Pika Lake in Linn County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pika Lake is a Linn County water, Oregon side. The country round it is rolling hill from end to end. At roughly 2 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Linn County list. Sisters sits 25 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The nearest city of size is Salem, 60 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Pika Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bluegill and largescale sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Pika Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 59°F and December near 30°F on the long-run figures. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Pika Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Fir Lake, 0.4 miles out. What applies at Pika Lake may have changed since it was mapped.