places

Oregon's Crooked River

By Scott Richmond

he Crooked River is one of the most productive trout streams in Oregon. If you like the prospect of catching dozens of trout in a day, this is the place to come.

While the typical trout is not large (10-12 inches), there are fish over 20 inches, and in recent years the average size has increased significantly. The river is moderately alkaline, which is why it is rich enough to support so many trout.

The Crooked River drains a wide area, but most of the fishing is focused on the seven miles below Bowman Dam. The dam keeps the water cool, but it also keeps it muddy. Upstream habitat degradation results in large amounts of clay being washed into Prineville Reservoir. The clay dissolves in water and stays in suspension, so the Crooked runs turbid most of the time. The trout are used to it, however, and anglers should not be turned off if the river has a brown tinge.

The Crooked, Metolius, and Deschutes rivers join forces to make the lower Deschutes. Like the Deschutes, the Crooked is a desert river, and the stretch below Bowman Dam flows through a deep lava canyon.

Species

Rainbow trout are the only gamefish. This is a self-sustaining population of native redband trout, a sub-species adapted to water temperatures and alkalinity that would kill most other trout. Whitefish (some quite large) are also present.

Best Times to Fish

The river is open all year. Summer fishing has improved in recent years, but the Crooked is at its best during the cool seasons. The regulations require catch-and-release for trout, and artificial flies and lures only, except from fourth Saturday in April through October 31.

Getting There

From Hwy. 26 in Prineville, follow the signs to Bowman Dam. The turn-off is in the middle of Prineville. You should be on Hwy. 27 (do not take the road to Prineville Reservoir). The dam is about 20 miles from town. Fishing is concentrated on seven miles of public land between Bowman Dam and Hoffman Dam (just upstream from Castle Rock Campground).

Access

Hwy. 27 hugs the east bank, and trails give access everywhere terrain permits. The banks are open and grassy, so casting is easy. There are many places a careful wader can cross the river, flows permitting, and fish the west bank. Don't bring any kind of boat.

Camping

Within this stretch there are nine BLM campgrounds and three picnic areas. See the map for locations. Bring your own drinking water.

Services

Prineville is a big town, at least for this part of Oregon, with motels, restaurants, and other services for travelers. There is a small fly shop with irregular hours in Prineville; otherwise, the closest shops are in Bend and Sisters.

Hatches and Other Food

Size 12 Scuds are good all year on the Crooked. In the winter months, you'll do best with a pattern that has an orange or pink tinge to it.

Another year-round tactic is a leech pattern. Bounce it near the bottom, then let it swing at the end. However, if the river is low (flows under 80 cfs), this tactic may just send the fish scattering.

Blue-winged olives and midges are present from September through April, and are the dominant hatches from November through March. If the winter weather is below freezing, however, the blue-wings will not make much of an appearance. For the blue-wings, use a size 18-20 Pheasant Tail or Hares Ear nymph when fishing subsurface, and a size 18-20 Baetis Cripple or Parachute Baetis during the hatch.

September and October also see hatches of mahogany duns. Grasshoppers usually make an appearance in August and September; a Parachute Hopper is a good choice when fishing the slow stretches.

Caddis are factor in April and May, and again in October. Elk Hair Caddis patterns work well.

The Crooked has an abundant whitefish population. When they are spawning (November through January or February), a peach-colored Egg Fly drifted along the bottom is a good choice.

Fishing Tips

1. Winter turbidity.  The river tends to be murky, even opaque, in winter. Don't be afraid of a sunken fly, however. I've had trout consistently hit a size 18 Pheasant Tail Nymph fished right on the bottom in three feet of water-and visibility (to me) was less than two inches at the surface.
2. Use light gear.  This is a good river for light tackle rigs, such as three-weight rods.
3. Bankers' hours in winter.  Like most good winter fly fishing rivers, the Crooked is best from late morning to mid-afternoon. The edges of the day are rarely productive.
4. Watch the river levels  Flows over 200cfs from Bowman Dam are usually too high for productive fishing. Low flows (under 85cfs) make deep nymphing an unproductive strategy.
5. Slow down and look. Rising trout can be tough to spot in winter. The small size of the insects (blue-winged olives and midges) means trout often make slow, sipping rises, especially in the slower water near shore. Murky brown water compounds the situation. So don't just slow down; come to a complete halt, then spend some time carefully examining the water. You might be surprised at how much is happening only 15 feet from the bank.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 12/17/2000.

Rate This Article

5=tops  3=average  1=low

You must be registered and logged-in to rate an article. How to do this.

Average rating 5 by 2 users

The Crooked River is in central Oregon just east of Prineville.

Road map. (Click thumbnail for enlarged version.)

Road map. (Click thumbnail for enlarged version.)

With its open, grassy banks and accessible waters, the Crooked is an intimate and inviting trout stream.

The river flows through a basalt canyon. It is usually turbid, but the fish are accustomed to the murky conditions.