Lake Selmac, Oregon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lake Selmac is one of the Josephine County listings for Oregon. The sea is 37 miles distant. Surface area is around 138 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. A shoreline of some 2.2 miles keeps the choices simple. It is the biggest water on our Josephine County list. The nearest place of any size is Cave Junction, 7.6 miles away. Beyond it, New Hope at 13 miles and Redwood at 15 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lake Selmac

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Fish documented in Josephine County include rainbow trout, klamath smallscale sucker, bluegill and cutthroat trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Lake Selmac as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 68°F and December near 40°F. Summer heat is the limit here, not winter cold. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer squeezes it into the edges of the day. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. On Lake Selmac the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. The slipway at South Shore Boat Launch is half a mile away. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Tall Timber Reservoir is 1.2 miles off. Where Lake Selmac is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.