Little Ashes Lake in Hood River County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Little Ashes Lake is a Hood River County water, Oregon side. The bank is 118 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Oregon listings. Supplies mean a trip to Cascade Locks, 1 mile off. Further out sit Stevenson (2.2 miles) and Carson (5.8 miles). Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Little Ashes Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Hood River County include Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, largemouth bass and bluegill. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Little Ashes Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 66°F and January reads 36°F. Summer heat is the limit here, not winter cold. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Little Ashes Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Wecoma Lake at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Little Ashes Lake if anything is unclear.