Bays Lake in Linn County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bays Lake lies in Linn County, in Oregon. It sits in rolling hill. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Few waters listed in Linn County are bigger. The town to know is Warm Springs, 27 miles out. Salem is the closest city, 62 miles away. If this one is busy: Rock Lake (0.2 miles), Scout Lake sits 0.2 miles out, Park Lake (0.4 miles), Russell Lake sits 1 mile out and Bear Lake (3.2 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bays Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Linn County cover rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bluegill and largescale sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Treat Bays Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year August sits at 53°F and December at 27°F. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Bays Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Rock Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Bays Lake before loading the car.