemouth bass, Black Crappie and yellow perch. A county park on North Lake Samish Drive near the bridge offers rental row boats starting in June, but it also has a public dock, dedicated solely to fishing, even during the swimming and boating season.
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Shuksan Lake
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Silver Lake
Silver Lake another hatchery rainbow trout hotspot is a little out of the way, but has a wonderful family resource in the south-end county park that has rental cabins as well as row boats. Early season trout favorites include flies (Carey Specials or Woolly Worms), trolled on leaded line or cast in the evenings or mornings.
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Squalicum Lake (33 acres)
Achieving stable lunker cutthroat, brown and triploid rainbow trout populations is the reason for the fly fishing only rules here. The cutts are stirring now, more triploids are slated for a May delivery and the browns will rouse to striking by then. Pack a belly or pontoon boat. Squalicum is open year-round.
Types of fish: Cutthroat trout, brown trout and a few big rainbows.
Stocking for 2007: 233 triploid rainbows.
Getting there: Drive east on Mount Baker Highway from Bellingham to Y Road, and the access parking is on the south side of the highway.
Boat launches: Walk-in WDFW from parking on Mount Baker Highway at Y Road intersection.
Angler amenities: Because of its fly fishing-only regime and the care with which fish are released, Squalicum has some nice but very finicky trout lurking in its waters.
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Tennant Lake (43 Acres)
Elevation 15ft. Fish Species Present: Largemouth Bass.
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Terrell Lake (438 Acres)
Elevation 212ft. Max Depth 11ft. Fish Species Present: Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead and Brown Bullhead.
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Thornton Lakes
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Thunder Lake
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Toad (Emerald)Lake
Toad Lake has a small public dock and quite limited bank space at the south-end state access and also offers rainbow trout together with kokanee. The trout are raised in a local hatchery until just before opening day, while the kokanee are planted as fry and grow in the lake.
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Tomyhoi Lake
Tomyhoi Lake is a high mountain lake at 3,722 ft. and is located about 1 mile south of the canadian border. It contains brook trout and brown trout. To get there from Hwy 542 east, drive 5 miles up forest road 3065 to the trailhead. It's about a 4 mile hike. You climb up to 5400 ft and down then down to 3722ft to the lake.
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Whatcom Falls Park kids derby pond
Whatcom Falls Park kids derby pond is stocked in early May just before the annual derby and is within easy walking distance of bus stops on Electric Avenue. There’s good bank space along the shore of the pond and some trout will be left after the derby. The remaining creek corridor in Whatcom Falls Park is open only to juveniles but is quite rugged in places.
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Whatcom Lake (5003 acres)
Elevation 307ft. Max Depth 311ft.
It’s the biggest and deepest of the natural lakes in the county. Whatcom is also the most troubled of area waters. Its once vaunted native cutthroat continue to languish. The famed kokanee could be in peril from Middle Fork diversion-delivered diseases in the future. And water quality arguably is getting worse. That said, enjoy trolling for kokanee or prospect casting in-shore for smallmouth bass. Heed warnings not to eat the smallies or perch. And, for their sake, release all cutthroat trout. With its native cutthroat population still facing an iffy future, and a continuing health warning about eating mercury contaminated smallmouth bass (and other finfishes and crawfish), Whatcom’s kokanee will be the chief focus of the opening day faithful. This spring’s chilly airs may put the silvers off until late May or June, but early fishers might try pulling gang trolls through Agate Bay or the western basin in search of the silver hordes. Angling methods designed to take the deep-dwelling cutthroat (down-riggers, big spoons, herring strip) are banned by regulation.
Types of fish: Kokanee, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, Yellow perch and cutthroat trout.
Stocking for 2007: Millions of kokanee fry in 2003 and 2004 provide this year’s catch.
Getting there: Take Lakeway Drive east from Interstate 5. Turn left on Electric Avenue and drive to Bloedel Donovan City Park. For the south end access points, drive south on Lake Whatcom Boulevard to South Bay.
Boat launches: Bloedel Donovan Park is an asphalt double ramp. A fish and wildlife department gravel ramp is located next to the fire hall on South Bay Drive.
Angler amenities: Fishing from the East Bank Trail can be fun, but mainly targets the off-limits cutthroat.
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Watson Lake
Located in Whatcom County above Baker Lake and about 1.5 miles from Anderson Lake. Watson lake is a high mountain lake at 4500ft.
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Weiser Lake (123 acres)
Elevation 50ft.
Largemouth Bass, Brown Bullhead, Black Crappie, Yellow perch and pumpkinseed sunfish are found here in profusion, and though on the smallish side, they can provide amusement for kids. Wiser is not stocked, and can be fished year-round. Occasionally there are fish kills during the hot summer when the oxygen demand goes up and its shallow, warm waters cannot sustain fish.
Getting there: Drive north from Interstate 5 on State Route 539 (Guide Meridian) toward Lynden. The Guide crosses Wiser Lake on a causeway. Turn right on East Wiser Lake Road and immediately another right onto access driveway.
Boat launch: WDFW with shallow concrete ramp, lots of parking.
Watercraft restrictions: Gas-powered motors may be used here. On entire lake, speed is restricted to idle and/or no wake from 8 p.m. to 12 noon the following day. This rules applies at all times in the lake west of Guide Meridian bridge. Motorized boats are banned entirely from Oct. 15 to March 1 each year. There are rules limiting water skiing activities too. (Whatcom County Code: Title 11, Chapter 11.32.070).
Angler amenities: Easy access, and with a red No. 70 Hotshot lots of fish. The west end of the lake, under the bridge, will get you away from the water skiers.
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