Crooked River, Oregon Fishing Report: 04/28/24 (bottom of page)
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Rainbow Trout
Size
Large
Location
Central Oregon
Nearest Towns
Prineville
Redmont
Bend
Season
Open to fly fishing year-round
Access:
Fair to great, depending on the location
Non-Resident License
State of Oregon
Weather
National Weather Service
Stream Flow Data:
USGS Data
Season:
The season runs year-round.
Winter:
Winter is one of the best times to catch trout. Trout are mostly caught on midge imitations.
Spring:
Spring is a good time to experience the Crooked River’s hatches. Summer:
The river can get a little too warm to fish in many areas of during the Summer months.
Fall:
Fall is probably the best time of the year to fish the Crooked River.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
Fly Fishing On The Crooked River In Oregon
The Crooked River is located in Central Oregon and is one of the state’s top rivers for rainbow trout. The tailwater flows from the Bowman Dam at the Prineville Reservoir through a deep canyon to Prineville, Oregon.
From Prineville, the Crooked River flows north through Smith Rock State Park. It eventually joins two other famous Oregon rivers, the Deschutes at Lake Billy Chinook, and the Metolious, a spring fed river.
The river boast a population of 3000 trout per mile. It is normal for anglers to be able to catch dozens of trout. Its also a great place for beginners to learn to fly fish for trout.
The famous “redside” trout inhabit the river. These trout probably average only eight to twelve inches but they get larger. They are also known for taking dry flies readily and this provides for some exciting fly fishing. It has large hatches of mayflies and caddisflies. It also has a large number of scuds and sculpin.
The best part of the river is the first nine miles below Bowman dam. This water holds the largest concentration of redsides or rainbow trout. It’s typical pocket water with long riffles and runs.
Something quite different about the river than most others is that it is often best to wade down the center of the river and fish the weed beds and banks on both sides. The Crooked River also has some good stretches of pocket water. Most anglers prefer nymph fishing. One reason is that much of the trout’s food comes from scuds and freshwater
shrimp.
The fish tend to feed on the bottom far more than the surface on hatching insects. Don’t be surprised if you catch a mountain whitefish. The river also has plenty of these gamefish.
To sum it up, Oregon’s Crooked River Oregon has some of the best fly fishing in the central part of the state. It has a very high population of trout (not that they are extremely to catch) that provides plenty of fly fishing opportunities for anyone willing to use a little caution, select good imitations of the naturals, and get good drifts. Smooth water is
always more difficult to fish that faster moving water and this tailwater has plenty of both.
Fly Fishing Guide to the Crooked
River
Fly fishing the Crooked River in Oregon is mostly pocket water fishing. The Crooked River is considered by many to be as good of a trout stream as Oregon has to offer. It forms in the Ochoco Mountains and runs through the Oregon High Desert country to the Deschutes River. The stream has plenty of aquatic insects that hatch just about every month of the year as well as plenty of scuds for the trout to eat. It produces some round, healthy, redband rainbows that fight as hard as any. The average size is about eight to twelve inches but there are as many as 3000 fish per mile of water in some areas of the tailwater.
The six or seven mile stretch of the river below Bowman Dam is considered the best water. The tailwater comes from Prineville Reservoir. The best fishing is in the Fall and Winter. From the first of January on to the forth Friday in May, this section of the river is catch and release only and files and lures only. November 1 to December 31 is also catch and release only.
Highway #27 follows along the river for about a seven mile stretch below Bowman Dam. It provides easy access. The river can become quite busy with anglers especially on he weekends. There are usually less anglers during the winter months which is yet another good reason to fish during the winter. The fishing often requires fishing with hook size 20 and 22 midge imitations and not all anglers enjoy this type of fishing. It is rather exciting to hook a good size redside on a 7X tippet.
Not all the fishing is done on midges, nymphs and scud imitations. There’s also plenty of aquatic insect hatches and times you can catch plenty of trout on a dry fly. You will need to follow the hatches and not waste a lot of time fishing a dry fly when there isn’t a hatch underway. Specific imitations work much better than the generics and attractors on this stream.
Crooked River Hatches and Trout
Flies:
Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Crooked River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to
fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else.
1-800-594-4726.
