Fish Lake Fishing in Lake County, Oregon

• Overview

  Look for Fish Lake in the Lake County part of Oregon. Open dry country runs right down to the water. With some 119 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. For supplies, Lakeview is 31 miles out. Alturas is 64 miles away, with Hines at 100 miles. Others close at hand: Mud Lake 1.7 miles, Mud Lake Reservoir some 2.1 miles off, Horsehead Lake 2.5 miles, Calderwood Reservoir some 2.6 miles off and Robinson Lake 4.7 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Fish Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker and warner sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Fish Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 67°F and December reads 31°F. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Fish Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping flags this water as intermittent: it can be dry for part of the year, so check before travelling. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Mud Lake is 1.7 miles off. Signs at Fish Lake carry more weight than any list.