Fishing at Medco Pond (2024 Stocking)

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Medco Pond, a private pond with public access in eastern Jackson County, is most popularly fished for stocked hatchery rainbow trout but also can offer fair to good fishing for warmwater fish, including largemouth bass and bluegill.

Trout Fishing

Typically, this 25-acre pond is stocked with trout a couple of times during spring, and fishing will be best very soon after the fish arrive.

Check the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual trout stocking schedule (linked below) for a good idea of when to plan your trips.

Medco also has, at times, been stocked with surplus hatchery trout, including some fall plantings that have occurred and might include really nice one-pound rainbows.

The ODFW also sometimes plants the pond with smaller trout the year before, and the grown survivors can add to this fishery.

The usual lake-fishing techniques for trout will take trout here. (More detail: Trout Fishing: Basic How-To Techniques and Tips.)

Bass and Panfish Fishing

During the summer, the trout fishery will be slow, so turn your attention to a decent fishery for largemouth bass as well as bluegill, bullhead catfish and crappie.

Most of these fish tend to be structure-oriented.

Bass and crappie often will be found in shallower water during the spring spawning season, but they will tend to move into deeper water during other times of the season.

Bass will strike a variety of lures that look like smaller fish, crayfish and other forage. Soft plastic jigs, stickbaits, crankbaits and swimbaits are popular options.

More: Learn how to catch bass.

Using crappie jigs or other minnow-imitating lures are among the best ways to catch crappie, and that approach will also sometimes catch other species, including bass.

Bluegill also are often caught in shallower water, especially during the warmer season. They are easy to catch and surprisingly good fighters on light tackle.

Fishing a worm on a small hook under a bobber will usually get the job done, but we also have more bluegill and sunfish fishing tips.

A lot of people ignore bullhead catfish, but they can be fun to catch and some people really enjoy eating them.

A simple bait rig fished off the bottom is the go-to set up.

Read more about fishing for all types of catfish.

Location and Access

Medco Pond is a bit more than an hour from the Medford area, located on the Butte Falls-Prospect Road between (appropriately) Butte Falls and Prospect.

No boats are allowed on the ponds. Bank access is restricted to the areas where it’s posted as allowed.

The pond is strictly open for day use.

There is no camping, overnight stays, or overnight parking of any kind, according to the owners. Also, no fires, hunting, or trapping is allowed on the property.

ODFW has reported problems with people littering, vandalizing and dumping garbage on the property, which, if it continues, could result in the public losing access to this fishery.

Note that the pond’s shallower areas can get quite weedy in warm weather, especially in the northern half and small coves.

2024 Medco Pond Trout Stocking

Date RangeTotal
Apr 22-262,000
May 13-172,000
May 27-312,000
Jun 17-211,100
Stocked fish are legal-sized rainbow trout unless otherwise noted. Stocking schedules are subject to change for a variety of reasons. The ODFW Weekly Fishing Report linked under Oregon Resources below may provide updated information.

Oregon Resources

ODFW Weekly Fishing Report
ODFW Trout Stocking Schedule
Oregon Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service