Blanca

After battling your way up 37 switchbacks and passing the small and fishless Virgin Lake you will drop 500 feet to stunning Blanca Lake. The beautiful turquoise water is colored by silt from the Columbia Glacier. The lake is 250 feet deep and has few shallows. That means that there is little food for the naturally reproducing population of Rainbow Trout that inhabit the lake. The fish are slow growing and not large, but the scenery more than makes up for that.

Getting here:

Follow Hwy 2 past Skykomish to the Beckler Road 65. Drive 15 miles to Forest Service Road 63. turn right and follow it 1.8 miles to the entrance for the Blanca Lake Trailhead.

Species you might catch

Lake information

County: Snohomish
Acreage: 160.10 ac.
Elevation: 3976 ft.
TRS: T28R11E SEC1
Center: 47.940573, -121.34106
Open in Google Maps

Find high lakes

View larger map

Fishing resources

Fish stocking info
Release Location: BLANCA LK (SNOH)
Stock Date Species Number Released Number of Fish Per Pound Facility
Aug 1, 2006 Rainbow 4,500 550 ARLINGTON HATCHERY
Aug 16, 2002 Rainbow 4,000 385 ARLINGTON HATCHERY
Sep 29, 1998 Rainbow 4,510 205 ARLINGTON HATCHERY
Visit the Catchable Trout Plants page for a more detailed search of trout plants in other bodies of water. To view and download the source data for this table visit the WDFW Fish Plants dataset on data.wa.gov.

Fishing prospects calendar

Rainbow trout

Fishing success for Rainbow Trout is generally best in the spring when thousands of fish are stocked statewide, but they can be caught year-round in most waters with a little patience and persistence. Success remains high into June and gradually declines as water temperatures increase and fish move offshore to stay cool. Fish that escaped the spring harvest return to the nearshore areas in the fall as waters cool off. Some waters may also be stocked again in the fall further boosting catch rates.
Chart showing fishing prospects throughout the calendar year

Photos
Blanca
Photo by WDFW