Pine Hollow Reservoir sits tucked into the rolling foothills of Wasco County, roughly 35 miles south of The Dalles at an elevation near 1,700 feet. It's the kind of place that doesn't show up on most anglers' radars — no boat ramps packed on summer weekends, no guided tours, no Instagram crowds. But for anyone willing to make the drive south from Hood River on Highway 35 and then east on Dufur Valley Road, Pine Hollow rewards that effort with some of the most consistent largemouth bass and crappie fishing in north-central Oregon.
Why Pine Hollow Stays Off the Radar
At roughly 240 surface acres, Pine Hollow isn't large by reservoir standards, but its relative isolation from the population centers of Portland and Bend keeps pressure manageable even in peak season. The reservoir was built for irrigation, and its shoreline alternates between steep cut banks on the western side and shallower, brushy coves on the north and east ends — ideal structure for both bass and panfish.
The campground at Pine Hollow offers primitive sites close to the water, making this an easy overnight trip that extends your fishing hours into the productive early morning and evening windows.
Largemouth Bass: Summer Patterns That Produce
By mid-July, water temperatures at Pine Hollow have climbed into the low-to-mid 70s Fahrenheit — squarely in the comfort zone for largemouth bass. The fish are done spawning and have shifted into their summer feeding patterns: aggressive morning topwater action in the shallows, followed by a retreat to deeper structure as the sun climbs.
Morning: Topwater and Shallow Presentations
Arrive at the boat launch before 6:30 AM. Work topwater lures — Zara Spooks, Whopper Ploppers, and hollow-body frogs — along the northern coves where emergent tules and submerged brush give bass ambush cover. The north arm of the reservoir, where a small seasonal creek enters, is particularly productive in early morning. Walk-the-dog presentations over the submerged timber edges have produced bass in the 3-to-5-pound range consistently.
Midday: Go Deep and Slow Down
When the sun is fully up, switch to Texas-rigged creature baits (4-inch craw patterns in green pumpkin or watermelon red) and drag them slowly along the western drop-offs. A 3/8-ounce tungsten weight will keep your bait in the strike zone on the steeper banks. Wacky-rigged Senko worms work well in the 10-to-15-foot range on the calmer east side.
Evening: Jigs and Swimbaits
The two hours before sunset are prime time for a 3/8-ounce football jig dragged through the rocky bottom transitions or a paddle-tail swimbait retrieved at a medium pace over submerged grass lines. The bass school up here in July and a single location can produce multiple fish once you've found the right depth band.
Crappie: The Overlooked Bonus Fishery
Pine Hollow's crappie population doesn't get the attention it deserves. Both black and white crappie inhabit the reservoir, and during July the fish stack up in 8-to-14 feet of water around any vertical structure they can find — submerged stumps, bridge pilings near the dam face, and the dock structure at the campground.
A 1/16-ounce jig head paired with a 2-inch curly tail grub in white, chartreuse, or pink is all you need. A float rig set at the right depth is even simpler and devastatingly effective when the fish are concentrated. Crappie are excellent table fare, and Pine Hollow's population can support a limit (25 fish per day under ODFW regulations) without being overharvested.
Gear and Regulations
- License: Oregon Combined Angling License required
- Bass: No size or bag limit restriction under ODFW general regulations — check current ODFW regs for any updates
- Crappie: 25 per day, no minimum size
- Boats: Motorized boats allowed; the ramp is gravel and serviceable for trailered craft up to about 18 feet
- Bait: All legal angling methods permitted
Getting There
From The Dalles, head south on US-197 toward Dufur, then take Dufur Valley Road east and south into the Fifteenmile Creek drainage. Signs for Pine Hollow Reservoir will direct you the rest of the way. The drive from The Dalles takes roughly 45 minutes on good two-lane roads. From Hood River, budget about an hour via Highway 35 south to Dufur Valley Road.
Fuel up and grab supplies in Dufur before heading out — there are no services at the reservoir. A cooler, sun protection, and plenty of water are essential for mid-July fishing in this high-desert foothills climate, where afternoon temperatures regularly hit the 90s.
Final Word
Pine Hollow Reservoir won't make the cover of any fishing magazine, and that's exactly why it's worth your time. The bass bite is legitimate, the crappie are abundant, and on most summer weekdays you'll have stretches of the reservoir entirely to yourself. For anglers in the Hood River, The Dalles, or Bend area looking for a productive warm-water fishery without driving to the valley, Pine Hollow is the overlooked answer.
