Carl Lake Fishing in Linn County, Oregon

• Overview

  Set in Linn County, Carl Lake is an Oregon water. Height above sea level is 5,482 feet. The water measures roughly 18 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Size puts it in the front rank of our Linn County list. Head to Sisters, 23 miles away, for anything you forgot. Then Warm Springs, 28 miles, and Culver, 29 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Carl Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bluegill and largescale sucker. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The shape of Carl Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 54°F in August and bottoms out near 27°F in December. In milder years the surface never sets. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Carl Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Shirley Lake is 0.2 miles off. Ask locally about Carl Lake if anything is unclear.