This is a bit of a go-back in time but the day at the Lava Cast Forest was too impressive not to mention. The Lava Cast Forest is a lava flow located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and it is actually casts of trees set in lava where trees were growing once upon a time when the most recent lava flow moved through the area many thousands of years ago. It’s kind of like plaster of Paris with lava and trees.
The day finally came. A limit for two at Odell. I think I mentioned the limit here on the last post, but in case you missed it we're looking for 25 fish per day per person. We got an early start at just after 5 and catching was pretty steady all day. We lost a bunch which prolonged the day a bit but that is the way kokanee fishing goes. We had our first limit…
Odell lake has to be one of the neatest lakes in Oregon. High atop Willamette Pass it is at the very top end of the Deschutes Watershed. Two hundred and fifty plus feet deep in places I have often wondered just how many kokanee could be in there. It has to be millions. But back to the koks in a minute.
We’ve made a few trips to Odell so far this summer. For developed camping it’s hard to beat Trapper Creek campground. Located right on the lake next to Trapper Creek where the kokanee spawn every fall there’s about 30 well spaced sites it a stand of tall spruce and huckleberries.
It’s a quick trip to the boat ramp which is right in the campground. And as much as I always think, maybe we’ll get to a hike or some other activities, lets face it, a trip to Odell is all about the fishing. You can keep 25 kokanee per day here, and if you get your timing right you can limit well before noon. Well, some people can. I’ve come close a few times but I’ve always fallen short of a limit. The bite is always good before the sun hits the water, sometimes it dies off shortly thereafter, sometimes it keeps going and it’s the wind that ends the day for you.