Lake Campbell fishing: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish

Target species: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Oct for Cutthroat Trout
Second window: Apr, May, Jun, Oct for Rainbow Trout
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Lake Campbell, 1 lane.

The lake

Lake Campbell covers 395 acres in Washington, across Skagit County. It is a lake: 92.9% of it is 13 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 15 feet (4.6 m). Our records hold 9 species for this water.

Anacortes, WA - Island in Lake Campbell from Mount Erie.jpg
Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Stocking: 652,263 fish, 1996–2026

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife records list 652,263 fish released into this water from 1996 to 2026.

Lake Campbell (20062827274).jpg
David Hepworth from Bartlesville, USA · CC BY 2.0
  • Channel Catfish: 32,305 in 1998–2026

3 more species on the stocking list.

Fidalgo Island 32034.JPG
Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY 2.5

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 15 ft (4.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92.9% of the water is 13 feet or shallower. We hold 32 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–1 ft: 8.2% of the water
  • 1–2 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 2–3 ft: 6% of the water
  • 3–4 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 4–5 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 5–6 ft: 7% of the water
  • 6–7 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 7–8 ft: 7.4% of the water
  • 8–9 ft: 9.4% of the water
  • 9–10 ft: 10.9% of the water
  • 10–11 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 11–13 ft: 11% of the water
  • 13–14 ft: 7.1% of the water

4 target fish, led by Cutthroat Trout

  • Cutthroat Trout — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Oct.
  • Rainbow Trout — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Oct.
  • Channel Catfish — Best months: Jul.
  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

Also recorded here: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead.

Water and conditions

Water temperature averages 51°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 36°F and the warmest is 91°F; the warmest monthly average is 71°F. pH averages 7.8. These readings span 2016–2025.

Monthly average water temperature: Jan 42°F · Feb 41°F · Mar 46°F · Apr 53°F · May 60°F · Jun 65°F · Jul 71°F · Aug 69°F · Sep 68°F · Oct 52°F · Nov 48°F · Dec 43°F

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • Lake Campbell — 1 lane, restrooms. WDFW.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Season by season

  • Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, 41–46°F) — Steady but no peak: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout.
  • Spring (Apr, May, 53–60°F) — Biting: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout.
  • Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, 65–71°F) — Biting: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass.
  • Fall (Oct, Nov, 48–52°F) — Biting: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout.

What is hard here

With 92.9% of the water 13 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Winter water drops to 41°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.

Where this data comes from

  • Washington State Department of Ecology — Washington State Department of Ecology: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.