The famous Agency Lake just up into Oregon

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This lake has lots of history with many famous old fly fishers spending time on in.

Klamath Lake, Agency Lake, the Wood and Williamson river are all part of the Klamath River drainage.

Locals Joe Shirshac and Al Perryman both spent lots of hours in the area.

These lakes are mostly very shallow so in the summer when they warms up the very large Rainbow trout head for cold water around the springs and the spring creeks. Small to medium size outboard boats are popular on these large lakes.

Fish over 20 pounds have been recorded there and it is very well know by fly fishers.

Top fly fishers like Rich Henry, a Native American fly fishing guide, Bob Quigley, Jay Fair and Denny Rickards have spent decades in the area.

Here is a recent photo that Gordon Langenbeck sent me of a big one from Agency Lake.......

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[loose_shoes]

I've always wanted to give this place a try. Agency and Upper Klamath are pretty big. I have to idea where to start. A quick Google search is not coming up with much info regarding access locations.

Anybody have experience at this lake? Where are some good access points for float tubes? Good time(s) of the year to hit it?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think there is good info in books like the ones written by Denny Rickards and others about Oregon lakes.

I think late summer is good.

You can fish some smaller areas with a float tube or pontoon boat.

We should get more help....

[Ben J]

I'm very curious about this area as well. Do the lakes have browns as well?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

They do catch Brown trout in the Wood River part of the drainage but it is very famous for the big Rainbows.

There are some good guides up there so I think that would be a great way to get on to the "Fast Tract".



South Oregon is one of the best destinations for lots of wonderful fly fishing.

Lots of our friends from CA moved up there.....

Gary Anderson, Al Peryman, Gordon Langenbeck, Larry Cullins, Charlie Costner, Jim & Rachel Andras.....

[JAWallace]

I think these two lakes may be the most underrated on the West Coast. I have not fished Agency, but I have fished Klamath with Denny Rickards. Denny is of course highly knowledgable and very instructive. I will say that any references to "laid back" would not include Denny. Our largest was 7# and we got it in about 4' of water in a place where you'd look for bass in other lakes.

After one half day with Denny we went out on our own, and did really well with Jay Fair patterns. The next day we motored out the channel and the weeds were so bad the water pump gave out. Went into K Falls and had it done quick, went back out and got more.

I would definitely recommend a guide for the first time. This is a large lake and very few spots hold fish, plus it's very seasonal and week-specific. You do need a boat.

[jbird]

Before I left Oregon, Klamath lake had become my full focus of flyfishing. The last summer I fished it was 2010. We were catching so many big fish it was insane. A friend and I boated 18 fish between us on several occassions. These fish were all 20-30". It is extremely technical and not for the impatient. Do not expect to show up for a weekend and succeed. Like any technical fishery, if you go, dont mess around, get a guide. Then you will have a launching pad for success there.

[Ben J]

So what is the name of the game for fishing in these lakes... Is it mostly a midge fishing deal, or stripping streamers... or other? From the sound of it, the average rainbow size is incredible. Pretty sure I will be looking to take a guided trip this summer at one of these lakes. Looks Awesome!

Any input on guides would also be great.

[Langenbeck]

The main method of fishing is stripping leeches on slime lines but I had some excellent days chironomid fishing. The true average fish is 22-23"s but they are ugly in the summer with lots of cocopods. You must put in your time to learn these lakes as places you catch fish today will be devoid of fish next week mainly because of temperature change and algae bloom. Probably the best public Stillwater in the US.

There are lots of browns in the Wood River but I have only taken one brown in the lake. When you think to have it wired and your indicator goes down then hang on as you might have a 30+" mullet. On the initial run you think you have a giant trout. Hope there is a chop on the water as I have found very calm days to be very slow.

[Stillwater Fly Fisher]

Another great source of information is Zack from the Fly Shop is Redding. He knows the area very well, and probably has spent more time fishing the Klamath Basin in the last decade than anyone. The stories he has about the fishing up there are amazing, and he also has a whole series of stillwater patterns that designed/developed especially for the Klamath Basin that are really starting to get a following. I have fished up there a few times and done pretty decent. A boat is a must, especially on Agency, and wind is your friend!

[Simonson]

I second that. Zack is one of the best fly tiers in the world! He has several patterns that are highly effective for stillwaters. It is only a matter of time before his name will be mentioned with Denny Richards and Jay Fair.