May Lake, Oregon: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  May Lake falls in Lake County, part of Oregon. The ground round it is open valley. Roughly 123 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. 23 miles away sits Lakeview, the nearest town. For a city, Reno is 174 miles off. In the same area: Cahill Reservoir 4.7 miles away, Twin Lakes sits 5.2 miles out, Lucky Reservoir 5.9 miles away, Coleman Lake sits 6.6 miles out and Juniper Lake 6.8 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on May Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Lake County include rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, warner sucker, brown bullhead and largemouth bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read May Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 30°F in January up to 67°F in August. Fishing continues through most of the calendar, with quiet spells rather than closures. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Plan any trip to May Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This one is mapped as intermittent, so a wasted trip is a real risk in a dry year. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Cahill Reservoir, 4.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at May Lake as something to verify.