Cutthroat Fishing in Lake Washington
- Coastal cutthroat is a type of trout with a variable body color, an upper jaw bone that juts out beyond the eye, and teeth located behind the tongue. Some cutthroat trout have jaws with red or orange slashes on the underside. The average cutthroat weighs 2 to 3 lbs. and is over 18 inches in length.
- When caught in Lake Washington, cutthroat trout has no size restrictions, but there is a daily limit of five per person.
- Cutthroat trout, while plentiful in Lake Washington, are not native to the lake, but are rather a product of the lake's tributaries, which include Juanita, Thornton, McAleer, Coal, May, Mercer and Slough Streams and the Sammamish and Cedar Rivers. Cutthroat spend one to two years in the rivers but then journey to Lake Washington to feed. Feeding on the lake's population of longfin smelt, cutthroat trout grow quickly and are more abundant due to their ability to withstand the urban conditions.
- Areas of Washington Lake that are unproductive for cutthroat fishing, according to the website Steelhead-Salmon-Fishing, include the middle of the lake in the region between the two floating bridges, the mid-lake area north of Bailey Peninsula, the East Channel's middle areas and Cedar River's northeastern section. Cutthroat fishing is at its best on Lake Washington in the Cedar River mouth, Mercer Island's southern and northern ends, and near Juanita Point's floating bridges. The website further recommends following large schools of fish, as cutthroat trout spend a lot of time feeding on baby crappie, shad fry, trout fry, shrimp and salmon. November through March is the best season for catching cutthroat trout. Deep-water trolling at 30 to 110 feet with 6- to 8-lb. leaders is recommended.
- To fish for cutthroat on Lake Washington, an annual freshwater fishing license must be obtained from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife for all fishers 16 years and older. Discounts are available based on age or military status, and package rates are available.
- According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2010-2011 Fishing Guide, cutthroat caught in Lake Washington should be eaten only once a month.
