bob johansen
7/15/2008 6:30:00 AMI used to live near Lake Kathleen and fished quite a bit. It was semi private with limited access but it did have some big bass and crappie in it. Is it still a private lake?
Dailyfisherman00
7/15/2008 10:43:00 AMHey Ryan2202 I love fishing that lake...my friend lives on it.....I will try to fish it this weekend.......Please show some pictures when you catch ok..have good fishing...
Rob G.
7/15/2008 2:37:00 PMShoot, I posted a report on this lake as a secret lake because a home owner let me on it a few months back. This lake is awesome, for all species, I caught about 8 trout one day ranging between 15 and 22 inches! and there is bass every where. But there is no public acces. If the home owners catch you out there with out one of them, it's over. You'll probably be meeting a cop on shore!
ryan2202
7/15/2008 11:25:00 PMI didn't know this was a private lake...the report on here said restricted access...and when I got to the boat launch, I thought thats what they meant...Opps, guess I won't be going back there. I first went there with another buddy who said he knew somebody that lives there, which he does. But he never said it was private. My other buddy who came with us and I are learning how to bass fish as we have only trout fished. So, thats why we went back to the lake a second time because I read such great reports and heard a lot about this lake for bass fishing. Anyway, now that I know its private, I don't think I'll be returning....as I do not know anybody on the lake. Thanks for the heads up though!
clark&lewis
7/18/2008 8:32:00 AMThank you for your email correspondence to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Program.
Your best source for information on licenses, daily limits, season, restrictions, etc. would be the 2008/2009 Fishing In Washington Sport Fishing Rules regulation pamphlet. This pamphlet is full of a lot of useful information, such as license fees & requirements for both resident and non-resident on page 24. This publication is formatted with the regulations for Westside Rivers first, followed by Westside Lakes, Eastside Rivers, Eastside Lakes, Marine Area Rules and finally Shellfish/Seaweed Rules.
Residents may own the land around a body of water, or even land under water, but they do not own the water or fish. These are state resources and open to everyone who may have access. Therefore, the licensing rules as listed on page 24 of the regulation pamphlet apply to everyone.
Everyone 15 years of age or older must have a license. Federal ans state law requires persons 15 years of age or older to give their Social Security Number in order to obtain a license. Licenses must be on your person while fishing.
A fishing license is not required for: Common Carp, Crawfish, Bullfrogs, Smelt, Unclassified Marine Invertebrates, Juveniles 14 years of age or younger or Free Fishing Weekend. A Catch Record Card must be in your possession and are required for everyone (resident, non-resident, youth) fishing for Salmon, Sturgeon, Steelhead, Halibut or Puget Sound Dungeness Crab.
Lake Kathleen in Renton is not listed under Special Rules. Therefore it is governed by the Statewide Freshwater Rules as listed on pages 36 and 37 of the regulation pamphlet. It is open year-round to fishing for gamefish (except Dolly Varden/Bull Trout or Grass Carp), statewide minimum sizes and daily limits apply. No catch record card is required for this area, as none of the 5 species a catch record card is required for can be found in this body of water. However, if a lake were owned by a municipality such as a city or county, they could implement such restrictions as Electric Motors Only, No Motors Allowed, Night Closure, etc., that would supercede any WDFW rules. These restrictions would have to be posted in plain view right at an access site. For more information regarding any of these possible restrictions, you may want to contact that County's Department of Parks & Recreation or Sheriffs office.
A license is required to fish even private lakes and ponds, as well as compliance with all rules & regulations, as the resource still belongs to the state. This includes daily and slot limits on all species of fish. That applies to all bodies of water where fresh water is running in or out of it or both. The "private" part is only related to access sites on that particular body of water. If it is not open to the public, due to private property surrounding the entire body of water, people would need to get a homeowners' permission to access it by land (however, they could legally drop down from a helicopter with a float tube and legally fish the body of water - just for frame of reference).
The only exception would be if it was completely man-made, dug out by hand by the property owner (like a swimming pool) and is stocked only by the owners, again with no freshwater running in or out and no resident fish accessible etc.
