Lake Wenatchee Sockeye Fishing

There are also many campgrounds located in the state park. They are very popular during the summer season and tend to get booked up well in advance, so if you’re planning camping, be sure to book as early as possible. You can book it at the state park website linked below.

Lake Wenatchee State Park: https://www.parks.wa.gov/535/Lake-Wenatchee

Additional information about the lake can also be found on that webpage. In addition to the state park, there are other campgrounds located on other part of the lake. The ones of interest are those located in the southwest corner of the lake, which provide shore access to the lake. Glacier View Campground is the furthest west site with lake access. There is a primitive boat ramp at this site. This boat ramp is only viable for small boat and kayak.

Parking space and maneuverability is very limited at this launch so I would not advise launching a big boat here.  The path into the campground is unpaved about one mile out, so be prepared for a rocky and cautious drive near camp.

Parking is very limited there if you don’t have a campsite, especially for day use. The campsite here is also very popular, especially during fishing season and tend to also be booked well in advance, so if you want to guarantee a close by parking spot with a campsite, book as early as possible.

Otherwise, additional parking is available at the Hidden Lake Trailhead, which is about quarter of a mile out from the lake, or roughly an 18-minute walk with elevation. Day parking cost is $5 in 2022, bring cash since it is an envelope system for paying, and putting the end portion on the car dash board as proof of payment.

Another caution for this lake is the mosquitoes. The legend is true, the mosquitoes are numerous at this lake, particularly by the launch at the campground. They are quite ruthless, and will drive you insane. I was barely able to function being swamped by them. Mosquitos’ repellent is a necessity for this site, you’ll definitely be glad you have it. The reviews also state that this lake can get quite windy, but I did not encounter that condition during my visits to this lake this year.

Launch Site & Popular Fish Location

Being the first time going to this lake and also sockeye fishing, I researched extensively how to be successful to ensure I have a good shot at success. I’ll note the preparation and gears for this lake that I researched, and found to be effective at this lake for sockeye fishing. First is location, where to fish that is most effective at this lake. The most popular spots to target/troll for the fish are shown below.

The main area is on the west side of the lake, roughly around the mouth of the White River. If you’re not sure, you can always look for the fleet of boats trolling around to know where to go. It’s definitely crowed out there during fishing season. Since the most popular fishing areas are all on the west side of the lake, it is beneficial to launch near it to save you the journey over. Especially for kayakers or small boat, it can be a very timely and exhaustive workout to launch from the state park and make the four plus miles journey over to the fishing ground. The primitive boat launch site at Glacier View Campground offers the closest launch to the fishing ground. If you have a big boat however, it will be best to launch at the state park.

Since the road aren’t paved and narrow, it will also be a challenge driving in hauling the boat and trailer so that’s another reason to sticking with the state park boat launch for larger boat. Also be prepared to get there early to be able to get a parking spot. On my way in at sunrise, I already see cars and trailers parked on the outskirt of the state park. The rumors are true, this spot is definitely very popular during fishing season. Plan on coming early or even the night before to launch and park your boat on the bank to ensure a parking spot, especially on the weekend.  

Gears & Tackles

In terms of gears, trout and kokanee gears are great for Sockeye salmon fishing. It’s on the lighter side so you can really feel the fight. Salmon gear will also work, but they will be on the heavier side. I’ll provide the links to a rod and reel set up below.

Rod (Okuma Kokanee Black): https://amzn.to/3y8GIiX

Reel (Okuma Coldwater Low Profile): https://amzn.to/3rtbfnH

For my setup, I have on 30 lbs braid (color doesn’t matter since I use a leader), with a swivel attached. This is definitely overkill, but since it’s braided line and I’m trolling, using heavier main line is not a problem. This lake is a two-poles endorsed lake, so I will be running two rods to increase the odds. One rod I will use with the lake troller downrigger setup, the other uses a sliding weight rig. The fish are anywhere from top water down to about 40’ deep, so I’m using a 3oz weight on the slider rig to cover the higher portion of the water column.

From my research, the most popular setup for sockeye here is just two plain hooks behind a dodger.

I was a non-believer on the two bare red hooks setup, but it did prove effective out on the water. The key here is a short leader. The recommended length is between 8” ~ 12” inches. I have mine near the 8” side. The recommended hook size is 2/0, but I also had 1/0 ready in case they wanted a smaller presentation. I tried both just in case since I wasn’t sure. The 2/0 was the most effective for me. I used 10# leader line.  I also tided a small pink hoochie set up, similar to that for kokanee, as back up just in case.

