Note: this is from a trip in June 2024 so far. So your experience may vary.

Fishing and Hiking Lake 22

Next door neighbors to Heather Lake, Lake 22 is a roughly 5.4 mile hike that is a quick drive from Redmond. Hidden waterfalls line a trail that lead to a sprawling vista of a shallow lake before a stunning mountain backdrop. It took us about 4 hours for the hiking itself, and we spent about an hour at the lake.

About the Hike

For the most part, the trail meanders through a brushy forest where you’ll get views of a few waterfalls through the trees. Most of these waterfalls would be pretty impressive I think if there were less overgrown branches… Some of the trail is pretty wet and many of the steps are somewhat degraded, so I’d recommend bringing a sturdy pair of hiking boots.

At some point in the hike, you’ll hit a boulder field, where the lack of shade is a blessing in disguise — behind you, you’ll see a nice view of a few mountains in the distance. The rocks here can be a little tricky to walk on, and can take some hopping around.

Eventually, you’ll return to the forest, where a quick saunter will take you to Lake 22. There are a couple of small waterfalls that frame the back of the lake.

In general, there is a fair amount of elevation gain, but the hike is pretty short so I’d rate it as an easy to intermediate hike. I saw a couple of kids make it up, so it might be family friendly to a degree.

About the Fishing

The lake here is a bit deeper than nearby Heather Lake, but not that much deeper. There’s a few deeper spots at the end of the lake by a boulder field that might be worth concentrating energy in.

While I was here, I saw many trout jumping. However, they were all far beyond casting distance at the lake — I could not get an 1/8 oz Kastmaster anywhere close. Given the depth of this lake and where these fish were feeding, it seems like a float tube could be really useful.

Notes

Parking at the trailhead requires an annual Northwest Forest Pass or a Forest Day Pass.

Recommended Fishing Gear

For the trout:

Acme Kastmaster, 1/8 oz

One of my favorite lures for trout fishing, very useful for covering a lot of water and finding where the active fish are. It's a very aerodynamic lure that can be casted quite far on light line. I've had the most success on stop-and-go, erratic retrieves. Use gold Kastmasters on sunny days or in murky water. Use silver Kastmasters on cloudy days or clear water. Kastmasters can be somewhat expensive - South Bend also sells Kastaways which are somewhat cheaper but can't say I've personally used them.

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Thomas Buoyant, 1/4 or 1/6 oz

A Kastmaster alternative. It casts a somewhat smaller distance, but the spoon has a slightly different fluttering action that seems to sometimes entice more hits.

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Panther Martin, 1/16 oz

A classic trout spinner. I like a retrieve with many erratic jerks with these spinners, to let the blade flutter as much as possible. Traditionally the gold blade with black body and yellow spots has been the most effective for me, but the other colors should also work.

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