Fishing Head Lake in Marion County, Oregon

• Overview

  Marion County, Oregon, is where Head Lake sits. What surrounds it is farm and woodlot. At 4 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The closest town, Warm Springs, is 26 miles distant. For a city, Gresham is 57 miles off. Near neighbours: Olallie Lake a shade over 0.7 miles, Lower Lake 1 mile away, Top Lake a shade over 1.1 miles, Timber Lake 1.2 miles away and Nekbobets Lake a shade over 1.2 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Head Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Marion County cover bluegill, largemouth bass, largescale sucker, rainbow trout and cutthroat trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Head Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 55°F for August and 28°F for January. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. That shapes the year on Head Lake. Overcast days spread the fishing across more hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a pier recorded roughly half a mile away. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Public toilets are recorded roughly 0.9 miles off. 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. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Olallie Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Treat access at Head Lake as something to verify.