East Lake Resort is one of the finest and most traditional fisheries in
Oregon. Each season it produces Brown Trout over 10 pounds. The lake record is a
22-1/2 pound Brown, which is displayed in the cafe. Rainbow Trout are the
mainstay, being brought in using all techniques: trolling, still-fishing, wet
and dry fly fishing, and casting. There are many effective techniques for
catching lake fish, and our knowledgeable staff at the store can tell you what
the fish are currently biting.
By 1916, a road of sorts existed to East Lake, and Brook trout
were stocked in addition to Rainbows. In November of 1925, Brook trout were
seined from East Lake for egg collection. The Fish and Wildlife Department built
a cabin on the southwest shore that year that headquartered seining operations
until the forties. Rainbow trout have been stocked in East Lake every year since
1912, and are the predominate catch. Rainbows do not reproduce in East Lake, but
Brook trout may have done some shore spawning.
East Lake is a perfect lake for fly fishing. It has a weed bed
that more or less circles the lake and has an abundant fish population that love
to eat the bugs in these weed beds. If you know the basics of fly fishing, you
can have a blast at East Lake. An average fly fisherman with average skills is
going to catch somewhere between 30-70 fish a day from a float tube or boat. A
person that has never even seen a fly rod will more than likely catch 10-15 his
first day out.