The Outdoor Line Forum

Eastern Washington has some of the best lake fishing in the state. Two of my fishing buddies and I hit the road for three days to fish a variety of lakes near Omak run by the Colville Indian Tribe. While these lakes require a tribal license to fish, the upside is that the lakes receive little fishing pressure. The three of us covered 4 lakes in three days. Beautiful scenery and very few people fishing made for a good trip.


Day 1 we fished Buffalo Lake with little success. We marked several large fish but could not get them to take a lure. We landed a few rainbow trout and kokanee salmon for our efforts. Just before dusk, we moved on to Rebecca Lake which is only about 10 feet deep and covered in weeds. We tossed rubber worms and lizards rigged weedless and the largemouth bass action was nonstop.


Day 2 we moved up the road to McGinnis Lake which holds some large brook trout. The fish were only tapping our lines but eventually we got a couple fish to take. Todd and I landed a couple of brook trout and a bull trout. We moved back to Rebecca for more bass which all moved deeper into the lake during the middle of the day.

Day 3 was a kick. John and I headed over to Omak to troll for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. The fish are all but done spawning in the shallows and have began to move deeper. We managed to land some nice 20 to 22 inch fish.

Omak Lake if by far my favorite trout fishery. It's also one of the most beautiful lakes in our state. Memorial weekend there were only 4 boats out there. What a place! Thanks for the report

It certainly is. Wish it wasn't such a drive from Seattle, but that's what keeps it fishy being out of the way. I've done three trips over this year.