Lake Tapps
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Rainbow trout water; one stocking on the 2026 record, in February. A 2,444-acre reservoir, and one of 17 stocked waters on the Pierce County record. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Pierce County · Washington · see it on the national map
Water temp 59 °F at LAKE TAPPS DIVERSION AT DIERINGER, WA, 6 km away USGS site 12101100 · read 5:45 pm this evening
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Rainbow trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked today.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20 | Rainbow trout | catchable | 15,000 | completed |
When to fish Lake Tapps
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 9:51-11:51 am and 10:14 pm-12:14 am | 4:11-5:11 am and 4:18-5:18 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:37 am-12:37 pm | 5:26-6:26 am and 4:36-5:36 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 93% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Pacific Time (PDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked Feb 20
- Water 59 °F at a gauge 6 km away, prime coldwater range
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Washington fishing forecast
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (rainbow trout stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)
| Slip bobber and jig | 1/32 oz marabou jig or waxworm suspended at cruising depth |
| Ultralight spinning rod | 6 to 7 ft ultralight, 4 lb line; long casts from the bank |
| Dough bait rigs | floating dough bait 18 inches above a small egg sinker; hatchery fish know the smell |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Bonney Lake | 2.5 mi | Mar 10 |
| Fivemile Lake | 6.6 mi | May 6 |
| Lake Geneva | 7.2 mi | Apr 15 |
| Lake Killarney | 7.3 mi | May 8 |
| Lake Morton | 8.0 mi | Apr 1 |
Follow Pierce County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule