Fishing at Frog Lake (2024 Stocking)

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Frog Lake is not much larger than a frog pond, but this natural lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest offers a few months of easy trout fishing right off the highway, thanks to generous plantings of hatchery rainbow trout.

Fishing in this 11-acre lake is best in May and June after it has been stocked. Those trout numbers will be thinned out by mid-summer, so try to hit the lake earlier in the season if a limit is on your agenda.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks some 6,000 legal trout here in a season, plus an additional several hundred larger “trophy” rainbows and a few dozen giant brood trout, which are about the size of steelhead.

There is excellent bank access. Motors are not allowed here, but a float tube, kayak, raft, etc., could help you reach more fish.

The lake is quite shallow and very clear, so use stealthy fishing methods. The usual trout tactics will work here. Bank anglers often still-fish with bait on the bottom or under a bobber. Casting lures or flies also will catch aggressive rainbows.

If you have a small boat or float tube, try slowing trolling a sinking fly such as a woolly bugger or other pattern. You may or may not need to pinch a very small weight to your line a few feet above the fly.

At more than 3,800 feet elevation, this area gets lots of winter snow that can block the access road partway into spring, but it should be good once the stocking trucks are able to get in.

Frog Lake is about an hour and a half southeast of Portland and makes a good rest stop between the metro area and locations throughout Central and Eastern Oregon.

There is a signed turnoff to the lake off Highway 26 about 7 miles southeast of Government Camp. This puts you on Forest Service Road 2610 (Frog Creek Road) to the lake.

There is a rustic Frog Lake Campground on location, plus lots of camping nearby in the Mt. Hood National Forest.

Nearby lakes with good trout fishing and additional camping include Clear Lake, Trillium Lake and Timothy Lake.

2024 Frog Lake Trout Stocking

Date RangeTotal
May 13-172,680*
Jun 3-72,680*
*These stocking dates include 400 trophy-sized rainbows and 30 extra-large brood trout.
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.

Find more fishing spots in Wasco County

Oregon Resources

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

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