Ward Lake Fishing — Stocking & Shore Access
Thurston County, WA · nearest Census place: Tumwater (~2 mi) · main access managed by WDFW
Trip status for Sun Nov 1
Before you go · Sun Nov 1
- Access WDFW water access area: outside its listed open dates (4th Saturday in April - September 30)
Quick facts
- Recent stocking
- 306 cutthroat · Oct 26Catchable size, reported by WDFW
- Shore access
- Around the boat launch; limited by vegetation Limited shore access
- Pier / dock
- WDFW access lists no fishing platform
- Parking
- 1 parking lot
- Pass / fee
- Discover Pass or WDFW Vehicle Access Pass · $10/day
- Hours
- Hours not stated by WDFW
- Access season
- 4th Saturday in April - September 30
Main access: WDFW water access area (WDFW)
From official sources: WDFW via data.wa.gov, WDFW, WDFW (GIS), Washington State Parks · Sources & evidence
Recent stocking
Completed releases reported by WDFW (Fish Plants dataset), last 12 months. Only catchable-size trout/kokanee (3 or fewer fish per pound, WDFW's own threshold) count toward "recently stocked". Smaller fish are listed but not counted.
Stocking after Oct 31 is not yet in WDFW's data.
All 7 reported releases, last 12 months
| Date | Species | Number | Fish/lb | Size class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2026 | Cutthroat | 306 | 1.6 | Catchable size |
| May 21, 2026 | Kokanee | 30,488 | 305 | Smaller than catchable size |
| Apr 21, 2026 | Rainbow | 2,020 | 1.9 | Catchable size |
| Nov 25, 2025 | Rainbow | 565 | 1.37 | Catchable size |
| Sep 29, 2025 | Rainbow | 710 | 1 | Catchable size |
| Sep 29, 2025 | Cutthroat | 100 | 0.6 | Catchable size |
| Sep 29, 2025 | Cutthroat | 225 | 1.39 | Catchable size |
Shore & pier access
- Shore access
- Around the boat launch; limited by vegetation Limited shore access
- Pier / dock
- WDFW access lists no fishing platform
WDFW-documented shore fishing points
- Shore fishing, limited by vegetation: open point in maps (WDFW shore-fishing site)
- Limited shore fishing at boat launch: open point in maps (WDFW shore-fishing site)
What the official sources say
- Shore “Bank fishing includes the area around the boat launch on the east side of the lake.” WDFW
- Shore “Shore fishing, limited by vegetation” WDFW (GIS)
- Pier / dock “Fishing platforms: None” WDFW
Access points, parking, passes & hours
WDFW water access area (WDFW, main access)
- Parking
- 1 parking lot
- Pass / fee
- Required · Discover Pass or WDFW Vehicle Access Pass · Discover Pass ($10/day, $45/yr) or Vehicle Access Pass (included with many WDFW licenses)
- Hours
- Hours not stated by WDFWWDFW publishes seasonal open dates for access areas but no daily hours
- Seasonal access
- 4th Saturday in April - September 30
- Fishing platform
- Fishing platforms: None
Official page · Open documented access point in maps
Sources & quotes for WDFW water access area
Sources: WDFW: ward lake 694 · WDFW: water access sites · Washington State Parks
- Parking “Parking lots: 1” WDFW
- Pass “A Discover Pass or Vehicle Access Pass is required at all WDFW recreation lands.” WDFW
- Pass “A Vehicle Access Pass provides access only to WDFW lands and is provided with the purchase of many hunting and fishing licenses.” WDFW
- Fee “A Discover Pass or Vehicle Access Pass is required at all WDFW recreation lands.” WDFW
- Fee “The one-day pass is $10.” Washington State Parks
- Season “Access area open: 4th Saturday in April - September 30” WDFW
- Fishing platform “Fishing platforms: None” WDFW
Current notices
Kept separate on purpose: a fishing rule, a park closure and a health advisory are different facts. This site does not declare a lake "open" or "closed".
Fishing regulations
- 1 WDFW emergency rule(s) listed for this lake (includes statewide rules) WDFW
Physical access
- WDFW water access area: outside its listed open dates (4th Saturday in April - September 30) WDFW
Health advisories
- Not on WA Ecology's list of lakes above toxic-algae guidelines (checked ). WA Dept of Ecology (toxic algae)
Data notes
- None identified from monitored official sources
Full rules: WDFW sport fishing rules pamphlet · WDFW emergency rules for this lake
Nearby alternatives
- Long's Pond ~4 mi · catchable stocking Oct 26 · shore yes, dock yes restricted to juveniles/seniors/disabled anglers
- American Lake ~17 mi · no catchable stocking in 30 days · shore yes, dock yes
- Spanaway Lake ~21 mi · no catchable stocking in 30 days · shore yes, dock yes Spanaway Park closed to vehicles, boats and bikes (Fantasy Lights season) Oct 24, 2026 – Jan 11, 2027
Sources & freshness
- Stocking: WDFW data published Oct 31, 2026 12:33 AM PT; we last checked it
- Access details: last reviewed Oct 31, 2026 (static facts; not live reporting). Official pages re-checked for changes
- Notices checked: WDFW emergency rules ; Ecology toxic-algae list
Official WDFW lake page: WDFW. Stocking matched via release location “WARD LK (THUR)” (confirmed).
All 9 official sources used on this page
- WDFW via data.wa.gov: data.wa.gov/dataset/WDFW-Fish-Plants/6fex-3r7d
- WDFW (GIS): geodataservices.wdfw.wa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/FP_FishMaps/ShoreFishingSites/M
- Washington State Parks: parks.wa.gov/passes-permits/get-park-pass/discover-pass
- WDFW: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/ward-lake
- WDFW: wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/emergency-rules?lake=72058
- WDFW: wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/water-access-sites
- WDFW: wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/water-access-sites/ward-lake-694
- WDFW sport fishing rules: www.eregulations.com/washington/fishing/
- WA Dept of Ecology (toxic algae): www.nwtoxicalgae.org/