Odell Lake

Odell Lake sits at 4,788 feet at the Willamette Pass in the Oregon Cascades — one of the finest and most accessible mountain lake fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. The lake's exceptional depth (285 feet) and cold, clear water support thriving populations of Lake Trout (Mackinaw) and Kokanee Salmon, while rainbow trout and bull trout provide additional fly fishing opportunities in the shallower inlet areas. The Mackinaw at Odell Lake are Oregon's finest — fish averaging 5–15 pounds with exceptional specimens over 25 pounds documented each season. These are deep-water fish accessible to fly rods primarily in fall when cooling water temperatures draw them to shallower depths for spawning. Large tube flies and heavy sinking lines are the practical approach for fly fishing Mackinaw in Odell's productive transition zones. Kokanee provide the most accessible and abundant summer fly fishing — massive schools of these landlocked sockeye (averaging 12–16 inches) concentrate throughout the open water through summer and respond to small bright patterns trolled at the school depth. The lake's productive kokanee population is supported by regular Oregon DFW stocking and has developed a self-sustaining wild component. The Willamette Pass location makes Odell Lake a natural combination with the Diamond Lake and Crater Lake corridor — a three-lake southern Oregon loop that covers the finest stillwater fishing in the region.