New Rule Changes ODFW Year-Round Fishing Howard Prairie Lake

Howard Prairie just recently turned into a year round fishery with rule changes enacted by ODFW. The parks at the lake, including the ramps have always closed no later than October 31 due to park staffing levels, winter mountain conditions and lake levels. This year is no different. Water levels at the lake make Willow Point, Grizzly Creek, and Klum Landing ramps unusable, as they are high and dry. The only ramp left that is usable at this point is the ramp at the HP resort. Due to the amount of infrastructure at the Resort that has the potential to get vandalized (and does), in conjunction with the fact that our seasonal hosts at the resort leave for the winter and the park is winterized for the winter, the resort is not a site that is suitable to leave open, unattended, for park use. In any normal water year, we are more than happy to leave the Willow Point ramp open, as the restroom at the park is a vault toilet needing no running water and there is little available for vandals to destroy.

In the meantime, we have opened Willow Point for anglers to park and use the restroom facilities, but it is only useful for bank anglers, as mentioned above, the ramp is dry. This access will continue so long as fall weather continues. When and if snow starts to fly and roads become snow packed, the park will be closed again. Please note that closing boat ramps at high elevation lakes seasonally is not abnormal.