Central Oregon Fly Fishing

You’ll get little argument among fl y anglers that Central Oregon is a premier fishing destination, whether you prefer wading down a rushing river, reading the water and stalking wily wild trout, or casting from a boat on a mountain lake. But before gathering up the rod and waders, every fl y angler first asks, “Where should I fish today?” The answer is swimming with options, but it depends on what kind of experience you seek and how much time you have.

If you’ve asked yourself that question and have no answer, this primer on Central Oregon’s best fl y-fishing waters will fill in the blank. Just don’t forget to read the current fishing regulations before you go. You can find regulation booklets and licenses at fl y-fishing and other sporting goods shops, and at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife office at 61374 Parrell Road in Bend. Fishing on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation requires a special permit offered through the Warm Springs Market on the reservation. Be sure to observe the boating regulations found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recreation/boating/index.shtml for each body of water.

Word has been out for quite some time about this little lake tucked alongside the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway, where once only locals “in the know” fished. While Hosmer Lake has a large population of huge brook trout that laze close to the bottom, the main draw here is the chance to catch landlocked Atlantic salmon. You need a boat, canoe or fl oat tube for success at Hosmer.

Hosmer Atlantics can reach 15 to 20 inches, weigh two to four pounds and if you hook one, you’ll know why the early Romans called them “the leaper.” Although you can cast fl ies to rising fish, the most effective way to get into them is by dragging nymph patterns behind a self-powered boat (no motorized craft allowed).

There are only seven guides permitted for the Cascade Lakes, so be sure to schedule one ahead of time. “Since we are permitted to guide on the Cascade Lakes, the Lower Deschutes River, and the Crooked River, we are able to cater more to the skill level and the age of the customer,” said Scott Cook, owner of Fly and Field shop and guide service in Bend.

The nearly 5-square-mile Crane Prairie Reservoir was created by a dam on the Upper Deschutes River. The reservoir harbors rainbow trout, brook trout, kokanee and largemouth bass. Trout here can range well into the 4- and 5- pound range.

While most folks who fish at Crane Prairie Reservoir use bait and lures, the reservoir’s variety of insect hatches make it a worthy destination for the fl y angler. Good fl ies include comparaduns, parachute adams, parachute callibaetis, Light cahills, woolly buggers and leeches. Casting dry fl ies to rising fish or trolling (or casting and stripping) streamers all work well.

You will need some kind of boat or fl oat tube to maximize your success at Crane Prairie Reservoir.

Although much of the Crooked River and its trout fishery suffer from the impacts of human use, a 6- or 7-mile section below Bowman Dam, which creates Prineville Reservoir, offers an environment where development has actually improved fishing. By taking the cool water off the bottom of the reservoir and sending it downstream, the dam creates a tailwater fishery, where trout thrive in a river that is otherwise too warm.

While best known for its fall and winter rainbow trout fishery, the Crooked River is a great place to experience any season of the year, with late morning to mid-afternoon being the best times to hit the water. Many of the fish here tend to hug the banks or hunker down in the weed beds, but you will also find plenty of opportunity fishing the runs, riffl es and pocket water.

For nymph fishing, go with scuds that imitate the native freshwater shrimp along with pheasant tails, hare’s ears and beadhead princes. For dry fl ies, parachute adams, blue-winged olives and comparaduns are good.

A classic Central Oregon spring-fed stream for fly-fishing only, the Fall River fl ows through a bright, scenic forest north of La Pine State Park. The river is dominated by legal-size hatchery rainbow trout, although there are brown and brook trout around, as well. While the preponderance of hatchery fish may put off some fl y-fishing purists, there is fun fishing to be had here.

A good starting point for a pleasant Fall River angling outing starts at the Fall River Fish Hatchery. There are four miles of good angling water as you move downstream to the falls. Most of the river’s wild fish are found below the falls.

Summer is probably the best time to fish this river. Such allpurpose patterns as light cahills, pale morning duns, blue-winged olives and elk hair caddis will serve you well on the Fall River.

