Baker Lake Fishing
A 4,755-acre Washington lake in Whatcom County.
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Baker Lake: what to know first
WDFW lists Baker Lake at 4,755 surface acres in Whatcom County. The water lies at roughly 703 feet of elevation. Allow about 28 miles of driving to Peaceful Valley, the nearest town. Management on record is trout-emphasis water. For WDFW purposes the county is in WDFW Region 4.
Its shoreline carries no launch in the access layers. WDFW names it in 5 Special Rules. Shore access, by WDFW: good.
WDFW Fish Washington lake layers on geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov (surface acres, elevation, management emphasis, shoreline access, species), USGS NHD outlines, Census 2023 places, retrieved October 31, 2026.
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The WDFW layers, records and plant report name these fish at Baker Lake.
WDFW Fish Washington species layers (presence, not abundance), WDFW records and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.
WDFW and park ramps on Baker Lake
Boaters heading for Baker Lake will find no ramp in the layers; check the closest ones below.
Second-choice ramps close to Baker Lake
- Vogler Lake boat launchVogler Lake, 13 miles southwest
- Baker River boat launchBaker River, 14 miles south
- Faber Ferry boat launch on Skagit RiverSkagit River, 15 miles south
WDFW Water Access Sites and Shore Fishing Sites layers (geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov) and the Washington State Parks boat launch layer, retrieved October 31, 2026. A Discover Pass is needed to park at WDFW access sites and State Parks launches.
Water level at Baker Lake
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Lake At Upper Baker Dam Near Concrete, Wa | 711.46 ft lake elevation | Nov 2 6:00 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 2, 2026 7:32 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.
USACE Northwestern Division water management data, UBK.Elev-Forebay.Inst.1Hour.0.GOES-REV, reading for October 31, 2026 PST, retrieved October 31, 2026; series datum not stated. Provisional.
Readings for Baker Lake are provisional until the agency reviews them.
Taking fish home from Baker Lake
| Species | Daily limit and size | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only largemouth bass less than 12" may be retained, except 1 over 17" may be retained. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Smallmouth Bass | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Only 1 smallmouth bass over 14" may be retained. Daily limit 10. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Walleye | Min. size 12" in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Daily limit 8. Only 1 over 22" may be retained. May be caught, retained, and released alive from a livewell until daily limit is in possession. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Channel Catfish | No min. size in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Burbot (Freshwater Ling) | No min. size. Daily limit 5. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Crappie, Northern Pikeminnow, Peamouth Chub, Perch, Suckers, Sunfish, | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 |
| Grass Carp | Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules. | Closed |
| Kokanee | No min. size. Daily limit 10. When fishing with bait, all kokanee that are lawful to possess and are equal to or greater than the minimum size are counted as part of the daily limit whether kept or released. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Tiger Muskellunge (Tiger Muskie) | Min. size 50". Daily limit 1. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Whitefish | No min. size. Daily limit 15. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Steelhead | Release all wild steelhead. Min. size 20". Daily limit 2. Open during salmon or game fish seasons unless as otherwise listed. | Open during salmon or game fish seasons unless as otherwise listed |
| Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Golden Trout, Tiger Trout | In lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: No min. size. Daily limit 5. | Year-round (statewide lake season, p.23) |
| Trout (combined rivers and lakes same day) | The combined daily limit for an angler that fishes in both rivers and lakes on the same day is 5 trout, no more than 2 may be from rivers. | see the pamphlet |
| Lake Trout | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Eastern Brook Trout (EBT) | No min. size. No daily limit. | Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: year-round; rivers, streams and beaver ponds: Sat. before Memorial Day through Oct. 31 (p.23 general rule for |
| Dolly Varden/Bull Trout | Closed unless otherwise listed in Special Rules. | Closed |
For Baker Lake, read the statewide rows first and then the water-specific lines.
