Fishing

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Fishing at Crater Lake

1962-Cleetwood-Cove-National-Geographic-photo
1962-Cleetwood-Cove-National-Geographic-photo
Fish at Crater Lake – an identification page

  • All waters within Crater Lake National Park are open to fishing unless otherwise indicated below.

  • Lake Regulations

    • Bait – All waters are restricted to use of artificial lures and flies only. No organic bait of any kind can be used in Crater Lake National Park. This includes live or dead fish, power bait, and fish eggs or roe.
    • Boating – Private boats or flotation devices are not allowed on Crater Lake.
    • License – No Fishing license is required within the boundaries of Crater Lake National Park.
    • Limits – There are no restrictions relative to size, number, or species taken.
    • Season – The lake can be fished year-round except when seasonal limitations prevent safe access. This means about May 20 through Oct. 31. The only access to the lake is by the Cleetwood Trail located on the north side of Crater Lake.
    • Time – Fishing is allowed in the park from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.
    • Where – Cleetwood Cove provides about 1/4 mile of rocky shoreline for angling. Wizard Island is also open while boat tours are running. Fishing is allowed from park boat docks except when a boat is within 200 feet of the dock.
    • Note – Pack out your catch. Cleaning fish in the lake is prohibited.

    Stream Regulations

    • Closures – Fishing is prohibited in Sun Creek starting three miles upstream from the junction of Sun Creek and the park boundary, and extending three miles upstream, as posted. Sun Creek is protected habitat for endangered Bull Trout.
    • Regulations – State regulations are enforced for stream fishing in Crater Lake National Park.

    Crater Lake National Park ranges in elevation from about 3,800 feet in the southwest corner of the park to just over 8,900 feet at Mount Scott. Most of the rim area is situated near the 7,000 foot elevation level, although, the Watchman and Hillman Peak areas on the western side of the lake are slightly in excess of 8,100 feet. Vegetation grades from a mixed conifer forest dominated by ponderosa pine at the south entrance to high elevation mountain hemlock and whitebark pine forest at the rim. Other forest types include lodgepole pine, white fir, Douglas fir, and shasta red fir”….[General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Crater Lake National Park, 2005]

    Water Bodies within Crater Lake National Park

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