Your best source for information on licenses, daily limits, season, restrictions, etc. would be the 2008/2009 Fishing In Washington Sport Fishing Rules regulation pamphlet. This pamphlet is full of a lot of useful information, such as license fees & requirements for both resident and non-resident on page 24. This publication is formatted with the regulations for Westside Rivers first, followed by Westside Lakes, Eastside Rivers, Eastside Lakes, Marine Area Rules and finally Shellfish/Seaweed Rules.
Residents may own the land around a body of water, or even land under water, but they do not own the water or fish. These are state resources and open to everyone who may have access. Therefore, the licensing rules as listed on page 24 of the regulation pamphlet apply to everyone.
Everyone 15 years of age or older must have a license. Federal ans state law requires persons 15 years of age or older to give their Social Security Number in order to obtain a license. Licenses must be on your person while fishing.
A fishing license is not required for: Common Carp, Crawfish, Bullfrogs, Smelt, Unclassified Marine Invertebrates, Juveniles 14 years of age or younger or Free Fishing Weekend. A Catch Record Card must be in your possession and are required for everyone (resident, non-resident, youth) fishing for Salmon, Sturgeon, Steelhead, Halibut or Puget Sound Dungeness Crab.
Lake Kathleen in Renton is not listed under Special Rules. Therefore it is governed by the Statewide Freshwater Rules as listed on pages 36 and 37 of the regulation pamphlet. It is open year-round to fishing for gamefish (except Dolly Varden/Bull Trout or Grass Carp), statewide minimum sizes and daily limits apply. No catch record card is required for this area, as none of the 5 species a catch record card is required for can be found in this body of water. However, if a lake were owned by a municipality such as a city or county, they could implement such restrictions as Electric Motors Only, No Motors Allowed, Night Closure, etc., that would supercede any WDFW rules. These restrictions would have to be posted in plain view right at an access site. For more information regarding any of these possible restrictions, you may want to contact that County's Department of Parks & Recreation or Sheriffs office.
A license is required to fish even private lakes and ponds, as well as compliance with all rules & regulations, as the resource still belongs to the state. This includes daily and slot limits on all species of fish. That applies to all bodies of water where fresh water is running in or out of it or both. The "private" part is only related to access sites on that particular body of water. If it is not open to the public, due to private property surrounding the entire body of water, people would need to get a homeowners' permission to access it by land (however, they could legally drop down from a helicopter with a float tube and legally fish the body of water - just for frame of reference).
The only exception would be if it was completely man-made, dug out by hand by the property owner (like a swimming pool) and is stocked only by the owners, again with no freshwater running in or out and no resident fish accessible etc.
ryan2202
7/25/2008 1:17:00 AMWOW, so I guess I was legal...The launch area doesn't have any sign on private property or to keep out...And based on the last comment! That was awesome, so I guess I will be back for sure!
Commodore Keith
10/29/2018 9:07:26 PMRyan, Clark&Lewis is absolutely correct. The water (and mud under it) are owned by the state here at lake Kathleen. Therefore it is not private. However, 100% of the land surrounding this lake is privately owned. There is no public access. In order to fish on this lake, you either have to fly in or cross someone's private property. That is fine - as long as you have permission from that landowner. In fact, the Lake Kathleen Community Association buys trout to stock the state's lake and control the weeds to make a good fishing experience for anyone.
We are pretty friendly folks here and it should not be difficult to get permission to cross someone's property. However, there are some landowners who rather strongly protect their property rights and some even call this a private lake. Unfortunately, that has caused some friction involving the Sherriff's office. If someone confronts you while you are here, please help diffuse the tension by assuring them you have permission to cross someone's property.
Most importantly, enjoy beautiful Lake Kathleen. The lake contains trout, bass, yellow perch, crappie, catfish, bluegills, Chinese mystery snails, beaver, muskrats, river otter, and nutira rats.
We are pretty friendly folks here and it should not be difficult to get permission to cross someone's property. However, there are some landowners who rather strongly protect their property rights and some even call this a private lake. Unfortunately, that has caused some friction involving the Sherriff's office. If someone confronts you while you are here, please help diffuse the tension by assuring them you have permission to cross someone's property.
Most importantly, enjoy beautiful Lake Kathleen. The lake contains trout, bass, yellow perch, crappie, catfish, bluegills, Chinese mystery snails, beaver, muskrats, river otter, and nutira rats.