Lake Tapps Fishing Guides
A managed twenty-seven-hundred-acre Puget Sound reservoir with clear water, deep rock structure and one of the better smallmouth fisheries west of the Cascades.
Guides on the Lake Tapps
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About the Lake Tapps
Lake Tapps is a constructed reservoir rather than a natural lake, formed early in the twentieth century when a group of small lakes and wetlands on the terrace above the White River were flooded together for hydropower. The result is an unusual body of water: roughly twenty-seven hundred acres of irregular shoreline with long fingers, submerged roadbeds, old dikes and abrupt rock edges, all of it within easy reach of Tacoma and the south Puget Sound suburbs. The water is clear by western Washington standards and the structure is far more varied than a natural lowland lake would offer.
Smallmouth bass are the fishery that distinguishes it. West of the Cascades good smallmouth water is not common, and Tapps has plenty of the rock, gravel and hard structure they need. Largemouth hold in the weedier arms and around the extensive residential dock structure. Rainbow trout are stocked and provide a spring fishery, kokanee are present, and the yellow perch population is large enough to support a real winter and early-spring fishery. It is very much a suburban lake, heavily developed around the shoreline, and summer recreational boating is intense.
The critical thing to understand about Tapps is that its level is managed, and it changes by a lot. The reservoir is drawn down through the cooler months and refilled for the summer recreation season, and the difference is enough to leave ramps unusable and to completely rearrange the shallow structure. That is exactly what this gauge is for: it reports reservoir elevation rather than water temperature, and checking it before hauling a boat is not optional here in the way it might be on a natural lake. Shoreline access is almost entirely private, so this is a boat fishery in practice, and anglers without a trailer should plan around the handful of public ramps rather than expecting to find bank water.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Tapps.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.03 ft → steady
- Storage41,500 acre-ft
Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 12101000, LAKE TAPPS NEAR SUMNER, WA. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
North Tapps boat launch off Kelly Road - a primary public ramp with trailer parking.
Allan Yorke Park in Bonney Lake - developed park access with a ramp, swimming and parking.
Lake Tapps County Park on the west shore - day-use access, shoreline and small-craft launching.
Dieringer boat launch near the north end - secondary ramp used at higher water.
West Tapps Highway pull-offs - limited bank access along the western shoreline.
Inlet Island area near the diversion - deeper water access at the north end.
Sumner and Buckley approaches on Highway 410 - the main routes in for trailered boats.
Seasons
Spring: the reservoir refills, stocked rainbows fish well near the surface, and perch move shallow ahead of the crowds.
Summer: prime smallmouth fishing on the rock structure, but heavy recreational boating pushes trips to early morning and evening.
Fall: excellent bass fishing as the traffic clears, with fish holding tight to the rock and the old submerged edges.
Winter: drawdown reduces access and rearranges the shallows, leaving perch the most reliable target from the water that remains.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lake Tapps?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Kokanee Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch on the Lake Tapps in Washington.
Where can you access the Lake Tapps?
North Tapps boat launch off Kelly Road - a primary public ramp with trailer parking. Allan Yorke Park in Bonney Lake - developed park access with a ramp, swimming and parking. Lake Tapps County Park on the west shore - day-use access, shoreline and small-craft launching. Dieringer boat launch near the north end - secondary ramp used at higher water. West Tapps Highway pull-offs - limited bank access along the western shoreline. Inlet Island area near the diversion - deeper water access at the north end. Sumner and Buckley approaches on Highway 410 - the main routes in for trailered boats.
When is the best time to fish the Lake Tapps?
Spring: the reservoir refills, stocked rainbows fish well near the surface, and perch move shallow ahead of the crowds. Summer: prime smallmouth fishing on the rock structure, but heavy recreational boating pushes trips to early morning and evening. Fall: excellent bass fishing as the traffic clears, with fish holding tight to the rock and the old submerged edges. Winter: drawdown reduces access and rearranges the shallows, leaving perch the most reliable target from the water that remains.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Tapps?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Washington agency site: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations