Billy Chinook

[OregonApe]

I spent last week at Billy and I have come back less than impressed by the fishing. There were plenty of kokanee to be sure. Even without having any good idea of what we were doing we still would have limited out pretty easily every day. However the kokes are tiny and parasite riddled. We didn't catch anything larger than 8". We released everything. There was one bull trout that was close but not above the 24" minimum.

Bite disappeared once light hit the lake for the most part. The only exception was in tribal waters over by the Perry South campground. That area seemed pretty sheltered from the wind and there was surface feeding through the morning until noon or so and the bite stayed strong. However, again, they were small and covered in sores.

I don't know if the lake is just overpopulated so they are stunted or what, but I wouldn't go back any time soon.

Maybe it's just the wrong time of year? We saw fairly few other boats fishing.

 

[Irishrover]

LBC used to have a 25-kokanee limit. It went down to a 5 fish combined limit a few years back. Perhaps that had some effect on the population growth. We used to fish the Metolius arm and camp at Perry South. The kokanee were not infested with Copepods like they appear to be now.

Now we fish a lot more at Lake Simtustus, the body of water below Round Butte Dam. We just spent a few days over there a Pelton Park and took the boat up the lake and caught limits of steelhead ODF&W plants in there as a put and take fish. Nice place to fish and as of now no Copepods on the fish.

 

[DonF]

I have never done any good on that lake. Matter of fact, about every time I've been there I've ended up having motor trouble on the boat. I avoid the place!