Wickiup is Brown Town. No other lake or reservoir in Oregon compares and no other lake spits out the big Brown Trout like Wickiup can. It is our largest reservoir, but because it is so shallow by summers end there is very little “lake” left and mostly a meandering river channel is present.

Wickiup is also home to good population of Rainbow, Whitefish, Kokanee and some for the majority of the season, which opens the end of April you’ll need a motorized boat to effectively fish Wickiup. It is too vast to do from a tube or row boat except in some very localized areas.

By August, the upper end of the Deschutes Channel is barely holding on to lake status as the reservoir drains, it begins to show current and a distinctive channel and is a very good spot to pick up some nice fish.

So nice it is, the ODFW has a special regulation on this section of the lake that closes it on August 31st every year to protect the fish from too much pressure. Not too worry, the rest of the lake is very worth while up until the closing date of October 31st and Fall is often the time when the very biggest browns are caught on the lake.

Wickiup is certainly known as a great leech and streamer lake, but don’t overlook the abundant Callibaetis, Caddis and Chironomid hatches because you will not want to miss out on the excellent opportunities they provide throughout the Wickiup has many good boat launch areas but Gull Point and Sheeps Bridge are two of my favorites.

Getting to Wickiup is easy from Hwy 97 near Sun River, Oregon take South Century Drive to the Twin Lakes Junction and from there it’s easy access to either Sheep’s Bridge or Gull Point boat launches. Wickiup has access from Century Drive and National Forest Road 44.