Lake Billy Chinook fishing conditions

Oregon · Central Oregon / Deschutes · 3,900 acres · max 400 ft

Three canyon arms, bull trout and kokanee

Sample dataUpdated October 19, 2026 — 12:04 AM

7.2out of 10

Current conditions

Very Good

Fishing score 72/100

How this score is calculated

Water temperature17.9 / 20

58°F and falling (-1.5°F / 3 days) against a 52–74°F active band.

Barometric pressure5.3 / 15

29.91 inHg and rising (+0.18 / 24 h).

Wind10.0 / 10

13 mph out of the NW. Ideal chop on wind-blown structure.

Water clarity8.2 / 10

11.8 ft of visibility. Very clear — downsize line and lengthen casts.

Water level4.8 / 10

+2.9 ft from normal pool and falling (-1.3 ft / 7 days).

Moon & solunar5.2 / 10

56% illumination. Quarter moon — weaker feeding periods, rely on light change.

Seasonal pattern10.0 / 10

Fall pattern is fully established, with light flow on a current-driven fishery.

Sky & rain10.5 / 15

10% cloud, 71°F air, 0 in of rain in 24 h.

What should I do today?

The single highest-percentage pattern for the conditions right now.

TargetSmallmouth Bass

Depth12–31 ft

LocationRock transitions, gravel flats, current seams and offshore humps

TechniqueNed rig / drop shot

Lure2.75 in Ned-rig finesse worm

ColorGreen pumpkin / smoke purple

RetrieveDrag and pause, 3–5 second pauses

Best window6:09 AM – 8:54 AM

WhyWater has dropped 1.5°F in three days, so fish are sliding back to the first deeper break, rising post-front pressure tightens fish to cover and slows the bite, bright sun keeps fish on shade lines and the deep side of structure, a 13 mph NW wind is stacking bait on the wind-blown banks.

Backup pattern

Vertical jigging over suspended schools for kokanee salmon — Trolled at 25–70 ft; the Metolius arm holds the coolest water in summer.

Right now

Current conditions

Water temp

58°F

▼ -1.5°F / 3 days

Air temp

71°F

10% cloud cover

Wind

13 mph

Out of the NW

Pressure

29.91"

▲ Rising pressure — clearing behind a front

Water level

+2.9 ft

▼ -1.3 ft / 7 days

Clarity

11.8 ft

Light flow

Rain (24 h)

No meaningful runoff

Moon

56%

First Quarter · solunar 12/100

Sunrise

6:34 AM

Low-light window opens 25 min earlier

Sunset

5:05 PM

Evening window runs the last 2 hours

Season

Fall

Pattern driving today's plan

Best window

6:09 AM

Through 8:54 AM

Timing

Today's fishing windows

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM11 PM

Solunar minor 212:16 AM – 1:16 AM
Solunar major 25:46 AM – 7:46 AM
Morning prime window6:09 AM – 8:54 AM
Sunrise6:34 AM
Solunar minor 112:16 PM – 1:16 PM
Evening window3:05 PM – 5:40 PM
Sunset5:05 PM
Solunar major 15:46 PM – 7:46 PM

Structure

Lake structure and depth zones

Typical structure profile for Lake Billy Chinook: basalt canyon walls and talus slides, three distinct river arms, submerged river channels, rock points at the arm junctions. Average depth 120 ft, maximum 400 ft.

Basalt canyon walls and talus slides
Three distinct river arms
Submerged river channels
Rock points at the arm junctions
Deep basin near the dam

Substrate

Bottom composition and why it matters

Rock 50%
Holds heat in spring and crayfish year-round — the first place smallmouth and staging bass set up.
Gravel 20%
Primary spawning substrate. Fish stack on gravel transitions when water hits the 58–66°F band.
Sand 12%
Clean bottom for bait schools and sight-feeding fish, but little cover — look for the edge where sand meets something else.
Mud 8%
Warms fastest in late winter and holds wintering bait, but goes dead in the summer heat.
Clay 5%
Holds hard bottom in stained water and dumps the most colour after rain. Crankbait banks.
Vegetation 3%
Oxygen, shade and ambush cover. The outside grass edge is the highest-percentage line on most lakes.
Timber 2%
Vertical cover fish use to change depth without leaving structure — key on standing timber during frontal swings.

