Plumb Lake Fishing Guide, Deschutes County, Oregon

• Overview

  Deschutes County, Oregon, is where Plumb Lake sits. The land about it is farm and woodlot. Small at around 9 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Start from Three Rivers, 24 miles down the road. For a city, Eugene is 58 miles off. Water in the same corner: Mud Lake about 0.3 miles, Junction Lake 0.6 miles away, Martin Lake about 0.6 miles, Mink Lake 0.8 miles away and Slipper Lake about 0.8 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Plumb Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Deschutes County include rainbow trout, brook trout, mountain whitefish, brown trout and largemouth bass. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Plumb Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 58°F for August and 30°F for December. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. Plan any trip to Plumb Lake around it. Water colour tells you more than the air temperature does.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Mud Lake is 0.3 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Plumb Lake.