Share your catch

Lake Chelan Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

America’s third-deepest lake: Chelan drops 1,486 feet into the North Cascades and holds kokanee, lake trout and burbot.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
268 cfs
Air / High
69 / 72 F
Wind
SSE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12451000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Chelan sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 268 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 72. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Lake troutFair

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Stehekin River at Stehekin (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12451000.

337466596268 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low72 / 55 F
WindSSE 6-7 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:23 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 72/55 F, wind 10 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Chelan: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Lake Chelan calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Chelan today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Washington requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Washington license. Kokanee, lake trout and salmon limits vary by basin: check current WDFW rules for Lake Chelan specifically.

Access

Chelan, Manson, Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park and Field’s Point ramps; Lady of the Lake ferry to Stehekin.

About this water

A 33,000-acre glacial lake 1,486 feet deep running 50 miles into the North Cascades, Chelan County, Washington.

Fishing Lake Chelan: the full guide

A fjord in Washington

Lake Chelan stretches 50 miles from the town of Chelan into the heart of the North Cascades, reaching 1,486 feet deep: the third deepest lake in the United States. The lower basin is warm and developed, the upper basin cold and roadless, accessible only by boat, floatplane or trail to Stehekin. The fishery matches the split: kokanee, lake trout, chinook salmon, burbot and cutthroat in the cold water, with smallmouth in the lower end.

Kokanee and lake trout

Kokanee are the mainstay: troll small dodgers and hoochies from 30 to 90 feet depending on season, concentrating in the lower basin. Lake trout hold deeper still and take jigged tubes and trolled spoons near bottom. Chinook salmon, landlocked and stocked historically, add a trophy dimension for anglers running deep gear. Winter burbot fishing on the bottom at night is a local specialty.

The upper lake

Above Twenty-Five Mile Creek the lake narrows into a fjord with no road access: this is the wild half, reached by the Lady of the Lake ferry or private boat. Cutthroat trout hold near the tributary mouths, and the Stehekin River at the head of the lake offers stream fishing in a valley reachable only by boat, plane or foot. It is one of the most dramatic fishing settings in the Lower 48.

Chelan logistics

Ramps at Chelan, Manson, Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park and Field’s Point serve the lake. The upper lake demands preparation: no services, no cell coverage and serious wind that funnels down the valley most afternoons. Summer brings heavy recreational traffic to the lower basin; the upper lake stays quiet all year.

Common questions

How deep is it really?

Nearly 1,500 feet, with the bottom well below sea level: the third deepest lake in the United States after Crater and Tahoe.

Can I fish the upper lake?

Yes, but only by boat, ferry or floatplane: there is no road. The reward is cutthroat fishing in near-wilderness.

What is the main fishery?

Kokanee trolling in the lower basin, with lake trout deeper and burbot at night in winter.

Is fishing good at Lake Chelan right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Icicle Creek37 miRufus Woods Lake43 miBanks Lake48 miSkykomish River70 miMoses Lake71 miPotholes Reservoir78 mi
Share your catch