The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to stock Lost Creek Lake in Southwest Oregon with a total of 66,100 keeper rainbow trout this year.
ODFW already planted most of those (nearly 59,000) between March and June of this year. It is scheduled to plant another 7,300 trout in this Rogue River reservoir in mid-October.
Not only is that a LOT of trout for a single reservoir, over 6,000 of those fish are the state agency’s “trophy” rainbow trout, which are longer and fatter than the typical stocked trout. Trophy-sized rainbows usually run 1-3 pounds and put up a nice fight on typical trout tackle.
Lost Creek Lake, a.k.a. Lost Creek Reservoir, is a year-round trout fishery, although you’ll need to pick your spots in the wintertime when periodic snows push through this moderate-elevation spot in the Cascade Mountains a little under an hour’s drive northeast of Medford.
The very best fishing occurs between March and early summer, when the bulk of the hatchery fish are delivered. ODFW gets it started with a bang, dumping some 20,000 trout in March and thousands more for the next several months.
No other lake in Oregon is stocked with as many legal trout as Lost Creek Lake. However, it’s noteworthy that Detroit Lake is stocked with more trophy-sized fish.
Lost Creek Lake also is a diverse fishery, featuring some very good smallmouth bass fishing and some landlocked spring Chinook salmon that reach decent size. There are some panfish here as well.
If you’d like to make the most of your trip, check out our complete guide to fishing at Lost Creek Lake on the always-free Best Fishing in America website.
Some of Oregon’s other most heavily stocked lakes that tend to provide angling opportunities this time of year include Applegate Lake in Southwest Oregon, Detroit Lake, Henry Hagg Lake and North Fork Reservoir in the Willamette Valley, and Wallowa Lake in Northeast Oregon.
Oregon Resources
ODFW Weekly Fishing Report
ODFW Trout Stocking Schedule
Oregon Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service