Lost Creek Lake Fishing Guides
A 3,400-acre Rogue River reservoir north-east of Medford, mixing stocked trout, landlocked chinook and a warmwater bass and crappie fishery.
Guides on the Lost Creek Lake
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About the Lost Creek Lake
Lost Creek Lake impounds the Rogue River behind William L. Jess Dam near McLeod, about forty minutes north-east of Medford, and it is the reason the Rogue below it fishes the way it does — the dam is what gives the famous middle Rogue its cold summer releases. The lake itself is roughly 3,400 acres at full pool, long and narrow, following the old river canyon with steep timbered sides and three distinct arms. It is a genuinely mixed fishery rather than a trout lake or a bass lake, and which of those it is on any given day depends mostly on where on the lake you are and how deep you are willing to fish.
Rainbow trout are stocked in numbers and are the mainstay for most visitors, trolled or fished from the bank near the day-use areas. Landlocked chinook salmon are the distinctive fish here, holding deep in the main basin and taken by anglers willing to run downriggers, and they reach respectable sizes on the lake’s forage. Brown trout are present and less often targeted. In the warmer arms and the shallower coves, largemouth and smallmouth bass, black crappie and bluegill provide a completely different fishery through the summer months, and the crappie in particular are abundant around submerged timber. Two launches and a long shoreline trail make this an easy lake to fish without a boat.
The gauge near McLeod reports reservoir elevation only, with no temperature and no discharge series, so the pool reading is the single planning number. Lost Creek is operated for flood control and for flow augmentation on the Rogue, which means the pool swings substantially across the year: a full spring pool floods brush and timber and spreads the warmwater fish out, while a deep late-summer drawdown pulls everything back toward the old channel and concentrates it.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lost Creek Lake.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.18 ft ↓ falling
Reading taken 33 min ago at USGS 14335040, LOST CREEK LAKE NEAR MCLEOD, OR. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
McLeod - the gauge locality on Highway 62 at the lower end of the lake.
Stewart State Park - the main developed access, with a launch, day-use area and camping.
Joseph Stewart marina - the boat moorage and the usual starting point for trolling the main basin.
Takelma - the northern day-use area and launch, closest to the upper arms.
William L. Jess Dam - the western structure and gauge reference, with the Rogue resuming below.
Rogue River below the dam - the celebrated tailwater fishery immediately downstream, a natural pairing.
Medford - the regional base for lodging, tackle and food, forty minutes south-west.
Seasons
Spring: strong stocked trout fishing on a rising pool, with bass moving shallow in the warmer arms as it warms.
Summer: the landlocked chinook fishery comes into its own deep, while bass and crappie fish well in the coves.
Fall: good and quiet, with trout active again near the surface and the warmwater fishing holding into October.
Winter: fishable from the lower launches on mild days, with the pool drawn down and fish held near the old channel.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lost Creek Lake?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Trout, Chinook Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Lost Creek Lake in Oregon.
Where can you access the Lost Creek Lake?
McLeod - the gauge locality on Highway 62 at the lower end of the lake. Stewart State Park - the main developed access, with a launch, day-use area and camping. Joseph Stewart marina - the boat moorage and the usual starting point for trolling the main basin. Takelma - the northern day-use area and launch, closest to the upper arms. William L. Jess Dam - the western structure and gauge reference, with the Rogue resuming below. Rogue River below the dam - the celebrated tailwater fishery immediately downstream, a natural pairing. Medford - the regional base for lodging, tackle and food, forty m...
When is the best time to fish the Lost Creek Lake?
Spring: strong stocked trout fishing on a rising pool, with bass moving shallow in the warmer arms as it warms. Summer: the landlocked chinook fishery comes into its own deep, while bass and crappie fish well in the coves. Fall: good and quiet, with trout active again near the surface and the warmwater fishing holding into October. Winter: fishable from the lower launches on mild days, with the pool drawn down and fish held near the old channel.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lost Creek Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Oregon agency site: https://myodfw.com/fishing/regulations