Loon Lake, WA

Like Deer Lake a few miles away (see previous listing), Loon has something to offer every angler. The biggest fish in the lake are Mackinaws, or lake trout, and they sometimes top 20 pounds. (Loon gave up a whopper Mackinaw in the mid-1960s that weighed in at more than 30 pounds and stood as the state record until 1999.) Trolling large plugs accounts for most of them. Sutton spoons, blue Flatfish, and Kwikfish are popular, but other offerings in various shades of blue or pink are also effective. You can troll near the surface the first week or two of the season, but as the water warms, break out the downrigger and take that plug into the cool depths. If you're not a troller, use your depthsounder to locate fish, position your boat over them, and work a metal jig up and down until you coax them into striking.

Rainbows, browns, and brookies are all stocked with varying regularity, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding productive trout fishing throughout the spring. Troll the open water for rainbows and browns, the shallow shoreline areas for brookies. Rooster Tail spinners in brown or black shades seem to work best, or at least they're the favorite of local trout anglers.

Both trolling and stillfishing are top methods for taking Loon Lake kokanee, perhaps the most popular fish in the lake. As a general rule, trolling works better in the spring and early summer, with stillfishing gaining popularity about mid-summer. Some anglers fish at night and report better catches than many of the daytime anglers. Favorite trolling rigs include leaded line, Kokanee Killers, or Luhr Jensen Cherry Bombs and hooks tipped with maggots or white corn. The lake has had a bonus limit of 10 kokanee per day in recent years, but be sure to check the regulations pamphlet for current rules.

Largemouth bass are found along much of the lake's west side, while smallmouths are often found hanging close to the rocky shoreline near the southwest corner of the lake. Fishing the docks and floats around the lake may take either or both.