Little Cultus Lake is a 175-acre lake nestled in the pines a few miles off the Cascade Lakes Highway. With good fishing for rainbow and brook trout, Little Cultus is a great place to take the family for a quiet weekend of fishing and camping. Rainbow trout angling, 11-17 inches are the primary fishery. Brook trout stocking ended in 1997 but some fish up to 16 inches are still found.

Little Cultus' gently sloping shorelines are easily wadable. The deepest spots, up to 60 feet deep, are in the center of the lake. Angler’s troll flashers with a trailing night crawler or use single lures, such as a gold Thomas lure or yellow Rooster Tail. Trolling slowly along drop-offs is a commonly used technique here. Bank fishing is best along the north shore of the lake, using bobbers and worms, spinners, spoons, or a marshmallow and worm fished near the bottom. The fish at Little Cultus Lake often surface feed on emerging damselflies and mayflies. Fly fishers should be well prepared with mayfly dries, ant imitations in sizes 10 to 14, damsel nymph imitations, and Woolly Buggers. Searching the shallower areas of the lake with wet flies, early and late in the day is especially effective.

Little Cultus Lake offers a quiet, wooded area with primitive camping. Road surfaces are dirt or gravel. Little Cultus Campground, on the southeast comer of the lake, charges a fee and has a picnic area, outhouses, a hand pump for drinking water, and a paved boat ramp.

Basic Directions