Elkhorn Lake Fishing near Mill City, Oregon

• Overview

  You will find Elkhorn Lake in Marion County, Oregon. Elevation runs to 3,612 feet. Small at around 4 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Mill City lies 9.5 miles from the water. Further out sit Lyons (15 miles) and Sublimity (24 miles). Near neighbours include: Opal Lake after 4.8 miles, Big Cliff Reservoir at 6.6 miles, Tumble Lake after 6.6 miles, Rhody Lake at 6.9 miles and Giebeler Lake after 8 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Elkhorn Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Marion County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, largescale sucker, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The near bank of Elkhorn Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 60°F, the coldest about 36°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. On Elkhorn Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Opal Lake sits 4.8 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Elkhorn Lake should be assumed from this page alone.