Where to Fish in the Hood River area - Laurance Lake

Part of our series on fishing locally in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area.
Species:  Cutthroat, rainbow trout.  Bull trout are present.  No targeting or removing bull trout from water.
Season:  4th Saturday in April - October 31
Location:  8 miles Southwest of Parkdale, OR
Links:  Kinnikinnick Campground, Laurance Lake Day Use Area

 Laurance Lake is another locals' favorite.  It has great views of Mt. Hood and wonderful fishing.  While Lost Lake has all sorts of amenities, Laurance has a few designated camp sites and a couple of Forest Service outhouses. Because there are few camp sites and a small parking area, the lake can get crowded during the summer.  By August, the lake level usually drops low enough to accommodate more day-use parking than in the early season.

This reservoir is created from a dam just below where Clear Branch and Pinnacle Creek meet.  The outflow, called Clear Branch, meets up with the Elliot Branch to form the Middle Fork of the Hood a quarter mile below the lake. 

Laurance can get low in the fall

Unfortunately, fishing is not allowed between the dam and where the Middle Fork forms, and by that point, the stream has picked up so much silt from the Coe and Elliot Branches that it is too muddy to fish at all.  Besides, the power company does not allow access underneath the dam if you were to go down there anyways.  Fishing is also not allowed in either of the two creeks that feed the lake, or within a certain distance of those creeks.  There are markers at the creek mouths.

The fishing is also unique in this lake.  Cutthroat trout are native to the creeks and inhabit the lake.  They love to take a dry fly and reach good sizes.  Rainbow trout are also planted in the lake.  They have a clipped rear adipose fin, and you are only allowed to keep rainbow trout that have a clipped adipose fin.  There are also bull trout present in the lake.  Targeting or removing a bull trout from the water is prohibited. 

I do know more than one person who has received a ticket for targeting bull trout.  Using a large streamer and a heavy fly rod will get you a ticket.  The state patrol does a good job at checking the local lakes, and they know the rules in and out.  Most local anglers will catch bull trout on accident a few times a year, but as long as you release them without removing them from the water, it will be ok.

Tons of stumps

This is probably the lake in our area that fishes the best in one way:  Afternoon callibaetis hatches can be epic!  Trout can be found eating dry flies from 2:00 pm until dark for much of the late summer and early fall.  This lake also produces nice sized fish.  20+ inch trout are caught regularly.  This is not going to kick out 10 pounders or anything like that, but thick 18-20" trout are nothing to cough at.

The lake does get really low as the summer moves into fall.  Shore access is much easier in the fall if you do not have a boat.  I would highly recommend having a watercraft in the spring into mid-summer, but an angler could do just fine in the fall without a boat. Its actually not a bad move to fish from shore on windy days.  No gas motors are allowed on Laraunce Lake.

Access does have a price.  I believe it is $10 per day in 2024.  A season pass from Lost Lake Resort works at this lake for day use.  No other access passes work here. 

Campsites are split, some are first-served, some are reservable through recreation.gov.

All sites are are tough to score on a nice weekend.  There are not many sites here.  There is no dispersed camping allowed in the area, so if you do not find a spot at the campground, the most likely scenario is that you will have to go all the way back out to HWY 35 and look for a site there.  It can be a bit frustrating.

Overall, Laraunce is a great place to spend the day.  The scenery is great and the water is generally cold enough for good trout fishing.  The native cutthroat and occasional accidental bull trout (not removed from the water) make the fishing unique. It is not as crowded as Lost Lake, with a shorter drive.  It is a locals' favorite for a good reason.