Water-specific rules for Baker Lake
| Water as printed | Species | Rule and season |
|---|---|---|
| Baker Lake: CRC (825) | All species | Chumming permitted. |
| Baker Lake: CRC (825) | Kokanee | Min. size 8". Max. size 12". Daily limit 10. (4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31) |
| Baker Lake: CRC (825) | Other game fish | Statewide min. size/daily limit. (4th Sat. in Apr.-Oct. 31) |
| Baker Lake: CRC (825) | Salmon | Min. size 12". Daily limit 4 sockeye. Release all salmon other than sockeye. Each angler aboard a vessel may deploy salmon angling gear until the salmon limit for all anglers aboard has been achieved. (July 11-Aug. 31) |
| Baker Lake: 200' radius around pump discharge at the south end of lake | All species | CLOSED WATERS. |
Special Rules as printed in the 2026-2027 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (WDFW pamphlet, in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), pamphlet page 80 (pamphlet PDF), read on eRegulations October 31, 2026.
Anglers 16 and older need a Washington Freshwater license ($39.95 resident, $115.85 nonresident for 2026-27) or a Combination license; salmon, steelhead and sturgeon also take a catch record card.
Limits and seasons as printed in the 2026-2027 Washington Sport Fishing Rules (WDFW pamphlet, in effect July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), PDF page 27 (pamphlet PDF; eRegulations statewide freshwater page), read October 31, 2026.
Where Baker Lake ranks among nearby water
Of the five closest Washington lakes with pages, Lake Shannon has the most surface water at 2,060 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Elevation | Launches | 2026 plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Lake | 4,755 | 703 ft | 0 | 0 | |
| Depression Lake | 6 miles southwest | 41 | 699 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Hayes Lake (Whatcom County) | 10 miles northwest | 12 | 4,782 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Arbuthnot Lake | 10 miles northwest | 6.9 | 4,770 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Lake Shannon | 12 miles southwest | 2,060 | 407 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Vogler Lake | 13 miles southwest | 15 | 1,067 ft | 1 | 1 |
WDFW Fish Washington lake layers, access layers and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.
Just past Baker Lake
Other lakes in the Baker Lake area
- Depression Lake6 miles southwest
- Hayes Lake (Whatcom County)10 miles northwest
- Arbuthnot Lake10 miles northwest
- Lake Shannon12 miles southwest
- Vogler Lake13 miles southwest
Grabbing bait and leader on the way to Baker Lake
- Barlean's Fisherybait and tackle shop, Bellingham
- Dick's Sporting Goods Bellinghamsporting goods store, Bellingham
- Fat Fish Tackle Co.bait and tackle shop, Bellingham
- Harbor Marine Fuelmarina, Bellingham
- Hilton Harbor Marinamarina, Bellingham
- Norm's Bait & Tacklebait and tackle shop, Bellingham
Overnight bases close to Baker Lake
- Peaceful Valley28 miles
- Sedro-Woolley31 miles
- Darrington32 miles
Counties that touch Baker Lake
- Whatcom Countyseat: Bellingham
Rods and reels from Piscifun ahead of a trip to Baker Lake
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Fish worth recognising before a day at Baker Lake
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Olympic National Park, Public domain
Photo: Oregon State University, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: USFWS – Pacific Region, Public domain
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Baker Lake questions with short answers
Which Washington town is closest to Baker Lake?
WDFW maps it in Whatcom County, about 28 miles from Peaceful Valley.
What acreage is on file for Baker Lake?
WDFW lists 4,755 acres.
Does Baker Lake have a public ramp in the WDFW or State Parks layers?
The layers show no launch here.
What can a Washington angler expect to hook in Baker Lake?
Expect kokanee and rainbow trout at the top of the WDFW list.
Which 2026-27 Washington rules apply on Baker Lake?
Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Golden Trout, Tiger Trout: In lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: No min. size. Daily limit 5.; Year-round (statewide lake season, p.23). The pamphlet also prints Special Rules for this lake; see the limits band.
Which WDFW license do I carry on Baker Lake?
Anglers 16 and older need a Washington Freshwater license ($39.95 resident, $115.85 nonresident for 2026-27) or a Combination license; salmon, steelhead and sturgeon also take a catch record card.
Is Baker Lake on the 2026 plant report?
The 2026 plant report lists no plant for it through late October.
Where can I pick up PowerBait and leader before Baker Lake?
Try Barlean's Fishery in the same county for bait and tackle.
What is the water level at Baker Lake today?
USGS reports it; the value is in the level band.
Pencil in a weekend on Baker Lake
Read the Special Rules, then pick the ramp nearest your spot.