The town of Snoqualmie’s storied past is tied to logging and railroads. Fittingly, Snoqualmie’s Borst Lake is well known as the Mill Pond. At one time, its primary use was as a log holding area for the nearby lumber mill, which has long since closed. Today it is on the sleepy side of the river, and while few of Snoqualmie’s residents or visitors make their way past it on Mill Pond Road, even fewer try to catch a fish out of it.
Borst Lake is an oxbow of the Snoqualmie River. Long ago, this was the main river channel. As the river currents shifted ever so slightly to the west, it abandoned its old channel and left a perfectly round lake with an island in the middle. The Snoqualmie River is a mere hundred yards away, just across Mill Pond Road.
If you do make it out to Snoqualmie, and find yourself on Borst Lake, the views will not disappoint. Tall cottonwood trees fill the lake’s island and outer shoreline. And Mount Si towers over the far shoreline of the lake. It is a beautiful setting.
Borst Lake Fishing Access
Mill Pond Road parallels Borst Lake’s southwest shore. I have fished from shore and have seen several small boats on the lake over the years. I can’t imagine that launching would be an easy task. But there is that saying, “where there is a will, there is a way.” I’d classify this as a lake that you could get out on in a kayak, canoe, or very small car-topper boat. It is a shallow, weedy, muddy, mucky lake so I couldn’t imagine having very much fun in a float tube.
Where is Borst Lake?
Borst Lake is located near Snoqualmie, Washington in King County. It is directly across the Snoqualmie River from downtown Snoqualmie. To get to Borst Lake from Interstate 90, take North Bend Way Exit 27, turn left on Meadowbrook Way, then left on Mill Pond Road.
- Washington State Fishing Regulations
- Nearby Lakes: Rattlesnake Lake, Lake Alice, Langlois Lake
Borst Lake Fishing
The majority of people that fish on Borst Lake are targeting Largemouth Bass. The lake is shallow and by early summer, it will be filled with mill foil and lily pads. With the downed logs around the shoreline and heavy cover from all the lake weeds, it looks like perfect habitat for Largemouth Bass, Perch and the Sunfish that live in the lake.
In Late Spring and Early Summer, you can fish with any number of weedless soft plastic rigs. But my personal favorite time to fish Borst Lake is mid-Summer, pitching top-water frogs in the heavy weeds. If you visit Borst Lake with your small boat, and find a part of the lake that is weed free, you have many more options!
Fishing at Silver Lake – Everett, Washington
