Volume XXV - 1994

During my summer seasons as a ranger, I have answered many questions about America's deepest lake. "Are there fish in the lake?" is one of the most frequently asked. The answer is yes, but the explanation cannot end there. How the fish arrived in Crater Lake is relevant because no streams breach the caldera wall.

In 1888, William Gladstone Steel -- who was later known as the park's founder -- decided that people needed a recreational diversion upon arrival at the Lake of Blue Waters. As if the breathtaking beauty was not enough! So Steel decided to stock Crater Lake.

Initially, fingerlings (rainbow trout) were brought from the Rogue River to Crater Lake. Over a period of 40-50 years, five more species of fish were introduced: brook and brown trout, steelhead, coho (silver) salmon, and kokonee salmon. I am no ichthyologist, but it seems strange that Will and his associates placed steelhead (a rainbow trout that spends part of its life cycle in the ocean) and coho salmon in a lake with no inlets or outlets. Since both of these species move from ocean to fresh water streams to spawn, neither of them would survive very long in the closed system of Crater Lake.

For that matter, there have been no sightings of brook or brown trout since the 1960s. Among the six introduced to the lake, the only survivors appear to be the rainbow trout and kokonee salmon. Both are well equipped for Crater Lake's cold, deep water.

Since the two existing species of fish in the lake were put there for recreational purposes, I bet all you anglers are wondering how the fishing is at Crater Lake. Writing as one who has been on a four year quest to catch the "Crater Lake Monster," I feel qualified to provide some insight. Whether or not you will tell fishing stories about Crater Lake depends on what your expectations are before you start to fish.

If you come to