Where to Fish - Little White Salmon River above Drano Lake

Part of our series on fishing in the Columbia River Gorge Species:  Rainbow trout Seasons: late May-October 31 Links:  Big Cedars Park , Mos...

Part of our series on fishing in the Columbia River Gorge

Species:  Rainbow trout

Seasons: late May-October 31

Links:  Big Cedars Park, Moss Creek Campground, Oklahoma Campground

Location:  Willard, WA.  20-30 minutes Northwest of Hood River

Spirit Falls is just downstream

The Little White Salmon is famous for a couple of things, trout fishing is not one of them.  First and foremost, the Little White is what feeds Drano Lake, the most famous salmon fishery on the Columbia River system.  It is also known for a gorgeous waterfall called Spirit Falls that is near the town of Willard.  After that it is know as one of the most epic kayaking runs in the world.  Fishing comes in down the list.

The Little White has a couple of areas where trout are stocked regularly near Willard.  This is a rarity in these parts to have a river stocked with rainbow trout.  Almost all rivers around here are managed for either wild trout or salmon and steelhead.  So a nice little stream that is stocked with rainbow trout is a good option to have.

According to a biologist that works at the salmon hatchery on the river, the Little White Salmon does not have enough food to support a healthy year-round trout population.  Very few trout can survive the winter in the cold, nearly sterile water of the Little White.  There are no native trout in the river, which is why they can plant is without affecting any native fish populations. 

The river is typical for put and take fisheries.  Trout are stocked a couple of times per year and it is usually busy that next weekend, and then rarely fished after that until the next stocking.  There are plenty of trout that survive the initial onslaught of powerbait and are eager to take a fly throughout the summer.  They don't have much food, so they are very eager to eat most standard dry flies. 

A lovely stream with no pressure

The two main areas that get fished are both close to Willard.  Moss Creek Campground and Big Cedars Park are by far the areas that see the most pressure.  A half dozen pullouts exist in the immediate area as well.  Traveling upstream, you will find that the water is eerily clear and definitely does not hold many fish. 

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Oklahoma Campground is at the end of the road and that is a few miles past where I would expect to find a trout. They might be up there, but from my experience, being closer to Willard is the key to success.

Overall, this is a nice little fishery.  It is very pretty, and there is very little pressure.  Despite the put and take nature of the fishery, it is one of our top spots to catch trout in the area.