The first mayfly that hatches at the beginning of a new Year on the Crooked River is the Blue-winged Olives. These are mostly baetis species. These hatches take place in January, February, March, April and Mayl. These mayflies also hatch late in the year during September, October, November and December.
Trout can be taken on imitations of midges throughout the year but are more popular during the times the water is cold and few other aquatic insects are hatching. Have plenty of larvae, pupae and adult imitations for the winter season.
Brown stoneflies also begin to hatch in February and March. Little Short-horned Sedges or caddisflies hatch from the last of April into the first of August,depending on the section of the river your fishing.
Little Yellow Stoneflies also start hatching in June and last through July. Many anglers call these Yellow Sallies.
PMDs or Pale Morning Duns start hatching around the first of June. These little mayflies hatch up until mid July. Green Sedges or caddisflies will hatch in April. This hatch last until about the first of June. The larvae of these caddisflies, imitated by the Green Rock Worm, will take trout all year. Streamers are very important flies to have with you anytime of the year. Those that imitate sculpin are usually very effective. Others should imitate baitfish and minnows. These will come in very handy anytime the water is stained from rain. It runs clear most all the time, however. Scuds and freshwater shrimp are very important food for the trout In Crooked River. Don’t forget to have plenty of imitations of them. Craneflies are also abundant on the Crooked River. They are most plentiful in August and September. Large October Caddis start hatching in mid September and last through most of November. Be sure to have imitations of the pupae and the adults. We recommend our own “Perfect Flies”, of course, but not because they are ours. Its because they are the best flies you can buy. They imitate specifics insects at all the stages of their life trout feed on. They are highly effective when used properly. If you haven’t already tried them, we suggest you do. You won’t be
disappointed. Spotted Sedges, or caddisflies, hatch from May through the month of September. These are the largest of the caddisfly hatches and consist of several species that are almost identical. Mahogany Duns hatch in May (Blue Quills) and again in September and October. Don’t overlook the terrestrial insects. They can be very important during the
summer and early fall months of the year. Imitations of grass hoppers, ants, and beetles all catch trout. The terrestrial season starts in June and last through the month of September.
Fishing Report:
04/25/21 The stream is flowing at a very low level. We didn’t receive any reports from the past week. Keep in touch.
05/11/21 The river is still very low and we don’t have any recent reports from anyone fishing it. You should be able to catch trout if you can prevent them from seeing you.
05/20/21 Stream levels are still way below normal. We didn’t receive any reports from anyone fishing this past week.
05/28/21 The river remains low but there are some good hatches taking place. You have to use stealth and make good presentations. Dress to match the background.
06/06/21 Conditions remain about the same with low water levels. Trout can be caught but you have to stay hidden from them.
06/17/21 The stream levels is still low. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.
07/03/21 They are letting some irrigation water though but less than normal. Trout are being caught below the dam.
07/20/21 We didn’t receive any reports from anyone but you should be able to catch trout if you can stay hidden from them
07/28/21 We are getting a few good reports and some not so good. Low water levels exist.
08/05/21 The stream level is up thanks to irrigation but lower than normal. Trout are being caught in good numbers by our customers.
08/15/21 We received some good reports from customers this past week. Good hatches continue.
08/23/21 The stream continues to work for our customers. Our carpenter Ants, Japanese beetles and our hopper patterns were top flies.
08/31/21 Water is being released for irrigation purposes so the flows are up but still low due to lack of rain. We are getting some good reports from customers.
09/18/21 The stream is up to a little below normal level. We didn’t receive any reports this past week but you should be able to catch plenty trout.
09/27/21 The stream is still low but we continue to get a few good reports from the few fishing the stream. Good hatches are taking place.
10/10/21 The stream is flowing at 158 cfs at 2.08 foot which is still low but we did receive one good report this past week.
10/20/21 Stream levels are still lower than normal but we continue to get a few good reports. Good fall hatches are taking place.
10/31/21 Stream levels are a little below normal levels but still okay. We continue to get good reports from customers. Good hatches are continuing to take place.
11/07/21 Good reports continue to come in from customers. Good hatches are taking place and the water level is okay.
11/15/21 We received one good report from a customer this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.
11/23/21 Two more good reports came in. The water is a little low but seems to have little to no affect.
12/01/21 We didn’t receive any reports from last week but you should still be able to catch trout. Midges, bloods and creams are hatching along with Blue-winged olives.
