Lemolo Lake Fishing Guides
A high Cascade reservoir on the upper North Umpqua, best known among Oregon anglers for genuinely large brown trout and a dependable kokanee fishery.
Guides on the Lemolo Lake
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About the Lemolo Lake
Lemolo Lake sits at about 4,150 feet on the upper North Umpqua River, inside the Umpqua National Forest and above the falls at Toketee, and it has a reputation among Oregon anglers out of all proportion to its size. The draw is brown trout. Lemolo produces some of the largest browns in the state, fish that feed heavily on the reservoir’s kokanee population and reach weights that would be notable anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The lake is roughly 450 acres at full pool, ringed by lodgepole and fir, with the North Umpqua entering at the upper end and a resort and a scatter of forest campgrounds providing the only development.
Brown trout are the fish people travel for, and they are caught mainly by trolling large plugs and streamers along the drop-offs and near the inlet, most productively early and late in the day and best of all in the shoulder seasons. Rainbow trout are more numerous and more cooperative, taken throughout the lake on standard troll and bait presentations. Brook trout hold in the colder upper end and the tributary mouths, kokanee school in the deeper basin and are both a target in their own right and the forage that grows the browns, and mountain whitefish are present in the river above and below. The upper North Umpqua immediately downstream is world-class fly water and most visitors fish both.
The gauge reports reservoir elevation only — no temperature and no discharge — so the pool level is the number that matters. Lemolo is a working hydroelectric reservoir and the level moves more than a natural lake’s would, with drawdowns that can expose large areas of the shallow upper end and change where fish hold. A full pool puts water into the timber and the inlet flats; a low pool concentrates everything in the main basin. The access road is usually snow-free from late spring to late autumn.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lemolo 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-0.21 ft ↓ falling
Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 14313000, LEMOLO LAKE NEAR TOKETEE FALLS, OR. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Lemolo Lake Resort - the only developed base on the lake, with a launch, moorage and supplies.
Toketee Falls - the gauge reference area just downstream, and the gateway on Highway 138.
Poole Creek - the Forest Service campground and launch on the southern shore.
North Umpqua inlet - the upper end where the river enters, the most productive brown trout water.
Lemolo Dam - the lower structure, with the river resuming below it.
North Umpqua River - the celebrated fly water downstream, the obvious second fishery on any trip.
Diamond Lake - the larger high-Cascade lake half an hour north-east, a good alternative.
Seasons
Spring: the access road opens and the brown trout fishing is at its best as the lake warms slowly from ice-out.
Summer: steady rainbow trout and kokanee fishing, with browns caught early and late and the lake busy with campers.
Fall: the prime brown trout window, with big fish aggressive before winter and almost no competition on the water.
Winter: effectively closed by snow on the access road, with the fishery resuming once the forest route clears.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lemolo Lake?
Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout on the Lemolo Lake in Oregon.
Where can you access the Lemolo Lake?
Lemolo Lake Resort - the only developed base on the lake, with a launch, moorage and supplies. Toketee Falls - the gauge reference area just downstream, and the gateway on Highway 138. Poole Creek - the Forest Service campground and launch on the southern shore. North Umpqua inlet - the upper end where the river enters, the most productive brown trout water. Lemolo Dam - the lower structure, with the river resuming below it. North Umpqua River - the celebrated fly water downstream, the obvious second fishery on any trip. Diamond Lake - the larger high-Cascade lake half an hour north-east, a go...
When is the best time to fish the Lemolo Lake?
Spring: the access road opens and the brown trout fishing is at its best as the lake warms slowly from ice-out. Summer: steady rainbow trout and kokanee fishing, with browns caught early and late and the lake busy with campers. Fall: the prime brown trout window, with big fish aggressive before winter and almost no competition on the water. Winter: effectively closed by snow on the access road, with the fishery resuming once the forest route clears.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lemolo Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Oregon agency site: https://myodfw.com/fishing/regulations