For such a bustling suburb, Auburn is home to quite a few of King County’s better fishing lakes, several of which are stocked with rainbow trout every year. It also offers access to the salmon and steelhead that return to the Green River.
After we show you the best spots in and very close to Auburn, stick around a moment to check out links to similar articles about Federal Way, Kent, and other parts of the metropolitan area.
Five Mile Lake
Watch out for the annual trout stocking. That’s when this 35-acre lake just southwest of Auburn (in Lakeland South) will come alive with fish and anglers.
We’ve noticed that trout stockings here often happen around late April or into early May. The truck might drop in the neighborhood of 3,200 legal-sized hatchery rainbows.
Trout fishing should be great for at least a week and worthwhile for perhaps another few weeks before catch rates taper way off as anglers and warmer weather take their toll.
Especially in the warmer half of the year, you also have a chance to catch some of the lake’s residential species, such as largemouth bass and bluegill.
The lake, also known as Fivemile Lake, is most accessible at Five Mile Lake Park. It’s on South 366th Street near Military Road South.
Green River
King County’s major river flows through Auburn on its journey from the mountains to Puget Sound.
In reverse, runs of salmon and steelhead make their way up the Green River, passing through Auburn and other communities in the Greater Seattle Area.
Along the way, those fish (especially hatchery-reared ones) offer anglers a shot at landing some of the largest and tastiest freshwater fish in the region.
Read our Complete Guide to Fishing the Green River (Duwamish) for more information.
Lake Dolloff
Lake Dolloff, located west of Auburn in the Lakeland North residential area, offers seasonal trout fishing along with the opportunity to catch bass and other warmwater gamefish.
The 20-acre lake is typically planted a single time each spring, usually with more than 2,000 hatchery rainbow trout. Check the schedule and try to get to this lake within a week or two, as fishing for stocked trout in smaller waters tends to taper off quickly.
The lake is also a native habitat for cutthroat trout and supports nonnative largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, and other panfish and catfish.
The shoreline here is partially developed but also has lots of vegetation that will hold larger bass and other fish, along with some docks behind homes.
To get on the lake, head to the WDFW access off 36th Avenue South, which has a bit of bank fishing access as well as a launch to put a smaller boat on the lake.
Lake Geneva
If trout are on your mind, and it’s spring, this Lakeland South spot is one of the better Auburn-area places to catch them.
Although under 30 acres in size, Lake Geneva is usually stocked with an impressive 5,000-plus hatchery rainbow trout. That many fish will provide a hot bite for a week or two and probably worthwhile angling for a bit longer.
This lake, unlike many, is NOT open all year. The time to come is soon after the late April opener, when the aforementioned stocked trout are likely to already be getting hungry and ready to bite.
As the trout fishing fades going into late spring and early summer, you don’t have to stop fishing. Largemouth bass and panfish, such as bluegill, live in this lake year-round and are most active during the warmer half of the year.
Lake Geneva Park offers spots where you can fish from the shore. A gravel state boat launch nearby is the spot to hit if you have a small watercraft that will allow you to reach every acre of this suburban spot.
Just across 38th Avenue S, you’ll find Lake Killarney, another local fishing hole mentioned below.
Lake Holm
Located about 10-15 minutes east of Auburn, about halfway to Black Diamond, this small lake is routinely stocked with a fair number of hatchery rainbow trout once each spring.
At last check, the 20-acre lake was getting around 1,700 keepers in the late April/early May time frame.
Trout fishing should be quite good once it’s stocked, but catches will slow fairly quickly in the weeks after as anglers bring them home for dinner.
Warmer weather also slows trout fishing, but it will perk up the lake’s resident largemouth bass.
The lake, also known as Nielsen Lake, is located on SE Lake Holm Road. Access is somewhat limited at the south end, right along the road, so launching a small boat there is an excellent way to reach more fish.
Lake Killarney
Across the street from Lake Geneva, already mentioned above, this Lakeland South fishing spot is also stocked with hatchery rainbow trout each spring.
As we track stocking records, it seems the most common time frame for Lake Killarney to be stocked is in late April or early May. Plantings in recent years have been in the 2,500 range, which is a good number for an approximately 30-acre lake.
Other fish you might catch here include resident warm-water species such as largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, pumpkinseed sunfish, and brown bullhead catfish.
The main access is along 38th Avenue, just across 38th Avenue South from the Lake Geneva access. So you have an option to fish in either lake near that street.
That said, if you have a small watercraft, that could be a good idea. Access even for boats can get poor here as the drier weather comes and the lake’s level may recede.
Lake Tapps
This lake sprawls across northern Pierce County just south of Auburn, offering lots of water for bass and panfish and the somewhat rare opportunity to catch tiger muskies.
Lake Tapps is massive and full of islands, docks, and other fun places to fish.
However, being mostly quite shallow, much of the lake can disappear during annual drawdowns from fall to early spring.
We cover all of the lake’s fishing opportunities in our complete fishing guide.
More: Lake Tapps Fishing
Mill Pond
This is a super tiny pond (literally, only about an acre) set aside for kids and other anglers who can benefit from easy angling access.
The pond, at the southern end of Auburn in Mill Pond Park, is usually stocked with between several hundred and 1,000 trout in batches that may stretch from April into June, depending on the annual plan.
Besides young anglers, seniors and people with disabilities (and a designated companion harvester card) may fish here. Check with WDFW for details.
Lake Morton
Encircled by homes about 20 minutes east of Auburn, Lake Morton will usually see the most angling attention in the spring, when it’s typically stocked with quite a lot of hatchery rainbow trout.
We’ve seen stocking dates here as early as late March or into early April. The number of trout stocked can be 5,000 or more, which is a nice batch of fish for a 66-acre lake.
Lake Morton also home to some decent largemouth bass fishing, and fishing for them picks up in the spring and can be good in the summer and early fall as well.
There is a small amount of bank fishing at the WDFW access on the northwest end of the lake, but this is one of those spots where a kayak or other small watercraft set up for fishing will offer you a great advantage.
Lake Morton is 10 minutes southeast of Covington and only about 20 minutes driving from the Auburn and Kent areas.
Trout Lake
This small lake (large pond?) is located in the Lakeland South residential area just west of Auburn.
This quiet little residential lake is one to keep in mind during the spring when WDFW is likely to stock a couple of thousand trout here.
Recent checks of the state planting schedule suggest that late April, give or take a few weeks, is the most likely time for this once-yearly event.
Despite the name, Trout Lake doesn’t just have trout. Largemouth bass and several types of panfish take advantage of the docks and sometimes weedy shallows to hide and feed on smaller fish, insects and other prey. These species are also fun to catch and tend to bite best in the warmer months.
Access is not the easiest here. The action plan is to head straight to the WDFW public access on the southern shoreline, near the intersection of S. 376th Street and 44th Avenue South.
While you won’t have much room to cast from shore, bring a small boat, float tube, or other form of watercraft and get out on the water to fish the entire lake.
Washington Resources
WDFW Fishing and Stocking Reports
WDFW Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service forecasts