Manastash Lake

Year-round open fishing season. A consistent producer of 8 to 14 inch eastern brook trout, but heavy algae blooms in mid-summer can make fishing tough. This high-country lake (5000 feet elevation) is usually accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles by late May. It's a long, rough trip just to fish for pan-size brook trout here, but this 24-acre lake nestled among the pine-covered mountains of southwestern Kittitas County is a worthwhile reward for your effort. Small lures from the bank is the best approach, or wade out far enough to give you back-casting room but the bottom is muddy. June is the best month to fish here, but anglers find decent success all summer.

Follow Umptantum Road which turns off of Main Street at McDonalds Restaurant. Take a right on Manastash Road and head west into the canyon. The trailhead is about nineteen miles west of Ellensburg.