Tumalo Lake in Deschutes County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Tumalo Lake in Deschutes County, Oregon. The land about it is open valley. It covers about 16 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Supplies mean a trip to Deschutes River Woods, 9.4 miles off. For a city, Eugene is 76 miles off. What else is close: Tum Lake just 4.8 miles, Three Creek Lake within 6.8 miles, Todd Lake just 7.1 miles, Little Three Creek Lake within 7.4 miles and Bare Lake just 7.5 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Tumalo Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Deschutes County: rainbow trout, brook trout, mountain whitefish, brown trout and largemouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Tumalo Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 56°F at the top of summer and 27°F at the bottom of winter. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Plan around that when you fish Tumalo Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Tum Lake, 4.8 miles away. Check the current arrangement for Tumalo Lake.