Lake Tapps Fishing
A 2,433-acre Washington lake in Pierce County.
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Lake Tapps: what to know first
WDFW lists Lake Tapps at 2,433 surface acres in Pierce County. The water lies at roughly 546 feet of elevation. Allow about 1 mile of driving to Bonney Lake, the nearest town. Management on record is warmwater-emphasis water. For WDFW purposes the county is in WDFW Region 6.
Its shoreline carries no launch in the access layers. WDFW names it in 1 Special Rule. Hatchery crews have put in 1 trout plant during 2026. 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 Lake Tapps.
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 Lake Tapps
Boaters heading for Lake Tapps will find no ramp in the layers; check the closest ones below.
Second-choice ramps close to Lake Tapps
- Bonney Lake boat launchBonney Lake, 2 miles southwest
- Weiss boat launch on Puyallup RiverPuyallup River, 5 miles southwest
- Lake Holm boat launchHolm Lake, 6 miles north
- Lake Geneva boat launchLake Geneva, 8 miles northwest
- Lake Killarney boat launchLake Killarney, 8 miles northwest
- Lake Morton boat launchLake Morton, 9 miles northeast
Bank and pier spots near Lake Tapps
- Sumner Sportsmen's on Puyallup RiverPuyallup River, 4 miles
- Soos Creek Drift on Green RiverGreen River, 6 miles
- Redondo Pierfishing pier, Marine Area 11, 12 miles
- Dash Point Park Pier on Commencement BayCommencement Bay, 14 miles
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 Lake Tapps
| USGS gauge | Latest reading | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Tapps Near Sumner, Wa | 539.40 ft gage height, 538.90 ft lake elevation | Nov 2 7:30 pm |
US Geological Survey provisional data, retrieved Nov 2, 2026 8:33 pm ET. Provisional readings can be revised.
Readings for Lake Tapps are provisional until the agency reviews them.
2026 stocking at Lake Tapps
The 2026 plant report lists 1 release for Lake Tapps (15,000 fish), latest at the top.
- Lake TAPPSRainbow, 15,000 fish at 2.5 per pound, February 20, 2026, Puyallup Hatchery
WDFW Trout Plants report (rows January 2 to October 27, 2026), read October 31, 2026.
Taking fish home from Lake Tapps
| 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 Lake Tapps, read the statewide rows first and then the water-specific lines.
Water-specific rules for Lake Tapps
| Water as printed | Species | Rule and season |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Tapps: and intake canal (open area includes intake canal to within 400' of screen at Dingle Basin) | All game fish | Statewide min. size/daily limit. (Year-round) |
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 89 (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 Lake Tapps ranks among nearby water
Of the five closest Washington lakes with pages, Fivemile Lake has the most surface water at 36 acres.
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Elevation | Launches | 2026 plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Tapps | 2,433 | 546 ft | 0 | 1 | |
| Bonney Lake | 2 miles southwest | 17 | 608 ft | 1 | 1 |
| Trout Lake (King County) near Lakeland South | 6 miles northwest | 16 | 329 ft | 0 | 0 |
| Holm Lake | 6 miles north | 20 | 401 ft | 1 | 1 |
| Lake Bradley | 7 miles southwest | 9 | 439 ft | 0 | 6 |
| Fivemile Lake | 7 miles northwest | 36 | 377 ft | 0 | 1 |
WDFW Fish Washington lake layers, access layers and the 2026 trout plant report; retrieved October 31, 2026.
Just past Lake Tapps
Other lakes in the Lake Tapps area
- Bonney Lake2 miles southwest
- Trout Lake (King County) near Lakeland South6 miles northwest
- Holm Lake6 miles north
- Lake Bradley7 miles southwest
- Fivemile Lake7 miles northwest
Grabbing bait and leader on the way to Lake Tapps
- Sportsman's Warehouse Puyallupsporting goods store, Puyallup, 7 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Puyallupsporting goods store, Puyallup, 7 miles
- Sportsman's Warehouse Federal Waysporting goods store, Federal Way, 9 miles
- Bass Pro Shops Tacomasporting goods store, Tacoma, 14 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Tacomasporting goods store, Tacoma, 14 miles
- Dick's Sporting Goods Tukwilasporting goods store, Tukwila, 17 miles
Guides and charters for Lake Tapps
- Mount Rainier Flyreel Workscharter, Buckley, (360) 829-3691
- Wild Rivers Guided Fishing Tripscharter, Orting, (253) 222-6886
Overnight bases close to Lake Tapps
- Bonney Lake1 mile
- Lake Tapps1 mile
- Sumner3 miles
Counties that touch Lake Tapps
- Pierce Countyseat: Tacoma
Rods and reels from Piscifun ahead of a trip to Lake Tapps
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Fish worth recognising before a day at Lake Tapps
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: Heath Alseike, CC BY 2.0
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, Public domain
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY 2.0
Lake Tapps questions with short answers
Which Washington town is closest to Lake Tapps?
WDFW maps it in Pierce County, about 1 mile from Bonney Lake.
What acreage is on file for Lake Tapps?
WDFW lists 2,433 acres.
Does Lake Tapps 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 Lake Tapps?
Expect largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, tiger muskie, yellow perch, black crappie and rainbow trout at the top of the WDFW list.
Which 2026-27 Washington rules apply on Lake Tapps?
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 Lake Tapps?
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 Lake Tapps on the 2026 plant report?
Yes; the newest plant on file is Rainbow, 15,000 fish at 2.5 per pound, February 20, 2026, Puyallup Hatchery.
Where can I pick up PowerBait and leader before Lake Tapps?
Try Sportsman's Warehouse Puyallup, about 7 miles away for bait and tackle.
What is the water level at Lake Tapps today?
USGS reports it; the value is in the level band.
Pencil in a weekend on Lake Tapps
Read the Special Rules, then pick the ramp nearest your spot.