12/10/21 We received two good reports from customers this past week.
12/18/21 More good reports came in this past week. The stream is turning out some good catches in spite of the cooler weather.
12/26/21 Two more good reports from local customers came in this past week.
01/03/22 We didn’t get any reports from anyone this past week but that was likely due to the holidays. Conditions remain okay.
01/11/22 We received one good report from a customer fishing this past week. Midges and little BWOs are hatching and our sculpin streamers are working.
01/19/22 We didn’t receive any reports but conditions are okay and you should be able to catch trout. Let us hear from you.
01/27/22 Still no reports from anyone fishing. Stream levels are okay and the water is warm enough. You should be able to catch trout.
01/04/22 We received one good report from a customer fishing this past week. Good midge, BWO and winter stonefly hatches are taking place.
02/12/22 We received another good report from a customer fishing this past week. Good hatches and okay stream levels continue.
02/20/22 We received two more good reports from customers fishing the little river. Fish the edges of the vegetation using blood (red) midge larva and pupa rigged in tandem.
02/28/22 Conditions remain about the same but we didn’t get any reports from anyone fishing this past week.
03/08/22 The stream is in okay shape but levels are low. You have to use caution to keep from spooking the fish. We received one good report from the past week.
03/16/22 Stream levels are still low but that isn’t a bad thing. Just stay low. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.
03/24/22 We are still getting a few good reports. The water is still low and you have to use some stealth and stay low and hidden as best you can.
04/01/22 Low water levels still exist. We received one good report this past week.
04/09/22 The water level is still low. Good hatches are taking place. We received one good report again this past week.
04/18/22 We received another good report from a local customer. Stream levels are still low but there are good hatches taking place.
04/26/22 Good hatches are taking place and we continue to get a few good reports. Stream levels are still low but okay.
05/04/22 We only received one good report but we think that’s because only locals are fishing it. The water is still low but okay. Good hatches are taking place.
05/12/22 More good reports have come in- tow the psst week. Good hatches are taking place.
05/20/22 The stream is turning out some nice catches of trout for our customers. There are Pale Morning duns, Speckled wing quills, little BWOs, Mahogany duns, spotted sedge caddis and other insects hatching.
05/28/22 More good reports from customers came in this past week. Good dry fly fishing is taking place thanks to the good hatches coming off.
06/11/22 This is one of the few streams in Oregon that isn’t high. We ar getting good reports from customers on this one, thanks to some good hatches.
06/18/22 We received two more good reports from customers fishing this past week. There are very good hatching including lots of Pale Morning Duns.
06/25/22 We didn’t get any reports from anyone fishing this past week but conditions are very good and you should be able to catch plenty trout. Let us hear from you.
07/15/22 We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week. Good caddis hatches (Spotted and Green sedge) are taking place and our terrestrial patterns are working.
07/23/22 The stream is still in okay shape but we didn’t get any reports from anyone fishing this past week. You should be able to catch trout in decent numbers.
08/06/22 The stream is flowing below a normal level but okay. We received one good report from customer fishing this past week.
08/20/22 We didn’t get any reports this past week. Most locals won’t report to us. It should be in okay shape with some good hatches.
08/27/22 The stream is flowing at a low level but there is enough current to catch trout. Let us hear from you.
09/04/22 Discharges and levels are low but again, there is enough current to catch trout. They do eat in low water levels.
09/11/22 We received one good report from a customer fishing it this past week. Good late season summer hatches are taking place.
09/18/22 We received three good reports from customers fishing it this past week. Conditions are good. The stream is still a little below normal but okay.
10/08/22 The stream is in good shape flowing a little below normal. We received a good report from a customer fishing yesterday.
10/28/22 Stream levels are near normal and the water clear. We are getting a few good reports. Good late season hatches are taking place.
11/17/22 Conditions are still okay but we haven’t received any good reports. The cold weather is spooking anglers right now. We still say this is a good choice as locals keep their lips tight.
01/02/23 Stream levels are below normal and falling slightly. Good winter hatches continue.
02/09/23 The stream is flowing a little below normal but okay. There are good BWO and cream midge hatches taking place. Our sculpin streamers are also working good.
