Fishing Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir in Malheur County, Oregon

• Overview

  Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir sits within Malheur County in Oregon. Everything around it is farm and woodlot. It runs to roughly 33 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest town is Marsing, 55 miles away. Homedale lies 59 miles off, Nampa another 60 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Species logged across Malheur County include rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, common carp, flathead catfish and channel catfish. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 68°F on average, January about 27°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out. Cloud cover is worth more than temperature on a bright week.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Parsnip Reservoir at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Parsnip Creek Diversion Reservoir if anything is unclear.