Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir in Oregon, near Jefferson County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir in Jefferson County, Oregon.
Without a dependable size figure for Lake Billy Chinook, weeds, rock, water color, and nearby depth are the best starting clues.
Lake Billy Chinook joins the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius river arms behind Round Butte Dam. Kokanee, trout, bull trout, and smallmouth bass use very different parts of those canyons.
Follow kokanee in open water, use tubes on warm rock for smallmouth, and work larger lures near cold Metolius water only when bull trout are the confirmed target.
The three arms differ in temperature, clarity, and current. Billy Chinook is also Oregon's unusual lake where a managed bull-trout fishery exists, so current rules matter more than a generic trout plan.
Fishing becomes easier when the trip starts with one goal: treat the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius arms as separate kokanee, bass, and bull-trout water. On Lake Billy Chinook, that separates a real pattern from random casting.
A second pass should follow the same main idea, which is to treat the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius arms as separate kokanee, bass, and bull-trout water, while holding the lure near the depth of the first two bites, changing speed once, and checking one nearby piece of matching water before leaving the area so the next move is based on a repeatable fish location instead of a guess or an old report from another part of the lake.
Fish listed for Lake Billy Chinook include Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Bull Trout, and Smallmouth Bass.
During the last hour of daylight near a rocky edge beside useful cover, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point for smallmouth bass.
During the last hour of daylight near the downwind side in clear water, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water for rainbow trout.
During the final pass near a firm-bottom flat before changing areas, work a small minnow bait, spoon, or streamer along cool breaks and moving water for brown trout.
During a quick scouting pass near a shallow shelf before changing areas, Make one shallow pass and one deeper pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break.
During a calm morning near a channel bend with light wind, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.
During a check of nearby water near a creek-side turn in clear water, a light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control.
During a quick scouting pass near a soft-to-hard bottom change while the water is rising, record the wind, water color, depth where fish were holding, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.
During a cool spring morning near a windblown shore beside useful cover, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
The main difference is easy to see: Lake Billy Chinook joins the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius river arms behind Round Butte Dam.
Start simply: Follow kokanee in open water, use tubes on warm rock for smallmouth, and work larger lures near cold Metolius water only when bull trout are the confirmed target.
Watch this closely: The three arms differ in temperature, clarity, and current.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.