Interstate 90: A guide to plenty of fishing fun from Seattle to the Washington-Idaho border
Story originally published in the Northwest Sportsman Magazine’s May issue
Our highways and byways crisscross and zigzag all across Washington with many hidden fishing gems found along every turn of the road!
In the first of this three-part series, we’ll take the five-hour drive across Interstate 90 — the longest stretch of freeway in our state spanning nearly 298 miles — from downtown Seattle all the way to the Washington-Idaho border.
This journey bookends the state’s two largest cities, Seattle and Spokane, crosses one of the busiest Cascade mountains passes through lush green forests, arid desert and canyon-like landscapes, and the high plains and farmlands of the Columbia Plateau. What you’ll find in between is a myriad of fishing choices to suit the needs of just about every angler. While fishing is high on the travel memo, we’re also adding in plenty of exciting non-fishing stops along the way too!
LAKE WASHINGTON
Fishing dates: Open year-round.
Fish species: Cutthroat and rainbow trout, brown bullhead, smallmouth and largemouth bass, black crappie, and yellow perch. You can also find many other fish species that inhabit the lake.
Where to fish: Separating Seattle and Bellevue, the lake covering more than 22,000 acres, offers a diverse selection of fish to catch with ample public shoreline access to piers and boat launch facilities.
“Lake Washington is home to a wide variety of fish species,” said Aaron Bosworth, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologist. “Yellow perch are abundant and can be caught from one of the many public docks and shoreline parks around the lake. Other fish species caught in the summer months include black crappie, bass (smallmouth, largemouth, and rock bass), cutthroat trout, brown bullhead, peamouth chub, largescale sucker, common carp, American shad, and the northern pike minnow.”
The shoreline on both sides of Mercer Island, and from Enatai/Newport Shores south to Renton are a smallmouth bass haven where you’ll often see sleek bass boats staged up. The shoreline all around Seward Park and north to Mount Baker, Leschi, Madison Park and the Magnuson Park areas are yellow perch hot spots. Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island and Gene Coulon Park in Renton have ample docks to cast for fish. Marsh Island and Foster Island along the Arboretum Waterfront Trail is a decent area for warmwater fish species including brown bullhead, bass and crappie.
The lake has around 29 public fishing piers and refer to the WDFW’s website for a detailed list.
Trolling near the Interstate 90 and 520 bridges are the best places for cutthroat trout. Later in the fall, anglers north of the 520 Bridge can fish for coho salmon by trolling the deeper areas (Webster Point, Hunts Point, Evergreen Point, and Arrowhead Point) and make sure to check the regulations for season dates.
Boat anglers have better access some of the larger smallmouth bass, yellow perch, crappie, and bullhead inhabiting deeper areas of the lake that are further from shore. Finally, large numbers of American shad inhabit deep areas of the lake, although few (if any) anglers have succeeded at catching this new species of fish.
Fishing is best for cutthroat trout from April through October; smallmouth bass from May through September; and yellow perch from April through October. Anglers should check the WDFW regulation pamphlet for specific rules including daily limits and size restrictions.
YAKIMA RIVER
Fishing dates: Open year-round.
Fish species: Rainbow trout.
Where to fish: The Yakima River is a famed blue-ribbon catch-and-release trout fly-fishery and can be seen within sight of vehicles zipping along Interstate 90. While the majority of anglers will float in pontoons, rafts or drift boats, there are numerous public-access points for bank anglers. A popular fishing section is known by locals as the “Farmland Stretch” and twists and turns from Thorp downstream to the Yakima River Canyon south of Ellensburg. The upper canyon stretch is best in spring and fall, while the Ellensburg area is more accessible with the prime fishing occurring from July through September. Bigger fish can be found in the lower canyon and opportunities are good in spring and fall. Trout measuring up to 20 inches or more feed on grasshoppers and stoneflies that reside on the surface, and fly-anglers do well using gaudy imitations of those insects. During low water flows in the summer, anglers will switch it up and cast dry flies.
UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER
Fishing dates: July through mid-August.
Fish species: Sockeye. Summer Chinook is dependent on in-season assessments.
Where to fish: The salmon fishery stretches from Priest Rapids Dam below Wenatchee upriver to Brewster Pool. Sockeye are the bread and butter of summer fisheries on the mainstem Upper Columbia. Water levels, flows and temperatures between each dam affect how the fish bite and their movement patterns. The summer Chinook fishery will be managed in-season — keep tabs on the WDFW emergency fishing rules webpage for updates in July — and if it happens some good locations are off the mouth of the Entiat River in the Columbia, Rocky Reach area, Chelan Falls/Beebe Bridge area and below Wells Dam. The best salmon fishing usually occurs right before daybreak and through the morning hours. The action dips as the sun rises and the temperatures soar by late morning then picks up later in the evenings just before sunset.
The 2026 sockeye forecast destined for the Okanogan River is 184,000 and up from a 2025 actual return of 101,511 and down from a forecast of 248,000. The 2026 summer Chinook forecast is 41,000 and up from a 2025 forecast of 38,000 and down from an actual return of 43,642.
The salmon fishing seasons for the Upper Columbia River should be announced sometime in mid-June but usually begins in early July depending on the river section. For a list of 2026–2027 proposed salmon fisheries, refer to the WDFW North of Falcon webpage.
SPRAGUE LAKE
Fish species: Rainbow trout, Lahontan cutthroat trout, largemouth bass and a broad range of other fish species.
Fishing dates: Open year-round.
Where to fish: This 1,860-acre lake is located two miles west of the city of Sprague and borders the south side of Interstate 90 off Exit 245 between Adams and Lincoln counties.
