Fishing Catalpa Lake in Clackamas County, Oregon

• Overview

  Catalpa Lake sits within Clackamas County in Oregon. This is open valley ground. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. The nearest place of any size is Mount Hood Village, 19 miles away. Gresham sits 43 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Catalpa Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Clackamas County records list Coho salmon, rainbow trout and Chinook salmon among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Catalpa Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 59°F in August and bottom out at 29°F in January. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Plan around that when you fish Catalpa Lake. The first warm week of the year changes everything here.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Green Lake, 0.9 miles away. Check the position at Catalpa Lake before loading the car.