Fish Master: Jim Rhoten

Contact: jerhoten@yahoo.com, 541.484.1407

The date for this outing is TBD but will happen between April and May.

Fish Master: Stevie Brehm

Contact: stevie_b@comcast.com, 541.521.6765

Overview: The Wild and Scenic Crooked River is a small tailwater know for its abundant fish and varied bug populations.  Just east of Bend, the Crooked flows out of Bowman Dam and through 12 miles of beautiful rimrock canyon.  Join us May 2-4 for riverside camping, or stay nearby in Prineville, Redmond or Bend.

The fishing:  Open year round, the Crooked follows the Central Zone stream regulations...flies and lures only, no bait.  All wade fishing, it's known for having mostly small fish and there are lots of wild redband trout and mountain whitefish in the 6-12 inch range.  The river is also known for its turbidity, often looking cloudy as its nutrient rich water flows from Prineville Reservoir usually around 250 cfs.  Close to Bend, the Crooked can get crowded so expect to see other flyfishers.

This is a great river for newer flyfishers.  Easy to read the water, not many bushes in your back-cast and safe wading...though a wading staff is recommended due to slippery footing. Shallow indicator nymphing and euro techniques produce the most hook-ups, and dry fly hatches are varied and profuse.  A list of recommended flies will be provided later but small midge, mayfly, caddis and scud patterns are great.

Gear recommendation: A four or five weight rod with a floating line is perfect or bring your light euro set-up.  Waders, wading staff and felt-soled boots are best.

The camping:   There are abundant BLM campsites along the river all first come first served with picnic tables, pit toilets, fire rings and no water. Most likely campgrounds at Palisades or Chimney Rock will be our location and are about fifteen miles south of Prineville on Hwy 27.  Outing host Stevie and wife Gail will advise the specific campground location later.

Directions from Eugene:  A 3 hour drive will take you up the McKenzie, over to Sisters, through Redmond to Prineville.  Stock up in Prineville for last minute supplies and water.   Take Hwy 27 south 15 miles to Palisades Campground.   If you stay in Bend it's a 45 minute drive.  Note: don't go to "Crooked River Campground" it's not nearby.

Below are some informational links.  The is a ton of info about the Crooked online, and our club has had several speakers give presentations on this desert gem.

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/travel/outdoors/2023/05/18/fly-fishing-central-oregon-crooked-river/70189402007/

https://www.blm.gov/visit/crooked-wild-and-scenic-river

https://www.blm.gov/visit/palisades-campground-0

Fish Master: Greg Williams

Contact: gregoryw@comcast.net, 541.729.1122

The club outing to the Deschutes River is scheduled for Thursday, May 29-Sunday, June 1, at Mecca Flat Campground. The weekend after Memorial Day has several advantages for us: We need some space between this outing and the Crooked River outing, we need to skip the Mother's Day weekend, and it will be best for us to avoid the the salmonfly circus, which is usually in mid-May. It's fun to fish the hatch, but if you go on a weekend you'll find almost as many fishermen as salmonflys. Mecca Flat does not take reservations, so strategic selection of campsites will be important for our large group. A few us will go a day early. If we secure three specific sites, we will have almost half the area of the campground for our group.

     A float from Warm Springs to Trout Creek in a pontoon boat, drift boast or raft makes for a delightful day of fishing. We can arrange shuttles for those who would like to do the easy seven-mile float.

     There is a surprising amount of good wading water around Warm Springs, including day-permit access to the Reservation side of the river, starting at Dry Creek, about a mile down-river from Mecca. This area can be reached either by float or by a short hike. And if that's not enough water for you, a good trail for hiking or biking runs all the way from Mecca Flat to Trout Creek. There are plenty of great rainbows, but the Warm Springs area is fished hard, so bring your A-game and your confidence patterns. Don’t forget those Percolaters, TJ Hookers and and Disco Walts!

     Mecca Flat is a sparse campground. There is another option for camping, if you prefer something more developed. The fly shop at Warm Springs has a camping area that accommodates both tents and RVs, with full hookups. It's also more expensive than Mecca Flat, and it's not on the river.

    Mecca Flat is green and beautiful in mid-May. The desert air smells of sage and spring. The shrubbery is full of birds, and sometimes at night we hear coyotes yipping in the canyon. An evening campfire is still allowed at Mecca Flat in May. Please join us. For more information contact Greg Williams.

Fish Master: Todd Sandell

Contact: troutsahoy@gmail.com

East lake is full of trout, mostly rainbows with a few browns and rumors of the occasional brookie as well (Stevie?). The record brown trout caught here was 22.5 lbs! Don’t count on that but there are lots of nice fish in here and last July when I visited it was all dry fly fishing, all the time. The lake is at 6,385 ft elevation. The fishing really gets going in July and the nights can be cold (and, sadly, smoke from wildfires in the Cascades is always a possibility).

When: July 22-24 (Tuesday through Thursday)

Where: East Lake, Cinder Hill campground along the east shore. There are lots of nice camps here (esp. in the loop with camps numbering 86-98) though any along the shore are great.

Reservations through Recreation.gov are highly recommended (first opportunity to make reservation for our outing, July 22-24, occur on JANUARY 22rd, 2025) This CG fills up fast, DON’T WAIT TO RESERVE. There are usually open sites but not near the water.

 Recreation.Gov website - https://www.recreation.gov/search?inventory_type=camping

Cinder Hill CG Information - https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/deschutes/recarea/?recid=38324

Cinder Hill CG Map - https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd647183.pdf

Or stay at the East Lake resort along the south shore. The resort has some flies and decent food.

East Lake Resort - https://www.eastlakeresort.com/

Note that East Lake is in the Newberry Crater National monument, so you will need to buy a pass ahead of time (there is a ranger station at the entrance but they don’t always have passes).

What: Any type of boat/float tube to get you outside of the weed beds provides an advantage though I have caught trout from the shore. There are two boat ramps; if you have a larger boat to launch, the more southerly one has deeper water at the ramp.

I usually bring two rods, one for dries (#5 WF) and one rigged for subsurface (#6 either midge tip or medium sink tip). It can be windy so sometimes that’s the way to go. Be sure to bring lots of Callibaetis (dries and nymphs) and terrestrials- last year it was red ants and small black beetles that worked well in the afternoons.

Host: Todd Sandell  (troutsahoy@gmail.com; 206-707-2979). Call or email to sign up for this outing.

Group Plans: Group lunches are planned each day (12-2) to allow us to fish the morning and evening hatches. Likely grilled burgers and hot dogs, bring a side dish if you’re motivated.

Fish Master: MFF BoD

The Gold Lake outing is scheduled for October 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday. It will include a fish fry dinner Saturday, with pot luck sides.

There is talk of adding more categories to encourage more brookies removed from the lake.

·      Gold Lake Fisherman of the Year - The combined length of your biggest 3 brook trout

·      Biggest Fish – A single fish measured nose to its tail fork

·      Smallest Fish – A single fish measured nose to its tail fork

·      Most Fish – The total fish landed and brought to shore for count

Those wishing to spend more than one day at Gold Lake are welcome to do so.

Gold Lake is a fly fishing only water and there is really no practical way to fish from shore. Bring your boat, raft, kayak, canoe, float tube, etc. 

Bring a side dish, dessert or appetizer to share at dinner. The main course will be fresh-caught and fried brook trout, happily prepared by your Board of Directors.

Watch your email for sign-up information and contest details.

For information on Gold Lake Campground go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=4496

Here is the turn off from OR 58:

Look for the McKenzie FF group in one of the lakeside campsites.