“Sprague Lake is a good mixed stock species fishery,” said Michael Schmuck, a WDFW biologist. “Bluegill fishing is often good throughout spring and summer. Largemouth bass (in the 2- to 5-pound range) and black crappie can be found from April through June, and year-round for channel catfish.”
It is not uncommon to catch rainbow trout up to 22 inches. The 2026 stocking plan shows 14,000 rainbow trout categorized as “put, grow and take” — reared in hatcheries and 2.6 to 10 fish per pound in size — stocked in 2025. The fish who survived through the winter should now average 8- to 12-inches. Sprague received 181,358 rainbow trout fry/fingerling in March and May of 2025 and should be in the catchable size range (eight- to 12-inches). Sprague has received plants of channel catfish several times in recent years.
CLEAR, NEWMAN AND LIBERTY LAKES
Fishing dates: Clear Lake, 375 acres, located just north of Interstate 90 and west of Cheney is a seasonal lake open from late April through Oct. 31; Newman Lake, 1,099 acres, located north of Interstate 90 and about one mile west the Spokane/Idaho border is open year-round; and Liberty Lake, 711 acres, located south of Interstate 90 and near the Spokane/Idaho border is a seasonal lake open from late April through Oct. 31.
Fish species: Depending on the three lakes, each hosts an array of fish species including rainbow, brown, brook, and tiger trout; largemouth and smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, tiger muskie, and pumpkin seed sunfish.
Where to fish: “Clear has a fairly robust trout population (rainbow, brown, and tiger trout) as well as largemouth bass and some black crappie,” said Randy Osborne, a WDFW biologist. “Liberty Lake fishes fairly well, which has a population of rainbow, brown, and some brook trout, and a good fishery for largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, and a few black crappie.”
Clear was stocked in 2026 with 11,000 catchable-size rainbow trout; 16,000 put, grow, and take rainbow trout; 950, jumbo size rainbow trout measuring 14 inches or longer; and 46,000 fingerling rainbow trout. Liberty was stocked in 2026 with 4,000 catchable-size rainbow trout; 350, jumbo size rainbow trout measuring 14 inches or longer; and 40,000 fingerling rainbow trout.
Newman is one of top eastside lakes managed for warmwater fish (no trout are stocked), which has a healthy population of largemouth bass and a few smallmouth bass. The lake has a decent tiger muskie population and is an excellent trophy fishery for these elusive fish. Newman has a smattering of black crappie, yellow perch, bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish.
Extra fishing stops along the way
In Elliott Bay — located within a birds-eye view of downtown Seattle — the Seacrest Pier in West Seattle usually picks up for salmon by mid-summer and fall (the front end of the squid migration begins to show up by early-September commencing the jigging festivities) and is open year-round to fishing. The inner-Elliott Bay salmon fishery could open in early-August with dates to be determined, and anglers should check on the WDFW website for in-season updates.
In the surrounding areas of the City of Issaquah are Lake Sammamish, Pine Lake and Rattlesnake, which can provide good fishing at times for a mix of fish species. East of the Cascade Mountains, look for a mix of fish species at the Potholes Reservoir, Moses Lake, Banks Lake, Medical Lake, Lake Chelan. There are many other lakes open to fishing both seasonally and year-round and refer to the WDFW lowland lakes webpage for details.
The Wenatchee Lake 2026 sockeye forecast is 85,200 and is well above the spawning escapement objective of 23,000 at Tumwater Dam. If the spawning objective is met there is a possibility for another late-summer sport fishery, usually starts in late July or early August, in the lake.
Destinations along the way
· Washington State Parks: Make it a combo outing by spending some time camping, hiking, sightseeing or simply strolling in the Snoqualmie National Forest and Alpine Lakes Wilderness, which hosts several state parks and campgrounds; Iron Horse State Park/John Wayne Pioneer trail; Lake Easton State Park; Steamboat Rock State Park; Riverside State Park; and Gingko Petrified Forest State Park.
· WDFW-managed lands: More than one million acres of wildlife area lands can be found throughout the state. To find them go to the WDFW Wildlife areas webpage. WDFW also manages hundreds of water access sites throughout Washington, providing recreational access to the state’s lakes, rivers, and marine waters. To find water access areas, go to WDFW water access webpage.
Before you go
· Washingtonians will need a valid 2026–2027 recreational fishing license. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) offers two mobile apps, and both apps are designed to make your outdoor experience easier and more efficient. MyWDFW serves both hunters and anglers, offering electronic tagging, harvest reporting, and access to licenses and permits. Fish Washington® is tailored for anglers, providing fishing regulations, digital catch cards, and license management. Licenses may be purchased online or from hundreds of license dealers across the state.
· Remember, before heading out the door to any fishing spot, check WDFW’s fishing regulations webpage for permanent regulations and the WDFW emergency fishing rules webpage for rule updates affecting fisheries.
· Anglers parking at WDFW vehicle water-access areas are required to display the WDFW Vehicle Access Pass — provided when you buy eligible annual fishing licenses — or a Discover Pass. Anglers visiting Washington State Parks or Department of Natural Resources lands need a Discover Pass. Information on parking passes can be found at WDFW’s parking and access passes webpage.
In part two of the June magazine, we’ll look at fishing trips and roadside stops up and down Interstate 5 from Vancouver, Washington to U.S./Canadian border.
In part three of the July magazine, we’ll follow Highway 101 from Olympia north to Port Angeles, west to Neah Bay and then south along the coast to the Astoria-Megler Bridge at the mouth of the Lower Columbia River.
(Mark Yuasa is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Communications Manager. He also was the outdoor reporter at The Seattle Times for 28 years.)
