Washington
Lake Bonneville fishing guide
Lake Bonneville in Washington holds eight boat launches and public bank access at several locations, making it accessible to most anglers. The lake supports Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, and Chinook Salmon. Named access points include Rock Creek Beach and multiple windsurfing and kitesurfing launches that serve anglers as well.
Current conditions
As of September 1, 2026, Lake Bonneville has cloudy, air around 55°F. No active USGS gage sits on this water, so this shows local weather rather than live flow or water temperature. Conditions look good for fishing right now.
- State
- Washington
- Public access
- Yes
- Access points
- 12
- Species recorded
- 22
These conditions are read from our data about once a day and may not reflect the current moment. For real-time conditions, open Guidepole Fish.
Public access & launches
Public bank access at several points along Lake Bonneville, computed from public land ownership and hydrography.
- EAGLE CREEK OVERLOOK GRP SITEBoat launch
- Rock Creek BeachBoat launch
- Kitesurf launchBoat launch
- Windsurf launchBoat launch
- Herman Creek TrailheadBoat launch
- Home Valley ParkBoat launch
- Cascade Locks Marine ParkODFWFishing access
- Hood River Marine ParkODFWFishing access
- Oxbow Hatchery, Herman CreekODFWFishing access
- Port of Cascade Locks MarinaPort of Cascade LocksBoat access
- Port of The Dalles RampPort of The DallesBoat access
- Port of Cascade Locks RampPort of Cascade LocksBoat access
Regulations
- Bass
- Bag
- Daily limit 5
(See DOH advisory ) May be caught, retained, and released alive from a livewell until a daily limit is in possession. Largemouth Bass: No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only largemouth bass less than 12" may be retained, except 1 over 17" may be retained. Daily limit 5. No size restriction/daily limit in rivers, streams, and beaver ponds. Smallmouth Bass: No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only 1 smallmouth bass over 14" may be retained. Daily limit 10. No size restriction/daily limit in rivers, streams, and beaver ponds.
- Bullfrogs
(no license required) No min. size. No daily limit. Must be taken by angling, hand-dip netting, spearing (gigging), or with bow-and-arrow.
- Burbot (Freshwater Ling)
- Bag
- Daily limit 5
No min. size. Daily limit 5.
- Channel Catfish
- Bag
- Daily limit 5
No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Daily limit 5. No min. size/daily limit in rivers, streams, and beaver ponds.
- Char
Lake Trout: No min. size. No daily limit. Eastern Brook Trout (EBT): No min. size. No daily limit. Dolly Varden/Bull Trout: Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules.
- Common Carp
No min. size. No daily limit. No possession limit. May also be taken by spear or bow-and-arrow. Open only during open game fish or salmon seasons.
- Crappie, Northern Pikeminnow, Peamouth Chub, Perch, Suckers, Sunfish, Catfish (Except Channel), Rock Bass, Striped Bass
No min. size. No daily limit.
- Forage Fish
- Bag
- Daily limit is 10 lbs.
Forage Fish: No min. size. Daily limit is 10 lbs. in the aggregate with herring, sardines, sand lance, anchovies, and all species of smelt (including surf smelt, eulachon, longfin smelt, night smelt, or whitebait). Possession limit — 2 daily limits in fresh form. Additional smelt may be possessed in a frozen or processed form. All smelt caught must be kept and count toward the daily limit. Smelt may be taken by dip net. Each smelt harvester must use a separate container to hold their catch and the container must be in the harvester's presence or identified with the harvester's name. Statewide closure of eulachon (Columbia River smelt): Eulachon may not be retained unless authorized by emergency rule. Check the Cowlitz River smelt fishing webpage ( https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/re... ) for announcements from January through March. Fishing for other smelt species is open in all rivers — except the Columbia River and its tributaries — only during open game fish or salmon seasons, unless otherwise specified in special rules.
- Grass Carp
Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules.
- Green Sturgeon
It is unlawful to fish for or retain green sturgeon.
As of 2026-08-28.Guidance, not legal advice — always confirm current rules with the state.Official Washington regulations
What’s in it
Recorded in/near this water. Occurrence-based unless a higher-confidence source is shown — see it per-species in the app.
More Washington fishing
Washington field notes
Seattle, WA
Hiking Inside Seattle: Discovery Park, the Greenbelts, and What's 90 Minutes Out
Seattle hikers talk about the mountains and skip what is in the city, which is how you end up driving two hours on a Saturday for something you could have walked to. There is a 534-acre park with saltwater bluffs inside city limits, a wall of foothills half an hour east, and real alpine terrain ninety minutes out. Here is how to use all three.
Seattle, WA
Birding Seattle: A Bluff, a Landfill, and a Naval Air Station
Seattle's best birding sites are a 534-acre bluff park, a capped municipal landfill owned by a university, and a decommissioned naval air station. All three are free, all three are on transit, and between them they cover most of what the Puget Sound lowlands hold.
North Bend, WA
Mailbox Peak: The Old Trail, the New Trail, and Why People Still Pick the Old One
Four thousand feet in two and a half miles, straight up a ridgeline, with an actual mailbox at the top that people have been leaving things in for decades. The Forest Service built a longer, sane, switchbacked alternative in 2014 because the original was hurting people. Both still exist, and the argument about which to take is a Seattle institution.
Leavenworth, WA
The Enchantments Permit Lottery: How the Odds Actually Work, and What to Do When You Lose
Roughly two in a hundred applicants win an overnight permit for the Core Enchantments. Everyone else either gives up or figures out one of the four other ways into the same granite basin. Here is how the lottery is structured, which zones are worth applying for, and why the free day-use permit is the answer most people overlook.
North Bend, WA
Mount Si Is Seattle's Stairmaster. Here's How to Actually Enjoy It.
Eight miles, 3,150 feet of gain, and somewhere north of 80,000 hikers a year grinding up the same switchbacks 45 minutes from Seattle. Most of them treat Mount Si as a fitness test and go home sore and unimpressed. Here is how to time it, how to get there without fighting for parking, what to look at on the way up, and the one place near the top where people get hurt.
Bay Center, WA
Most of This Bay Belongs to Somebody
Willapa is a working oyster bay where most of the tideland is privately owned, and the public beaches are few and unmarked. Four sites carry public harvest, one of them for oysters only, and the ground below the nearest parking turnout is somebody's farm.
Lake Bonneville fishing — FAQ
Can you fish Lake Bonneville?
Yes — Lake Bonneville in Washington has public access (public bank access at several points). Open the guide to see the public access, launches, and current regulations.
Do you need a license to fish Lake Bonneville?
Yes — Washington requires a valid fishing license for most fishing. The current official state regulations are linked on this page.
What fish are in Lake Bonneville?
Species recorded in Lake Bonneville include Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Bullhead Catfish. The full list is on this page.
Where can you access Lake Bonneville?
Access points include EAGLE CREEK OVERLOOK GRP SITE, Rock Creek Beach, Kitesurf launch. See every launch and access site on this page.
Get detailed fishing conditions for Lake Bonneville on your phone
The full access map, live conditions, and an agent you can just ask — on your iPhone.
Get Guidepole Fish