2/0 Red Hooks: https://amzn.to/3TsCScO

1/0 Red Hooks: https://amzn.to/3gamm2y

For dodger, the popular size is a 0, but I saw people also use kokanee size dodger and were effective also. The Mack dodger shown in the image above is a popular option. It also has different configuration that you can attach the leader line on to spread the dodger either left or right if you’re trolling with multiple rods. This will help to reduce line tangle potential by spreading the gear out farther from each other. In terms of color, silver/chrome is the most popular, but I see a bunch of different colors out there so not sure how much it matters.

Mack Dodger (Silver): https://amzn.to/3MaRFq3

Other gear you will need is a knotless net since this is a selective gear fishery. I went out and brought the one below after my first trip since the small trout net I had definitely loss me a couple fish.

Knotless net: https://amzn.to/3TrjRaE

Techniques

Trolling is the most popular technique at Lake Wenatchee. That is actually the only method I saw folks using while out there. Similar to salmon trolling or trout lake trolling, it requires getting gears down to a specific depth to where the fish are. This is the perfect task for kayak fishing. I have a small downrigger set up that is able to drop 4lbs weight. I’m also able to troll comfortably up to 2.5 mph with the pedal, and since it is human powered, there is no worry about any combustion engine disturbance.

The key for sockeye is low speed trolling. As slow as you can go from my research. The targeted trolling speed is from 0.8mph to 1.2mph, which is perfect for kayak trolling. Once hooked, these fish put up a great fight. Since it is selective gears, barbless hook is required so the odds of losing fish is higher if you don’t maintain tension on the line.

When To Go

The season looks to start around early August and run until the end of the month. The best time for bites is in the morning at first light, follow by the evening before sunset. The next best time is any time you can get out on the water. Only way to find out if they’re biting or not is to have your line in the water. Probability might not be as high, but it’ll be higher than zero. With the run being strong this year, just getting out early in the season is key. The best dates are the when the lake just open, and it’ll start to slow down as the season progresses. I found that my second outing a bit into the season had much less hook up than on the first week.

Overview

Lake Wenatchee sockeye is a very fun fishery, especially near the opener. For my first time there, I went 2 for 6 in the span of 3 hours. That was with me getting on the water a bit after sunrise due to the delay from unfamiliar location and trying to set up while surrounded by the sea of mosquitoes. A slow trolling speed is the goal here, which is perfect for kayak fishing. Being able to launch right next to the fishing ground is very helpful as I was able to deploy gears almost immediately. Parking was a bit tricky, but I now know here to park without worries of getting towed. If you want a guaranteed spot, reserve a campground ahead of time, or be prepared to hike down from the parking lot. You can drive up to the ramp and unload your gear prior to finding parking, so no worries for transporting equipment from far away.

Mosquitos’ repellent is a necessity at this lake. They are relentless and can make the unloading/loading process at the beach very rough. I didn’t encounter any windy condition during both my visit this year so I don’t have too much comments on this. The heat during this month is pretty high in central Washington, so plan for morning or evening trip if you want to avoid the heat.

Lake Wenatchee is a selective gear fishery, which restrict what gears you can use here. This include using barbless hooks, knotless net, and not using bait. I highly recommend not using a trout river net if possible since the handle is too short, which makes landing the fish a lot more difficult.

The lake allows for two-pole fishing if you have the endorsement. Pretty helpful to get more gears out on the water and improve odds. The two bare red hooks rig works, and I had more success on that rig than the hoochie rig. Trolling a slow speed makes kayak fishing very comfortable, like a light continuous walk. Nothing like the going for coho were maintaining that 2.5-3.5mph troll speed can be pretty physically demanding.

I would definitely recommend giving sockeye fishing a try here at Lake Wenatchee if the season open up, especially if you can get out at the beginning of the season. The gears are relatively simple, and if you trolled for trout or kokanee before, you’re pretty much all set up for this. The fish is hard fighting and also very delicious. With a bag limit of four, it is certainly worth the two-to-two-and-a-half-hour drive over. The scenery alone going over the mountain passes and at Lake Wenatchee makes this trip worth it. Leavenworth is also a 30 minutes’ drive south from here if you want to swing by for some food and drinks.

I was fortunate to be able to get out during a record return year which definitely help the hook up rate. I hope the information in this blog provides a good foundation for you to get out and have success at lake Wenatchee. Check out my youtuber video linked below for more information and me out on the water. If you have any questions or comments, let me know if the video and I will try to answer them. Best of luck out on the water and until next time!