02/25/23 Conditions remain good for this time of the year. We received two good reports recently. There have been some good BWO hatches as well as lot of midges.
03/14/23 We are getting good reports from customers- three this past week. Good hatches are taking place.
03/26/23 The stream producing well for one of our customers. Good hatches are taking place.
04/07/23 The stream is still turning out some good results. There are good hatches taking place and dry fly fishing is already good.
04/21/23 We received a good report from a customer fishing this past week. Good hatches are taking place and you should be able to catch good numbers.
04/28/23 We didn’t receive any reports from anyone fishing lately, but conditions remain good.
05/14/23 The stream is very high from runoff.
06/07/23 The stream is turning out some good trout for our customers. Pale Morning duns, Speckled wing quills, little BWOs, Mahogany duns, spotted sedge caddis and other insects are hatching.
06/14/23 Conditions remain good. We received two good reports this past week.
07/02/23 We received two more good reports. Good PMD hatches along with Spotted Sedge and Green sedge caddis.
07/20/23 The stream is turning out some good catches of trout for our customers. Good hatches continue to take place.
07/31/23 The stream is in okay shape and still producing some good hatches. We received a good report from a customer fishing it this past week.
08/05/23 The stream is still in good shape with good hatches taking place. We didn’t receive any recent catch reports but it should be good.
08/17/23 The stream conditions remain very good. Terrestrials are working great according to one of our customers. Our Perfect Fly hopper, carpenter ants, and Japanese beetles working.
08/21/23 Good conditions still exist. We are getting a few good reports.
08/28/23 The stream is still producing some nice catches for our customers. Good hatches are still coming off.
09/05/23 More good reports came in from customers fishing this past week. Late season hatches are still taking place and our terrestrial imitations are working good.
09/12/23 Conditions remain good. We didn’t receive any reports from last week but you should be able to catch good numbers of trout.
09/19/23 The stream is still in good shape with good late season hatches.
09/26/23 We received one good report this past week. Good hatches continue and terrestrials work good as well.
10/03/23 Conditions are good. We received another good catch report from a customer. Good hatches continue to come off.
10/12/23 The stream is flowing a little below normal but otherwise, in good shape. Good hatches continue to take place.
10/27/23 Conditions are good. We received two good reports from customers fishing for trout. Good late season hatches.
11/10/23 We are getting more good reports. Good BWO and Cream Midge hatches are taking place. Our tandem rigs of midge larva and pupa are working good.
11/17/23 Very good conditions exist. We are getting some very good catch reports from customers. Good Cream midge and small BWO hatches are taking place.
11/27/23 Good conditions continue to exist. Cream and red or blood midges and little BWOs are hatching. MIdges work best with the larva and pupa rigged in tandem. We have them pre-rigged for those that can’t see the tiny flies well.
12/09/23 The stream is still turning out good catches of trout for our customers. Midges are hatching very good.
12/26/23 Conditions are good. We are still getting some good reports.
01/10/24 We are getting some good reports. Stream levels are normal and the water mostly clear. Good Midge and Winter stonefly hatches are taking place.
01/23/24 The discharges are stream levels below the dam are still okay. We received one good report from a customer a week or so ago.
02/19/24 The stream is high and stained. We receive good catch reports from local customers each time it drops and clears. There are good Midge and Winter stoneflies hatching.
02/26/24 The stream is very high and very dingy. Give it some time to drop and clear.
03/08/24 The stream is in okay conditions. We received a good report from a customer fishing this past week. Light green and red, or blood midges, are hatching along with size 18 BWOs.
03/14/24 The stream is still in okay shape and we continue to get some very good reports from customers fishing it. Good hatches of Blue-winged olives and Light Green, and Cream Midges are taking place.
03/21/24 The stream is just a little above a normal level and mostly clear. Good hatches continue to take place.
03/28/24 The stream is still just a little above normal level with clear water. Good hatches continue to take place.
04/04/24 The stream is still very high and badly stained. Give it some time to drop and clear.
04/14/24 The stream is still high and stained. It should drop down very soon. Good hatches are taking place.
04/21/24 We are still getting good catch reports from customers fishing for trout. Good hatches of Blue-winged olives, March Browns, Little Black Caddis and Little Brown stoneflies are taking place.
04/28/24 More good catch reports have come in. Good hatches continue to take place.
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.