Bend, Oregon in the fall
I am trying to line up a 4 day trip the first week of October for my family. I have never fished the area around Bend, but have heard of the Metrolius and of course Deshutes. My daughter-in-law has promised to try fly fishing for the first time.
Are the waters in that area good that time of year? Are there areas fitting for a first timer? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Rex
Some FAOL'ers might chew me out for this but I recommend you go to: http://www.westfly.com/cgi-bin/home
The members of the Oregon Forum on WestFly are always talking about fishing the Bend area.
Tim
Panman, it is the perfect answer.
Besides the two you have already mentioned you might want to try the Fall River. It is about 20 miles south of Bend. It is a pretty little river. There is a hatchery on the river and you can fish the river at the hatchery. It can be frustrating fishing at the hatchery. You can see all sizes of trout laying in the water but trying to get them to bite sometimes is another matter. At times you will find most of the fishermen fishing the area at the hatchery. I have walked the river up from the hatchery to the headwaters fishing before and not encountered another fisherman. Man that was nice. From Fall River it is just a short drive to the head waters of the Deschutes.
You might also try making the drive to Prineville and trying the Crooked river below Bowman Dam. I haven't fished it in a few years but the first seven or eights miles of river below the dam use to be good fishing.
Rocky
I would suggest trip to the Crooked River rather than the Metolius or Descheutes. Although both of the later can produce some great fish, overall, they aren't in my opion very easy for a beginner. The Crooked River is about an hour from Bend, is in a pretty high desert canyon, is small and very wadeable -- and did have a lot of fish. I haven't fished there for a couple of years so check it out with the local shops.
I would also suggest some of the lakes in the area. In particular that time of year, Craine Prairie Lake could be spectacular. You would need a guide but it could be well worth it.
The Descheutes at that time may be producing some steelhead as well as trout. To get down where you would get them, you pretty much need to drift in a boat -- by the way, you can't fish out of the boat so you'll eventually be wading.
Also, check out the rules really closely -- as Oregon has some real screwy laws regarding weighted flies, etc.
Good luck -- your going to a beautiful area with lots of opportunies depending upon what you decide to do. There a several good shops in Bend and Sun River as well as Sister's Oregon.
Elk Hunter mentions the Crooked River. It is the only place I am familiar with around Bend. When they cut the irrigation flows to below 250 FPS it can be a fun place to fish. The Crooked has an abundance of Rocky Mountain Whitefish and a fair population of Redband Trout which are like a rainbow. I fished it three times last winter and caught fish every trip.
Most of the fish were Whitefish, but that was what I was targeting, and a few trout mixed in. If you nymph fish the whitefish are usually willing and run to 16 plus inches. Biggest trout I got was 17 inches. Other pluses on the Crooked is it's scenery and that the river is small enough to fish without much danger. If you decide to try the crooked and want to nymph use a small fly, 14 or 16 and they have small mouths.
Tim
The Crooked River below Bowman dam still fishes well and I would recommend it.
The Metolius is known as the prettiest place you will ever get skunked. lol
The Deschutes below Maupin offers around 20 miles of road water and the big guys will be feeding on October caddis. Mecca Flats close to the Highway 26 crossing offers good access on a trail down the river as far as you want to walk. Good road access is avalable above Maupin also. If you like fishing with large dry flies this is a good time to be on the Deschutes. When you get to town check with the Patient Angler. Also the Deschutes Angler in Maupin.
patientangler.com
deschutesangler.com
In October, the steelhead will be anywhere in the river from the mouth to Pelton Dam and you will have a decent shot at them from the spots I mentioned in the previous post.
Last edited by Mike Telford; 08-03-2009 at 08:09 PM.
Thanks for all the input. This really helps a lot!
Rex
ditto on that...they'll certainly help with general info...Originally Posted by Panman
the Fall River is close by, of course the Metolius, Lower Deschutes, plus, there are a ton of alpine lakes in the area.
"Some people fish their entire lives without realizing it's not the fish they're after."
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