My Friends From Oregon

You guys always give me such good info when I am planning a trip. I am putting together trip at the end of April. I am definatly planning on hitting the Ana River first as I have been trying to get there for a couple of years. I was thinking about the Crooked River as a backup plan. I have heard there are tons of fish but they are not very big (which I can live with) and it is fly fishing only for part of the year... that is about all I know. What do you think guys, is it worth the 5 1/2 hr drive to get there??? I know there are a lot of options in Oregon but I am really looking for a trip in the desert this time around. I thought about the Owyhee as well but I think that is just too far with gas in the 4.00 a gallon range.

Been awhile since I fished crooked river but when I did I loved it. The first seven or eight miles below the damn were always the best fishing. There were tons of fish in there but I heard once that the fish numbers had declined but were now on the rebound. Most of what I caught were between 6 and 12 inches. The water is kind of off color all the time but it does not affect the fishing. I had several people tell me there were lots of rattlesnakes on that river but I never did see one all the times I fished it. Sure looked like a good place to find them though.

Rocky

I agree with Rocky about the trout. Their numbers seem to be on the upswing. The largest I caught this year was 17 inches but most about 8 -12 inches. The Crooked also has a good population of whitefish. The amount of water being released from the Bowman Dam greatly influences the fishing. Too much water and it gets to be tough fishing. My personal choice is to hit the Crooked with a water flow of 200 FPS or less. From conversations I have had with others most anglers don't like to hit the Crooked when the water flow is above 300 FPS.

We have had a wet winter and flows have been high. Right now it is over 700 FPS. You can keep track of the flow on: http://www.usbr.gov/pn-bin/rtgraph.pl/?sta=PRVO&parm=Q

Tim

Tim is correct about flows being an issue. A release from the dam can foul things up in a hurry. It is not fly fishing only, but bait is not allowed between the end of October and late May.

If you get there and find high water, there are other opportunities in the area. The Metolius, Fall River and middle Deschutes are possibilities.

My friend was just a the Crooked today (while I was working) and it wasn't fishing very well. Ya these flows really aren't ideal. With the amount of snow and runoff to come you could almost bet it will remain somewhere around these levels around that time. I live in Bend and have so many great rivers within an hour drive and love them all. The Crooked has made a comeback after the Nitrogen Poisoning resulting from the dam and really high flows of a couple years back. There aren't as many fish per mile but with a lower CFS to do tend to hold in typical places in good numbers. The Metolius and Fall rivers can be tough as he11 but can be very rewarding. The Middle D is good and fishes well year round and one of my favorites and closest options. Plus nice browns and bows. Heading to the Metolius hopefully this weekend and was just out at the Owyhee last weekend (worth it). ;)

You should get over here at the end of May when everything opens up, cuz the Upper D and lakes hold some really nice fish, and the lower D (bordering the Reservation) will have been open for a month by then. Plus the Big Boys will be starting their annual migration shortly thereafter. :)

Cheers
-Jake

Metolius: Attachment 7843 Fall River: Attachment 7844 Owyhee: Attachment 7845 Deschutes (Lower): Attachment 7846

Thanks for the info guys. I think runoff this year will be a hassel everywhere.