Fishing Fish Lake - Southern Oregon
I always did like going to Fish Lake, ever since I hooked a nice five pounder there. It is a short drive from Medford, about 35 miles. From Medford take HWY. 62 towards Crater Lake, turn on HWY. 140, when you see the Fish Lake sign turn right. The setting for Fish Lake is great. Fish Lake is cradled in a trio of dead volcanoes, there are several old lava flows near by. Almost all the time, exception being the end of summer, you can float along in your boat and enjoy the snow capped peaks of Mt. McLoughlin to the North.
The only thing wrong with Fish Lake was CHUBS! Still fishing, trolling, it really didn't matter, most of what you caught was Chubs. Where did the Chubs come from? People that where fishing at Klamath Lake, one, if not the only lake in Oregon, where live bait is legal. It seems some people have infected dozens of lakes this way. This year fishing at Diamond Lake was rotten, massive Chubs! This year I went to Fish Lake, knowing about this problem. Was I surprised, delighted, I was just plain happy, NO CHUBS!!! Fishing was good! Don't know where the Chubs went, but they can stay there, Fish Lake is back in 96!
Fish Lake was a natural lake until the early 1900's when the need for more water in the Rogue Valley caused a dam to built to raise the level of the lake. A road was completed to the lake in 1930 and a resort opened the same year. Fish Lake must have been VERY shallow before the dam because now the deepest parts of the lake are only in the 30 to 40 foot range. Actually, according to my Fish finder most of the lake this year was about 36 feet deep once you get away from the boat ramp. I hate to complain but you would think they could have made the dam a little taller, it would have made for better fishing.
If you are trolling try the middle of the lake, it worked for me. Use a small to medium size flasher setup with a small piece of worm about 18 inches behind it. If you want to troll something a lot more sporting try a F4 gold or silver Flatfish with a little split shot. The fish I caught with the Flatfish were a few inches larger, but they did not bite as often. Jack told me they did well still fishing by the dam using rainbow power bait. Considering that two out of three people put the power bait on a straight shank hook, you should use a small size 16 to 20 tremble hook, this was remarkable. This year OFWD ( Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department ) put some nice five pound rainbows in with the stock 10 inch fish. OFWD must have poisoned the Chubs before they replanted the trout. If the Chubs do not return next year we should see some holdovers from this years fish and maybe a few of those big fish will still be there. I will be excited to give it a try this spring.
If camping is your thing there are two Service Campgrounds, Doe Point and Fish Lake Campground with 41 tent/trailer sites ( no utilities ). These are adjacent to Fish Lake Resort, with a total of 45 full hookup sites, five with electric only, and ten with no utilities. The resort does offer a few cabins, better call first. Fish Lake Resort does have a cafe, a small store, laundry, boat rentals, and coin operated showers. I use the boat ramp at Fish Lake Campground, there is a small charge to park, $3.00 this year. The ramp is good and does have a small dock.
The resort is even open during the winter Wednesday through Sunday. A snow park is close by, you need a permit that you can get from the resort. There is a nice 27 mile loop from Fish Lake around Brown Mountain and back for snowmobiles. One of the cross country skiers trails includes Lollipop Loop, give it a try if your into it.
For hiking you have a lot of choices around Fish Lake. Fish Lake trial follows the north shore from the dam to the Pacific Crest trail. You can take the Pacific Crest trail the Mt. McLoughlin trial which climbs steeply to the summit at 9,495 feet. You can also option for a nice hike around the old lava areas for a change of pace. Give Fish Lake a try soon, there is something for everyone that enjoys the outdoors.
97 Update
Fish Lake was fair this year. Stocked trout is the name of the game, as always. Some larger trout in the 3 or 4 lb. range were caught this year but the standard was 10" to 12" stocked fish. Still did not have chubs this year.
2006
Same Fish Lake, water level is good this year.