Cottage Grove Lake, Oregon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Cottage Grove Lake lies in Lane County, Oregon. It sits at 764 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 1,076 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The margin runs to about 4.6 miles in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Lane County list. Some 6.6 miles away sits Cottage Grove, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Culp Creek at 11 miles and Drain at 13 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Cottage Grove Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Survey and observation records for Lane County include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, largescale sucker and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Cottage Grove Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in August and bottoms out near 40°F in December. There is no frozen season to plan round. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cottage Grove Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a slipway on the shore, 0.9 miles from the water we list. Parking sits 0.9 miles out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Finney Creek is 5 miles off. None of that is settled for Cottage Grove Lake in what we hold.