B10 Th e Bu l l eTin • Fr iday, Ju n e 18, 2021
TOP PICKS
WHERE TO EXPLORE
Top picks near Sisters
Makenzie Whittle/The Bulletin
Mike Whittle looks out over Lava Lake while bank fishing; his fishing pole is wedged in the lava rock shoreline.
Fishing
Continued from B1
On the lava banks
Lava Lake is aptly named.
The lake was formed when
lava flows created a dam along
the east shoreline and subsur-
face springs at the northeast
corner fed it. There are no per-
manent streams entering or ex-
iting the lake but in good years,
water can come in from Wire
Meadow and flow out to Little
Lava Lake from a channel on
the southeastern corner of the
bigger sibling.
The lake’s age is apparent
given the amount of vegeta-
tion and deep layer of muck
on the bottom, according to
the Deschutes National Forest
website.
With one U.S. Forest Ser-
vice campground (Lava Lake
Campground) and one RV
park that includes full hookups
run by the Lava Lake Resort,
the lake is full of activity during
the summer of happy anglers
and families taking weekend
trips to the lake.
Starting at the boat ramp
near the Lava Lake Camp-
ground, a trail follows the east-
ern edge of the lake for about 2
miles where bank anglers can
easily cast out from the shore.
The trail itself is part of the
Metolius-Windigo Trail, which
runs 143 miles from Wind-
igo Pass near Crescent Lake to
Bear Valley Creek near the Me-
tolius River.
Along that eastern edge,
the shoreline is mostly lava
rock piled and loosely strewn,
making walking down to the
shore tricky but not too dif-
ficult. The level of the lake is
pretty low and so the rocky
field is a bit bigger to traverse
than average: Make sure you
have sturdier shoes and take
your time if you have balance
issues.
The water is slightly off-
color and more greenish than
the typical blue, which may
have been one of the rea-
sons why we were completely
skunked. What’s more, it
seemed like all the folks fish-
ing from boats were having the
same luck, and by 1 p.m., the
boat parking was empty. It’s not
like the fish weren’t out either,
as one seemed to like to taunt
us by jumping out the water
near us to catch the mosquitos
and other winged insects hov-
ering above the water.
When the fish are biting,
however, the fishing can be
very good here. Lava Lake is
stocked regularly and, accord-
ing to the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife stocking
schedule, was stocked this
week with 1,250 legal-sized
rainbow trout.
We tried our luck with the
good old earthworm and Pow-
erBait in a small inlet, but
other tested methods that pro-
duce fish include spinners,
flashers and even cheese. One
point on the lake’s shore, my
dad made clear, is even re-
ferred to as Velveeta Point by
old-timers and listed on some
maps.
After three hours of sitting
on the rocks, dodging half-
dollar-sized spiders and losing
a few lines to the submerged
rocks below, another father
and his young daughter walked
to the point near us.
“Caught anything?” he
asked.
“Rocks,” I jokingly called
back as they made their way
to their perch a few hundred
yards from us.
His daughter, no more than
5 years old, happily chattered
away as her father cast his line
out. I couldn’t help but smile,
wondering if their own tradi-
tion of swapping fish stories
and casting lines along the
shores of these Cascade Lakes
would start here.
Soon though, with stomachs
growling and skin burnt by the
sun, my own father and I called
it a day and headed the short
half-mile walk back to our car
and headed home fishless, but
still smiling.
Go fish
If you’re looking to take your
own dear old dad out for a day
of fishing, here are some more
lakes to try. May you have bet-
ter luck than we did:
Diamond Lake: Rainbow
trout, brook trout. Brown trout
and tiger trout are catch and
release only. Limit is five rain-
bows per day with one over 20
inches. If you catch a trout over
20 inches, go to the marina to
be entered into a raffle.
South Twin Lake: Rainbow
trout.
Odell Lake: Kokanee, lake
trout and rainbow trout. Daily
limit is 25 kokanee per day in
addition to daily trout limit.
One lake trout per day, 24-inch
minimum. Catch and release
bull trout.
Paulina Lake: Kokanee,
brown trout and rainbow trout.
Fall River: Rainbow trout
and brown trout. Fly-fishing
with barbless hooks only.
Metolius River: Rainbow
trout and bull trout. Catch and
release only. Fly-fishing only
upstream from Bridge 99.
Crane Prairie: Rainbow
trout, brook trout, largemouth
bass and kokanee. Wild rain-
bow trout must be released.
Hosmer Lake: Brook trout,
rainbow trout and cutthroat
trout. Fly-fishing with barbless
hooks only, with catch and re-
lease for all species.
e
Reporter: 541-383-0304,
mwhittle@bendbulletin.com
Black Butte — The snow
has all melted from the cin-
der cone north of Sisters,
and the 3.9-mile trail up to
the top is in good shape.
Hikers who decide to take
the climb should note that it
has a steady elevation gain
of 1,538 feet with an aver-
age grade of about 17%,
so go prepared. The views
along the way and from the
top are worth the extra ef-
fort though, with stunning
views of the Cascades as you
climb.
Head of Jack Creek — The
3.7-mile easy loop is a nice
Bulletin file photo
refrain from the busier trails
A hiker makes their
in the area, with the cool,
way up the trail at Black
clear Jack Creek babbling
Butte.
along part of the way. Part
trail and part U.S. Forest
Service roads, it’s great for
a quick and easy trail run
through the forest and to the headwaters. You can also choose to
just do an out-and-back hike to the headwaters and back and not
loop through the forest. Start from the Jack Creek Campground and
hike the 1.2-mile trail to the spring and back for a leisurely stroll.
Tamolitch Blue Pool — OK, chances are you’ve either been on this
one or have avoided it completely due to crowds. But if you are an
early riser, have the chance to hike midweek or just have perfect tim-
ing, the 3.7-mile out and back trail along state Highway 126 is one of
the most stunning in the state. Following along the McKenzie River
and through old-growth forest the entire way, the trail leads to the
brilliantly blue namesake where the river emerges from behind lava
rock before continuing on its way. Hikers do swim in the pool, but
the water is icy, and the trail to get down to the water is pretty rocky
and can lead to a painful sprain if you misstep (this reporter knows
from experience).
— Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin
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