Fishing

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Newman Lake Fishing Information

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Twelve miles northeast of Spokane about a mile from the Idaho border, this year-round open season spot has something for everybody: largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, perch, catfish, plus an occasional eastern brook trout. In addition, Newman has been stocked with tiger muskies and provides an excellent trophy fishery for this elusive fish.

 Two-pole fishing is allowed

 Good for ice fishing

Shoreline access: Good – Anglers can fish from the fishing dock located at the WDFW Access. Shoreline fishing is also available on the north end of the lake at the McKenzie Conservation Area that offers both boat-in and hike-in access.

WDFW water access areas on this lake

Species you might catch

Lake information

County: Spokane
Acreage: 1099.10 ac.
Elevation: 2130 ft.
Center: 47.777189, -117.100543
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Fishing Prospects Calendar

Largemouth bass

Fishing improves throughout the spring as waters warm and fish move onshore, peaking during the spawn. Summer is a slight lull though dawn/dusk hours can be very good. Catch improves in Fall as waters cool, vegetation begins to die back, and prey becomes more available. Winter is the hardest time because fish are offshore and slow moving.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Yellow perch

Yellow Perch can be caught year-round. Fishing is best in the summer after they finish spawning in April-May. Fish can be readily angled through the summer from both the shore and boat. Catch begins to decline in the fall as water temperatures cool and fish move offshore forcing anglers to pursue them in boats. Successful fishing for Yellow Perch in the winter involves either targeting schools in deep water from boats or through the ice.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Black crappie

Fishing improves throughout the Spring, peaking during the spawn. Summer is a slight lull, while Fall sees an improvement as waters cool, vegetation dies back, and prey becomes more available. During winter, the bite is slower, but anglers can have great success fishing through the ice when conditions are safe.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Bluegill

Bluegill can be caught year-round, but fishing is best in the warm months of Summer. Fishing improves throughout the spring, peaking during the spawn in early-Summer. Fish move offshore into deeper waters through the fall as water temperatures cool making it more difficult to target them. Winter is the most difficult season in which to catch Bluegill, but persistent anglers can find them in schools of like-sized fish offshore.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Pumpkinseed Sunfish are ubiquitous in most lowland lakes and readily caught year-round. Fishing is best in the spring and summer, peaking during the spawn in June. Fish move offshore into deeper waters through the fall as water temperatures cool making it more difficult to target them. Winter is the most difficult season to catch Pumpkinseed, but persistent anglers can find nice-sized schools offshore.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Brown bullhead

Fishing improves throughout the spring, peaking before the spawning period in May and June. Fishing may pick up in early Fall, followed by a decrease in action as waters cool. Winter is a difficult time to target this species.

Chart of fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Electrofishing at Newman Lake with WDFW

While fisheries management may seem like guesswork to some, a lot science goes into managing sustainable and healthy fish populations. One way biologists do this is by conduct surveys. One of the most effective survey methods is electrofishing. Electrofishing directs electricity from a generator through electrodes into the water, where it momentarily stuns fish. They are gathered into a live well, examined, and released. Fish are not harmed and revive in minutes. Measurements and other data are gathered to determine age and the abundance of each fish species. This information guides the decision making process for local fisheries.
Electrofishing surveys are done at night when there is less chance of people swimming and because many fish move to shallow waters close to shore at night to feed. More information on electrofishing and fish surveys is at https://youtu.be/6JSj0207jE0.
WDFW warm water fisheries biologist Danny Garrett shows us a few of the fish collected while electrofishing Newman Lake in Spokane County recently.