Lake Celilo fishing: Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Yellow Perch
Boat: 4 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Celilo Park Boat Ramp, 1 lane.

The reservoir

Lake Celilo covers 9,007 acres in Washington, across Klickitat County. It is a reservoir: 95.1% of it is 80 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is 271 feet (82.7 m). Our records hold 14 species for this water. 44% of the water lies in Oregon.

Depth: down to 271 ft at the deepest measured point

Deepest measured point: 271 ft (82.7 m). 95.1% of the water is 80 feet or shallower. We hold 369 depth contours for this water, drawn from 1,050 soundings.

  • 0–20 ft: 37.8% of the water
  • 20–40 ft: 37.8% of the water
  • 40–60 ft: 14.1% of the water
  • 60–80 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 80–100 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 100–120 ft: 1.2% of the water
  • 120–140 ft: 0.2% of the water
  • 140–160 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 160–180 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 180–200 ft: 0.1% of the water
  • 200–220 ft: 0.1% of the water

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • White Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Striped Bass, American Shad, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Banded Killifish.

A boat of fishermen on the Columbia river.jpg
Bobjgalindo · CC BY 4.0

4 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps and 1 boat ramp.

  • Celilo Park Boat Ramp — 1 lane, restrooms. On Columbia River (Bonneville Reservoir), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. phone 541-296-1181 · website nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation
  • Giles French Park — 1 lane, restrooms. On Columbia River (Bonneville Reservoir), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. phone 541-296-1181 · website nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation
  • Rufus Landing — 1 lane, restrooms. On Columbia River (Bonneville Reservoir), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. phone 541-296-1181 · website nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation
  • Celilo Park Hand Launch — restrooms. On Columbia River (Bonneville Reservoir), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. phone 541-296-1181 · website nwp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 4 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 9,007 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: soundings: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.