The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is in the midst of stocking a single lake with 72,000 trout.
WDFW has been delivering catchable rainbow trout to Mayfield Lake since April and will wrap up the 2025 stocking schedule next month in August. In doing so, this Cowlitz River reservoir will be stocked with more legal-sized rainbow trout than any other lake in Washington state.
Mayfield Lake also is one of the more-accessible lakes for many Western Washington anglers. It is in the low Cascade Mountain hills along U.S. 12 just 25 minutes east of Interstate 5 in Lewis County. That puts it only about an hour from Olympia and two hours or less from Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver.
Mayfield Lake, a.k.a. Mayfield Reservoir, is a medium-sized reservoir at about 2,200 surface acres. It also has plenty of amenities, including a state park and private resorts for those looking to stay overnight. There are several boat ramps or shore access points.
Bait fishing is a popular approach, especially for bank anglers. Nightcrawlers, PowerBait, salmon eggs, and other favorite baits will do the job here.
Boat anglers can also fish with baits but also often turn to trolling with lures or baits, often behind some sort of flashy attractor.
Mayfield Lake also is one of Western Washington’s few locations stocked with tiger muskies, which are fierce and can be quite large. Bass and other fish also inhabit the lake. Read our full angling guide to Mayfield Lake for details.
Also on our free website, check out the best trout fishing lakes across in Washington as well as our Simple Guide to Trout Fishing.