Fishing McNary Lake in Columbia County, Oregon

• Overview

  This water sits in Columbia County, Oregon. The ground around here is pine and hardwood. With some 214 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Around 3.3 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. It ranks high for size among our Columbia County listings. Head to Ridgefield, 3.7 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Vancouver, 11 miles distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on McNary Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Columbia County list Coho salmon, bluegill, yellow perch, largemouth bass and white crappie. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On McNary Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in August and bottoms out near 40°F in January. The hard part of the year is the heat, not the cold. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Plan any trip to McNary Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Aarons Lake, 0.9 miles away. For McNary Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.