The spring-fed Metolius River, at Camp Sherman, is a beautiful stream with a reputation as a difficult place to catch fish. The state stopped stocking the river in 1996, resulting in an excellent population of wild rainbow trout that are the river’s signature fish, along with bull trout, which also have a following of dedicated anglers.

Knowing the hatches—and therefore knowing what flies to use and when to use them—is key to success on the Metolius. This river has green drake hatches in late spring, early summer and again in fall; a golden stonefl y hatch from early July through mid-October and blue-winged olives from November to April. In addition, fl ies that imitate crippled insects such as knock-down duns and sparkle duns are also productive.

Since there are not a lot of submerged logs to give trout cover in the Metolius, the river’s Rainbows tend to concentrate more along the banks. Anglers should, too. Winter is typically the preferred time of year to catch Bull Trout. For these big lugs, dredge the deep pools with nymphs and streamers.

Rainbow trout and largemouth bass are the reason flyanglers fl ock to the 3,000-acre Davis Lake, in the Deschutes National Forest, south of Wickiup Reservoir. It’s been a fly-fishing only lake for the past 60 years. Because it has a rather weedy shoreline and muddy bottom, wading won’t serve you well here—you’ll want a boat or fl oat tube. Motorized boats cannot exceed 10 mph. The lake also has a porous volcanic bottom that leaks, resulting in occasional low water years and poor fishing.

The west shoreline and the lava dam on the northeast portion of the lake often offer good angling. For the trout, try dragonfly nymphs and damselfl y patterns, along with green leeches and woolly buggers. Poppers and leech patterns work well for the bass.

Most fly anglers would agree that the Lower Deschutes River is Central Oregon’s premier trout fishing water. Mecca Flat on the Lower Deschutes offers easy access to an eight-mile long sampling of that water downstream to Trout Creek Campground. Mecca Flat is off Highway 26, about 14 miles north of Madras
just before crossing the bridge to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. You can walk and wade along the trail from the campground at Mecca Flat on the river’s east side or float, putting in at the boat launch just above the Highway 26 bridge and taking out at Trout Creek Campground.

A unique variety of rainbow trout known as Deschutes redsides are the premier fish of the lower river that rise to elk-hair caddis, parachute adams, march browns, pale morning duns and other standard Western river flies. The salmon fly hatch between mid-May and mid-June brings out the redside’s voracious appetite, along with hoards of fly anglers.

Summer steelhead draw fly anglers here in the fall, as well. The fish are moving to this section of river by late September. Although they peak throughout October, the steelhead are in the Lower Deschutes through the close of the season on December 31, and take such offerings as green butt skunks, purple perils and woolly buggers.

A good place to get your waders wet for a Cascade Mountain river fishing experience is on the 16-mile stretch of the Deschutes River downstream from Wickiup Reservoir, with excellent public access within the Deschutes National Forest. Trout swimming these waters include browns and rainbows, along with a good population of brookies in the reach between Wickiup and Crane Prairie reservoirs. While the rainbows are usually 11 to 12 inches long, brown trout here can weigh up to several pounds and get as big as 12 to 14 inches.

In addition to the beautiful mountain stream environment, this stretch of the Deschutes is also a generous environment for the fly-angler, as just about any of the classic Western standby flies, such as parachute adams, elk-hair caddis, pale morning duns and blue-winged olives will generally work.

Generally, the middle Deschutes is the 35-mile run between Bend and Lake Billy Chinook. Most fly-anglers, however, head to Lower Bridge, off NW Lower Bridge Way just west of Terrebonne. Historically, much of the water in this section of river is drawn out for irrigation from mid-April through mid-October,
although a number of conservation groups are working to keep more water in the river for fish. For now, though, the best fly angling here for brown and rainbow trout is early spring and late fall. Brown trout typically range from one to seven pounds, but have been known to reach up to 40 pounds with a good food
source. Rainbow trout generally come in between 2 and 5 pounds.

A good time to go is on a warm March day when insect hatches are abundant.

Fishing is good both upstream and downstream of the bridge, and you’ll do best wading down the middle of the river and casting toward the banks with march browns, elk-hair caddis and blue-winged olives. For nymph fishing, hare’s ears, beadhead princes and flash back pheasant tails are effective.