Lake Billy Chinook Fishing Guides
A three-armed canyon reservoir where the Deschutes, Crooked and Metolius meet, and the rare Oregon water with a general harvest season for bull trout.
Guides on the Lake Billy Chinook
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About the Lake Billy Chinook
Lake Billy Chinook is the reservoir behind Round Butte Dam, and its shape is the first thing anyone notices: three long narrow arms in basalt canyons, one for each of the rivers that feed it. The Metolius comes in cold and spring-fed from the northwest, the Deschutes from the south, and the Crooked from the southeast, and each arm fishes differently because each carries different water. The canyon walls rise steeply from the surface, which makes this one of the more dramatic places to fish in central Oregon and also means that shoreline access is limited to a handful of developed points.
The fishery that draws anglers from outside the region is bull trout. This is the rare Oregon water where a general season allows harvest of them under specific rules, a consequence of an unusually strong population concentrated in the cold Metolius arm. They are large, they are caught trolling deep with substantial gear, and the regulations governing them are water-specific and worth reading carefully rather than assuming. Kokanee are the other main target and are abundant, providing the numbers fishery through the summer, while rainbow and brown trout, mountain whitefish and a solid smallmouth bass population round the lake out.
Access runs through Cove Palisades State Park, which occupies the land between the Deschutes and Crooked arms and provides ramps, camping, a marina and rentals. The USGS gauge near Culver reports reservoir elevation, and the pattern in it is worth understanding before a trip: this is an operating hydroelectric project, and the pool moves on an operational schedule rather than a purely seasonal one. Launch ramps and the useable length of each arm change with it. The lake is also a heavily used recreational water in summer, so anglers targeting the deep trolling fishery generally start early.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Billy Chinook.
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+0.03 ft → steady
Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 14087520, LAKE BILLY CHINOOK NEAR CULVER, OR. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Cove Palisades State Park - the main access, with ramps, camping, a marina and rentals between the Deschutes and Crooked arms.
Culver - the nearest small town, on the plateau above the reservoir.
Madras - the closest town with full services, north of the lake.
Metolius arm - the cold northwest arm and the centre of the bull trout fishery.
Deschutes arm - the southern arm, the longest and the most heavily used.
Crooked arm - the southeast arm, warmer and better for smallmouth bass.
Round Butte Dam - the north end of the reservoir, where the Deschutes continues below.
Seasons
Spring: the pool fills and the trout fishing picks up as water warms, with the arms fishing very differently from each other.
Summer: the main kokanee and bull trout trolling season, and also the busiest period for recreational boat traffic.
Fall: kokanee move toward spawning and the lake quiets considerably, which many anglers consider the best time to be here.
Winter: cold and lightly used, with the pool typically lower and the deep trolling fishery continuing for anglers willing to dress for it.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lake Billy Chinook?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Bull Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the Lake Billy Chinook in Oregon.
Where can you access the Lake Billy Chinook?
Cove Palisades State Park - the main access, with ramps, camping, a marina and rentals between the Deschutes and Crooked arms. Culver - the nearest small town, on the plateau above the reservoir. Madras - the closest town with full services, north of the lake. Metolius arm - the cold northwest arm and the centre of the bull trout fishery. Deschutes arm - the southern arm, the longest and the most heavily used. Crooked arm - the southeast arm, warmer and better for smallmouth bass. Round Butte Dam - the north end of the reservoir, where the Deschutes continues below.
When is the best time to fish the Lake Billy Chinook?
Spring: the pool fills and the trout fishing picks up as water warms, with the arms fishing very differently from each other. Summer: the main kokanee and bull trout trolling season, and also the busiest period for recreational boat traffic. Fall: kokanee move toward spawning and the lake quiets considerably, which many anglers consider the best time to be here. Winter: cold and lightly used, with the pool typically lower and the deep trolling fishery continuing for anglers willing to dress for it.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Billy Chinook?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Oregon agency site: https://myodfw.com/fishing/regulations