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Lake Sammamish Fishing Report

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

Seattle’s eastside lake: Sammamish holds smallmouth, cutthroat and kokanee in suburban water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
68 / 71 F
Wind
NW 2 mph

Sources: 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 Sammamish sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 2 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 71. Water sits around 73 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.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 73 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp68 F
High / Low71 / 54 F
WindNW 2-3 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 14%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:42
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 · Showers, 71/54 F, wind 11 mph, rain 14%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Lake Sammamish 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
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Sammamish 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 67 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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 70 F, wind to 9 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 69 F, wind to 9 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. Bass and trout limits per current WDFW rules; kokanee are protected under recovery measures: check before keeping fish.

Access

Lake Sammamish State Park ramp and beach; additional launches and shoreline access around the lake.

About this water

A 4,897-acre lake east of Seattle between Issaquah and Redmond, King County, Washington.

Fishing Lake Sammamish: the full guide

A smaller neighbour

Lake Sammamish covers 4,900 acres east of Seattle between Issaquah and Redmond, smaller and shallower than Lake Washington next door but with a similar mix: smallmouth and largemouth bass along the developed shoreline, coastal cutthroat trout, yellow perch, and a native kokanee population that has become the focus of significant recovery work.

Bass and perch

Docks, submerged wood and the rocky points hold bass through the seasons, with skipping jigs and soft plastics the standard approach. Smallmouth work the deeper structure while largemouth prefer the weedier bays. Yellow perch school in numbers and provide steady action, particularly for anglers fishing from shore in the state park.

Cutthroat and kokanee

Coastal cutthroat cruise the drop-offs and take trolled flies and small spoons in the cooler months. The lake’s native kokanee, a distinct late-run population, have declined sharply and are the subject of recovery efforts: anglers should know the current rules, which protect them. Issaquah Creek at the south end hosts salmon returns each fall.

Eastside logistics

Lake Sammamish State Park at the south end provides a ramp, beach and extensive shoreline access, with additional launches around the lake. Issaquah, Redmond and Bellevue surround it with every service. Summer recreational traffic is heavy: fish early mornings and the shoulder seasons for the quietest water.

Common questions

What about the kokanee?

The native late-run population has declined sharply and is under recovery measures: know the current rules before keeping any fish.

Is the bass fishing good?

Yes: docks and rocky points hold smallmouth and largemouth, with modest pressure outside tournaments.

Where do I fish from shore?

Lake Sammamish State Park at the south end offers the best public shoreline for perch, bass and cutthroat.

Is fishing good at Lake Sammamish 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

Lake Washington8 miSkykomish River26 miSkagit River61 miIcicle Creek63 miRiffe Lake75 miElwha River77 mi
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