Specific Lake Info

Little Lake Cavanaugh

Little Lake Cavanaugh is a small lake outside of Gold Bar; it is a few miles up Proctor Creek Road. The lake is around 4-8 acres in size depending on the season. In really dry summers, like 06', it can get as small as 2 acres. The lake contains both Cutthroat and Rainbows; some can get as big as 15 or 16". There is no natural spawning in this lake so all fish are planted as fry. The lake is spring fed; they are visible throughout the lake bottom as 3' diameter holes in the weeds. There are seasonal creeks that flow into the lake but they are mostly just trickles. In late summer the lake can get full of weeds, making the lake look a few feet shallower than it is. The deepest point is probably 8-10' depending on the season. Most of the lake bottom is a big weedy shoal but there are a few spots were the only thing there is mud. As a result, the lake is probably full of Callibaetis mayflies and Damselflies, with Chironomids in the mud areas. I’m sure there are a few Dragonflies throughout the lake too. I’ve read reports that have said the lake is full of Scuds, which it may be, but I couldn't find any by searching through the weeds at the boat launch. The lake is a year round fishery and is not managed any differently than any other lake. The limit is 5 fish per person and gear and bait are allowed, although I would highly recommend not using bait because of the damage it does to fish. And if you do, use a small single barbless hook. The same goes for gear, don’t use any of those treble hooks, and for the fly-fishers, don’t forget to pinch your barbs. There is one small camping spot right next to the lake; it usually has a lot of beer cans and worm containers lying around so I’m sure there are a few partiers there some nights. And one more thing... they are threatening to close the road completely as it is on logging land and/or crosses through it. So do not use this area for illegal dumping and do not litter, and if you see litter, please pick it up. 

Pass Lake

      Pass Lake is a 98 acre trophy fly fishing lake in Anacortes. It is only a mile or two from Puget Sound. The lake hold large rainbows and browns. Fish have been caught up to 26” there. It is a catch and release fishery, it is also a non-motor lake. Even the electric kind, all motors are prohibited at Pass Lake. Fish here average around 15-17” with 20” fish caught with some regularity. These fish are selective feeders; the reason for this is the abundance of food in Pass Lake. The lake contains leeches, callibaetis, loads of chironomids, and fathead minnows. The main reason that the fish grow so big is the fathead minnows. I don’t know how they got in, probably illegal planting, but the fish definitely benefited from it. Fishing can be great for browns in late fall and early spring. During late fall you can fish a fathead minnow pattern up shallow. The browns will be chasing minnows so they can stock up for winter. Chironomids are also a great choice here; you’ll need to bring a lot of chironomids of different colors, sizes, and styles. I know some people that have over 8 different colors, 5 different size, and 6 different styles. You probably don’t need that many chironomid imitations but it doesn’t hurt. Another popular method at Pass Lake is trolling deep with a woolly bugger. This may be a little boring because you’re not going to have very fast action. But you can usually catch a couple using a type 3 or 4 line. Pass Lake is best fished early or late in the season, during summer it get a green algae coating on the surface of the lake making it hard to fish.