Fishing at Jack Lake, Lake County, Oregon

• Overview

  Jack Lake belongs to Lake County, Oregon. The setting is farm and woodlot. At 589 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. It ranks high for size among our Lake County listings. The town to know is Lakeview, 37 miles out. Then Alturas, 71 miles, and Hines, 95 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Jack Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Lake County names rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, warner sucker and brown bullhead. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Jack Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in August and bottoms out near 28°F in January. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Jack Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Public mapping marks it as seasonal water rather than permanent. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Moon Lake, 1.5 miles out. The position on Jack Lake is worth confirming on the day.