Depth

Depth guide for today

Depth bands for today — adjusted for the fall pattern, current water temperature, cloud cover and wind.
Species	Depth today	Activity	Where they are here
Smallmouth Bass	12–31 ft	High	Everywhere there is rock; 8–25 ft with tubes, Ned rigs and small crankbaits.
Kokanee Salmon	12–50 ft	Moderate	Trolled at 25–70 ft; the Metolius arm holds the coolest water in summer.
Lake Trout	25–74 ft	Low	Bull trout are the local deep predator; strict catch rules apply.
Rainbow Trout	6–31 ft	High	Near inflows and in the top 25 ft in spring.

Targets

Target species at this water

Smallmouth Bass

Everywhere there is rock; 8–25 ft with tubes, Ned rigs and small crankbaits.

Active temp: 52–74°F
Structure: Rock transitions, gravel flats, current seams and offshore humps
Technique: Ned rig / drop shot
Bait: Crayfish, leeches
Lure: 2.75 in Ned-rig finesse worm (2.5"–4")
Color: Green pumpkin / smoke purple
Retrieve: Drag and pause, 3–5 second pauses
Best time: Mid-morning on cold fronts, low light in summer

Holds deep rock until water hits 48°F, moves to gravel spawning flats at 58–64°F, then splits between shallow current and 20–30 ft humps through summer.

Kokanee Salmon

Trolled at 25–70 ft; the Metolius arm holds the coolest water in summer.

Active temp: 48–56°F
Structure: Open basin, suspended over the thermocline
Technique: Downrigger trolling with dodger and hoochie
Bait: Shoepeg corn on the hook
Lure: Pink hoochie behind a dodger (1"–2")
Color: Pink / UV orange
Retrieve: Troll 1.0–1.5 mph
Best time: First three hours of daylight

Follows the 50–54°F band down through summer, then stages near tributaries to spawn in fall.

Lake Trout

Bull trout are the local deep predator; strict catch rules apply.

Active temp: 39–52°F
Structure: Deep rock humps, steep breaks and mid-lake basins
Technique: Vertical jigging tubes / downrigger trolling
Bait: Cisco or sucker meat on a jig
Lure: 3/4–1.5 oz tube jig (4"–6")
Color: White / smoke
Retrieve: Aggressive lift, let it fall on slack line
Best time: Mid-morning; depth matters more than light

Shallow rock right after ice-out, deeper each week as the surface warms, and back onto 20–40 ft reefs to spawn in October.

Rainbow Trout

Near inflows and in the top 25 ft in spring.

Active temp: 45–65°F
Structure: Inflows, spring seeps, rip-rap banks and the thermocline in summer
Technique: Small spoons / inline spinners
Bait: Nightcrawler or dough bait off bottom
Lure: 1/8 oz casting spoon (1"–3")
Color: Silver / rainbow pattern
Retrieve: Steady with occasional stalls
Best time: First light and overcast afternoons

Cruises the surface layer whenever water is under 60°F and drops to the oxygenated band just above the thermocline in mid-summer.

Patterns

Season-by-season patterns

Winter

42–45°F

Deep and slow for bull trout and kokanee; smallmouth are sluggish below 45°F.

Spring

48–60°F

Smallmouth move onto rock as water passes 55°F; kokanee troll shallow in the top 25 ft.

Summer

66–72°F

Smallmouth all day on the canyon walls; kokanee drop to 50–70 ft in the Metolius arm.

Fall

50–64°F

Kokanee stage near the Metolius inflow; smallmouth school on deeper points.

