Mayfield Lake is a reservoir in Washington, near Lewis County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Mayfield Lake is a reservoir in Lewis County, Washington and holds roughly 133,718 acre-feet.
Without a dependable size figure for Mayfield Lake, weeds, rock, water color, and nearby depth are the best starting clues.
Mayfield Lake is the Cowlitz River reservoir below Mossyrock Dam. It mixes stocked rainbow trout with warm-water fish and a well-known tiger muskie fishing around wood, weeds, and creek arms.
Use bait or small spoons for rainbow trout, jigs around cover for crappie, and a larger lure with stout tackle when tiger muskie are the target.
The Tilton River arm can differ from the main Cowlitz water in color and temperature. Tiger muskie deserve a separate pass from trout or panfish, not just a larger lure on the same spot.
After the first bite on Mayfield Lake, note whether it came from moving water, rock, weeds, wood, or open water because that one detail is more useful than a broad report from another end of the lake and tells you what kind of feature to repeat nearby.
Keep Mayfield Lake's open-water fish and shoreline fish on separate passes because the main targets here include rainbow trout, tiger muskie, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, and those fish do not all use the same cover, depth, or lure speed even when they are feeding in the same part of the lake.
Before leaving Mayfield Lake, compare the best feature at two nearby depths and change lure speed once so that short check shows whether the problem is the location or the presentation without turning the rest of the trip into random casting.
Fish listed for Mayfield Lake include Rainbow Trout, Tiger Muskie, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch.
During a return to the best bank near a channel bend in clear water, keep a small jig tipped with a worm or minnow close to bottom on a shelf for yellow perch.
During a methodical search near the outside weed line before changing depth, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops for black crappie.
During a low-light period near a small drop close to shade, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point for smallmouth bass.
During a steady fall day near the edge of deeper water close to shade, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover for largemouth bass.
Other targets listed here include Tiger Muskie, and Rainbow Trout; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
During a careful second pass near a shaded bank where food is present, Make one shallow pass and one deeper pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break.
While using a quick comparison of two banks near the edge of deeper water near visible bait, shallow water is worth a careful look in spring and again during fall; bright summer days favor shade, weeds, or deeper breaks; under ice, a small depth change can be more useful than a long move.
During a quick scouting pass near a protected point with a moving bait, a medium spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles most jigs and small casting baits; add a stronger outfit and a proper leader when tiger muskie are the target.
During a check of nearby water near a shallow shelf where two features meet, record the wind, water color, depth where the lure was hit, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.
During the start of a weather change near a narrow cove close to shade, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
The main difference is easy to see: Mayfield Lake is the Cowlitz River reservoir below Mossyrock Dam.
Start simply: Use bait or small spoons for rainbow trout, jigs around cover for crappie, and a larger lure with stout tackle when tiger muskie are the target.
Watch this closely: The Tilton River arm can differ from the main Cowlitz water in color and temperature.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.