This reservoir of 1,150 acres is located about six miles south of Cottage Grove just east of London Road and can be drawn down drastically in low water years. It has boat ramps at the northwest end near the dam and at the southeast end near where Wilson Creek enters the reservoir. Cottage Grove contains stocked rainbow and some native cutthroat trout as well as some good-sized largemouth bass, bluegills, black crappies and brown bullheads. An 11 pound bass was taken from the reservoir in 1995. Currently, there is a catch and release restriction on bass more than 15-inches long in the reservoir. In late November of 2009, Wayne Masoner related to the author an incident that took place after a club tournament held in 1989 by the Willamette Bass Club. It seems that Jack Cabe was fishing near a culvert almost directly across the reservoir from Wilson Creek with a 4-inch purple “slider worm” when he hooked and landed a 21-inch crappie that weighed five pounds. The catch was witnessed by several members of the former bass club, but was the crappie was released instead of being turned in for state record recognition.
P Heley