Olallie Lake

Photo Courtesy of Muddycamper.com

 

Olallie lake, situated amongst the Mount Hood National Forest, inside the Olallie lake scenic area is one of the larger lakes around. I have camped in the area, in one of the many camping spaces available along the lakes edge several times. The fishing is particularly good on the southern edge of the lake. Rowboats are available for rent at the main campground store, as are amenities and basic camping essentials.

 

We had our best luck with the good old standard worms, and red sparkle powerbait. Drop weights on 1.5' liters work fine here, as there aren't many weeds to combat. Most of the year, the lake here is crystal clear, and you can see straight down to the bottom until you reach the southern most side where it drops in depth. We've fished here on both the rented rowboats, and float tubes and had decent luck in mid summer weather. The campgrounds here fill quickly, even from the bank by the campground you can catch bows of keeper size. The best part of Olallie is the nighttime, not for the fishing...but for the stars. The sky here is often crystal clear, and the sky lights up with sparkling stars like the fourth of july. Absolutely stunning. But enough about the stars, the fishing here is pretty darn worth while too.

 

If you make the long trek up to Olallie, camp here at the lake and make a day trip up to Horseshoe lake, by following the main road. The fishing is better at Horseshoe, but the campgrounds aren't as well maintained.

 

 

The Pacific Crest trail also runs through the area, and you may see long distance hikers passing through. (not that this has anything to do with the fishing).