The Music of Coffeepot Lake

Rainbow Trout Wrangling West of Spokane

Words by Chip O'Brien

It's hard to imagine going to Lincoln County's Coffeepot Lake and somehow missing the potpourri of sights, sounds, smells and impressions that gives this place its undeniable character. Part of that is the way the big, lusty rainbows wallop a streamer, reminiscent of a terrier destroying a stuffed toy. If you listen, there is much more to hear than just shrieking fly reels.

When heading for Coffeepot I always look forward to the conversation I know I'm going to have with my car's GPS system. Turning west off Hwy. 28 at Harrington (south of Davenport) the GPS screen on my dashboard goes blank as usual. 

"Hey bud," I imagine the car saying to me, "we're lost," 

"We're not lost," I say (sometimes even out loud). "Trust me." 

"I got nuthin,'" says the car.

Coffeepot Lake is anything but nuthin', and once you've been there you realize it's not at all hard to find. It's a comfortable distance from Spokane even for a day trip, and if you're lucky you may snag a free campsite and just stay over. 

There are seven campsites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each has a fire ring and picnic table. There's also a vault toilet, but no potable water.

Equally regarded as a terrific rainbow trout and largemouth bass fishery, fly anglers usually target the big, meaty trout. Coffeepot is open to fishing March 1 through September 30th and the regulations dictate barbless hooks and no bait allowed. You're allowed to harvest one trout per day, 18-inches or larger. This is a common place to find game wardens, so don't forget your fishing license. If in a boat remember your PFD (personal floatation device) and a whistle (seriously). Besides the trout and bass, you might also encounter perch, bullhead, black crappy and sunfish.

I always bring two rods, one with a floating line and the other a super-fast, full-sinker. Early and late in the day I usually reach for the floating line first and hang chironomids or balanced leeches under a strike indicator. When the shallow-water fishing begins to taper off (generally as the day heats up) I switch to the full-sinking setup. I often do a slow troll from either my boat or float tube in areas of the lake that have been good to me in the past with streamers, damselfly or water boatman patterns. 

Early Season (March-May)

I love fishing Coffeepot Lake on "Opening Day," (March 1) but you never know what you're going to get. This year the wind was howling into our faces and I could only tolerate the chill for about 30 minutes. But, part of the reason Coffeepot is so great is that in that time I hooked four and landed three, the largest a robust 22-inch rainbow. Early season usually offers the most consistent fishing of the year.

Fishing pressure has a noticeable effect on Coffeepot Lake trout. When they haven't been fished over for a while they are almost easy to catch. Even a week after Opening Day the fish are becoming noticeably tougher to catch, but fishing can still be pretty good. A few weeks into the season things will have slowed down considerably and it becomes more of the normal cat-and-mouse game as far as effective fly patterns and exactly where you're going to find the fish. But, because it's fishing, any day of the season is capable of being terrific. The fish are there, and they gotta' eat.

Early season you might find trout just about anywhere. The inflow stream enters the lake from the north and there are often trout hanging close by. Like many lakes in the Channeled Scablands, Coffeepot reflects recent drought conditions and is currently at least five feet below full capacity. Due to low water, the shallow areas (both ends of the lake) tend to warm up faster during warmer months. This causes a natural separation between the bass and trout populations, the bass heading for warmer, shallower areas, the trout for the cooler, deep water. 

"Rattlesnake season," on Coffeepot kicks off April-May which some see as a deterrent for going. That's just fine with me. Most of Eastern Washington is pretty decent rattlesnake habitat. If you let these generally gentle reptiles determine where you're not going to fish, well, there's always the seminary.

Mid Season (June-August)

As the weather warms, trout will begin to favor early and late in the day. A lazy summer day might go something like this: 

Stay in the campground the night before (eliminates a very dark commute), grab some java and get out there before things start to warm up and brighten up. The cooler night air combined with low light often allow the trout to feel comfortable in the upper water column. Fish for a couple of hours until you notice the air heating up. Maybe break for lunch, then grab snooze during the warmest hours of the day. If so inclined grab some food and then fish until dark. If the day was productive enough, I might not even fish in the evening. It's tough to make an already great day even greater.

During summer there's a lazy, cordial vibe in the little Coffeepot campground, and I've been lucky enough to become friends with a few of the regulars. It's common for campers to drop in to ask, "How's the fishing?" It reminds me of the old Andy of Mayberry TV show, so lazy and friendly, and hey, here comes Barney Fife to check your license. (Though I would strongly dissuade you from actually calling the game warden by that name.)

At night, and sometimes all night long you can listen to the yip, yip, yipping of what has to be a substantial coyote population. It's become some of my favorite Coffeepot Lake night music.

During warm summer months I target deeper, cooler water. If I'm not picking up fish slow trolling with the full-sink line, I hang chironomids or balanced leeches straight down, often only a few feet off one of Coffeepot's many subterranean basalt walls. 

It might feel odd to be fishing straight down with a full-sink line and no strike indicator, but it's a great way to get and keep flies down deep. The beauty of the technique is you don't need a strike indicator. More often than not the fish hook themselves all but tearing the rod from your hands. You get the same violent grab as streamer fishing, but without all the constant casting. The "tug" really is "the drug."

The most popular areas of the lake tend to be the "narrows" around to the right from the boat launch ramp, and the big basalt bay a little further to the right. Early season you won't even need a boat or float tube to fish parts of the bay. There's a path from the parking lot allowing access to a good portion of the bay. The water drops straight down from a rocky ledge you can fish from and you have the option of casting out to cruising fish, or dropping your flies straight down. Parts of the bay approach 100-feet deep, providing cool refuge for the trout even during the warmest months. 

Expect to be nagged by noisy geese while fishing the bay. There must be one or more nests in the area, and the geese are not likely to let you forget to keep your distance. For me, the constant honking has become just another part of the sweet music of fishing Coffeepot. 

It's curious to note the fish may not be out in the open water, but rather clinging to the vertical rock walls directly beneath your feet. Truth be told, I'm less inclined to fish this area from shore during summer months. I've had several rattlesnake encounters on the path and even close to the water during summer. And while I'll avoid them if I can, I've finally made peace with them. They really don't want to bite you, and hearing the occasional rattle has just become the percussion section of the music I hear at Coffeepot Lake. They were here first.

Late Season (September)

While the mid-days can still be warm and balmy in September, the nights will be getting decidedly colder. The fish seem to know they are heading toward the leaner months of winter and the catching can be quite good. But don't make the mistake of not reviewing the angling regulations. While a number of other area lakes remain open beyond September, Coffeepot closes to fishing September 30. There are no signs to remind you of the closure, and the game warden is not likely to be sympathetic if you forget.

Records verify that back in the 1920s there was a hunting and fishing lodge at Coffeepot. While none of the original structures remain, you can find telltale signs in the area around the metal storage building adjacent to the parking lot. During spring you might even notice the straight line of daffodils that still remains. 

While I've been unable to find independent verification, locals have told me the owner of the resort was actually born in the little shack that remains on the far side of the narrows. Should you venture across to have a closer look (hopefully not during rattlesnake season) you will find a ramshackle table and parts of a single bed inside. The gingerbread trim on some of the outside windows suggests this little structure was at one time well taken care of and obviously meant something to somebody. Just seeing the familiar little structure is always a treat for me.

So go for the fishing, but be open to the rich sensory buffet Coffeepot Lake offers. It's a beautiful place not really far away from Spokane, but just far enough to seem like an entirely different world. While you're there, be sure to notice the lake music, and enjoy.