Where to Fish in the Hood River area - Mountain Lakes of Mt Adams/St Helens

Species:  Cutthroat, rainbow, brook, brown trout
Seasons:  Year-round, but snow...  Mid June-September.

Links:  Takhlakh Lake, Olallie Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Indian Heaven Wilderness

In the area west of Mt Adams, there are hundreds of lakes.  Most are pretty small, some are barely ponds, others are deep and hold fish over winters.  Most of them are hike-in, but several offer good car access.  

The most popular (drive-to) lakes in that area are Takhlakh, Horseshoe and Olallie.  All three of these are close to each other on the sides of Mt Adams and offer good road access and camping. Takhlakh is very popular.  Olallie is not quite as crowded, but still plenty busy on weekends.  The views at Takhlakh can't be beat, so it brings in the paddleboarders and swimmers.

Another set of lakes in that area is in the Indian Heaven Wilderness.  The Pacific Crest Trail goes through the heart of Indian Heaven, and you will run into a body of water within a half mile of the trail at every point on the plateau that makes up the wilderness area. Hundreds of gorgeous lakes, most of them loaded with little brook trout are more than anyone could ever explore.  A handful of lakes have decent size cutthroat, but there is no knowing which ones without some exploring.  The good news is that a motivated backpacker could hit a dozen or more lakes on any give day with little effort. 

Several other lakes are found further south, near Goose Lake.  Forlorn Lakes is a nice, quiet area with 4 lakes that are quiet, loaded with eager trout and rarely fished.  Quite a few others are located closer to Mt St Helens and have similar excellent fishing for brook trout.

You can easily fish the smaller lakes from shore, but a float tube or small boat will help tremendously at the bigger ones like Olallie.  there are literally dozens of other really productive lakes that I have not even mentioned. There are lakes all over the area in between these two mountains. 

So many options exist for fishing lakes in the Mt Adams area.  Whether you like hike-in lakes, bigger lakes with drive-in access or maybe a smaller lake with a stunning view, there are options abound. Get out and explore.