Outlook

7-day fishing forecast

Day	Score	Water	Wind	Pressure	Level	Clarity	Best species	Technique	Best window
Today	72Very Good	58°F	13 mph NW	29.91"	+2.9 ft	11.8 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:09 AM – 8:54 AM
Tue	82Excellent	58°F	10 mph W	30.31"	-3.9 ft	14.5 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:10 AM – 8:55 AM
Wed	76Very Good	59°F	4 mph SE	29.98"	-4.4 ft	12.8 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:12 AM – 8:57 AM
Thu	83Excellent	60°F	14 mph E	30.18"	-4.6 ft	9.5 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:13 AM – 8:58 AM
Fri	85Excellent	59°F	12 mph SE	29.89"	+0.5 ft	12.9 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:14 AM – 8:59 AM
Sat	89Excellent	60°F	6 mph E	30.10"	+0.1 ft	12.5 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:16 AM – 9:01 AM
Sun	82Excellent	60°F	3 mph E	29.65"	-1.3 ft	9.8 ft	Smallmouth Bass	Ned rig / drop shot	6:17 AM – 9:02 AM

Trends

Last 7 days

Water temperature

-2 °F

58°F

TueToday

Barometric pressure

-0.3 "

29.905"

TueToday

Wind

0 mph

13 mph

TueToday

Water level

+2.5 ft

2.9 ft

TueToday

Fishing activity

-15

TueToday

Water temperature has fallen 2°F over the past week. Fish are repositioning to the first deeper break and the mid-day bite is usually the most consistent.

The water

About Lake Billy Chinook

Billy Chinook sits in a dramatic basalt canyon where the Deschutes, Crooked and Metolius rivers meet. Each arm fishes differently: the Metolius arm is cold and holds bull trout, the Crooked arm is warmer and stained, and the Deschutes arm splits the difference. Smallmouth line the rock everywhere.

Surface area: 3,900 acres
Max depth: 400 ft
Average depth: 120 ft
Elevation: 1,945 ft
Typical clarity: 12 ft
Annual level swing: 15 ft
Coordinates: 44.580, -121.280
Region: Central Oregon / Deschutes

Local knowledge

Expert notes

The three arms can differ by 10°F in surface temperature on the same day. Pick the arm by target species, not by which ramp is closest.
Smallmouth here sit tight against vertical basalt. Cast parallel to the wall and let the bait fall along it, rather than casting into the rock and reeling out.

Logistics

Access, ramps and boating

boat ramp

Cove Palisades State Park ramp

The main access with camping and a marina.

marina

Three Rivers Marina

Fuel and supplies at the arm junction.

shore

Metolius arm shoreline

Limited but scenic bank access; check bull trout rules.

Rules

Regulations

Oregon fishing license required; part of the lake lies within the Warm Springs Reservation and requires a tribal permit.
Bull trout: special retention rules — this is one of the few Oregon waters where limited harvest is allowed.
Kokanee: generous bag limits.
Check arm-specific closures during spawning seasons.

Always verify current regulations with the relevant state wildlife agency before fishing. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Transparency

Data sources

Where this data comes from

Conditions are modelled from each water's documented climate, structure and seasonal patterns. Modules marked “Live data integration pending” are not yet pulling from their API, so those values are clearly labelled as sample data rather than presented as real-time readings.

Weather API
Pending
NOAA / National Weather Service — Air temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall and barometric pressure with a 7-day forecast.
Water Level & Flow API
Pending
USGS Water Services — Reservoir stage, discharge and 7-day level trend from the nearest gauge.
Water Temperature
Pending
USGS / NOAA buoys — Surface water temperature and its multi-day trend.
Tide & Current API
Pending
NOAA CO-OPS — Tide predictions, current direction and speed for coastal zones.
Moon & Solunar
Live
Computed on-site — Moon phase, illumination and solunar major/minor periods are calculated from date and coordinates.
Water Clarity
Pending
Satellite imagery + angler reports — Visibility estimates by lake arm, refined by submitted fishing reports.
Fishing Regulations
Pending
State wildlife agencies — License, size and creel rules, linked to the official agency page for verification.
Map Data
Pending
Bathymetry + access point database — Depth zones, structure locations and boat ramps for the lake infographic.