May 13, 2014

FISHING the Crooked River!

 

By now, you’re probably wondering “wait a minute Sam, this is a fishing trip, right?”   Well yes it is, and thanks to a tip from my good friend Scott Peterson, I’m at the Crooked for two days of outstanding fishing.

The area fished was just below the Prineville Reservoir dam.  And you’re right, “below” or “downriver” up here is North!

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I did hire a guide for the first half-day from the “Fish & Field Fly Shop” in Bend.  Probably a wise move as he recommended an excellent campsite (Cobble Rock) where the fishing is literally “right out your door”.

No need to get up too early here either, as the fish really weren’t active until late morning.  The bite seem to last for a couple of hours, netting me well overALASKA 2014 Crooked River-004 THIRTY fish the first day with guide’s help.ALASKA 2014 Crooked River-003ALASKA 2014 Crooked River-006

Although he mentioned that we should be catching some “whitefish”, the days catch were all rainbows.  Top size on this River is about 15-16inches, but they are all “wild” fish (non-hatchery) and fight accordingly!

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That afternoon I spent some time exploring downriver, beautiful scenery with lots of good looking holes to try.

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The second morning, I went back to the same starting spot, and sure-nough, managed to catch another 17 rainbows and six nice whitefish.  I did save a limit today, including several of the nice whitefish, which made several filet packs for the freezer.

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So, now it’s back to Bend to figure out where to go next and try some of the craft beers in the area.

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