Eel Lake, Oregon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Eel Lake falls in Coos County, part of Oregon. Salt water lies 3.1 miles off. At 347 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Size puts it in the front rank of our Coos County list. Lakeside lies 1.9 miles from the water. The big place round here is Eugene, 62 miles distant. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Eel Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Coos County, recorded fish include Coho salmon, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, brown bullhead and cutthroat trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Eel Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 62°F and December about 44°F. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Anyone fishing Eel Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Shuttpelz Lake, 1.3 miles out. Ask locally about Eel Lake if anything is unclear.