CRANE PRAIRIE RESERVOIR OUTING Saturday, August 25, 2018
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CRANE PRAIRIE RESERVOIR OUTING Saturday, August 25, 2018 At 3400 acres covering five and a half square miles Crane Prairie Reservoir is so large and complex it can be overwhelming at first. When Crane Prairie Meadow was flooded in 1928 by damming the Deschutes River the timber was left standing, and now 10 percent of the lake is covered by standing snags and fallen log jams that provide great cover and fish habitat. The secret to catching fish here is finding them in the many bays, inlets, and clusters of logs in the lake. By the time we fish here in August the lake will have warmed up enough to concentrate fish in the old stream channels, some of the channels are 11-12 feet deep but a lot of our fishing will be in 6-8 feet of water. We will fish either Quinn Arm or Rock Creek Channel depending on how fishing goes as summer progresses. In either place it can require covering some pretty long stretches in search of fish, either is fishable with a float tube but a rowable craft is probably a better bet--- bank fishing is not advisable. Crane Prairie is not the trophy fishery it once was in the 1980's. The illegal introduction of largemouth bass, crappies, chubs, and bluegills has cut down on the lakes productivity. But, the lake is still intensely fertile and the rainbows grow very quickly here. There are brook trout and Kokanee available but not commonly caught. The enormous supply of fish food includes mayflies, midges, Caddis, leeches, scuds and minnows. RECOMMENDED TACKLE: A nine foot 5-7 weight rod with an intermediate line tipped with 3- 4x tippet is good here. May also want to have a dry line handy for indicator fishing. RECOMMENDED FLIES: Chironomids such as Bob Wolfe's trout candy in a size 14 are always effective. A size 14 tan callibaetis can work at times. Black, brown, or dark olive wooly buggers are good. Sometimes small rust colored or black buggers are the ticket. Last year Joe’s Krumbo Killer was successful. Later in the day a black, brown, or rust colored pine squirrel leech can be deadly. CAMPGROUNDS: there are four campgrounds on Crane Prairie. Rock Creek and Quinn River Campgrounds on the west shore are large with good boat ramps. The Cow Creek Campground on the north shore is small and has poor access. The Crane Prairie Resort Campground has 140 spaces, showers, general supplies, tackle, and a good selection of flies (541-383-3939). DIRECTIONS: Going south on Interstate 5 take exit 188 to access Hwy. 58. Go through Oakridge and stay on Hwy. 58 until you are three miles south of Crescent Lake where you turn left on the Cascade Lakes Highway number 61. Go three more miles on Hwy. 61 and turn left again on Hwy. 46. After 18 miles going past Davis Lake, you will see the junction of Hwy. 46 and 42 but stay on 46 and look for signs for either Quinn or Rock Creek Campground. We will meet at the Sunrise Café in Pleasant Hill at 8:00 A.M. to carpool and guide those unsure of how to get to the lake, and to decide where to fish for the day. Be prepared for all kinds of weather, bring sunscreen, water, a big lunch, and a PFD. We can't promise that Crane Prairie won't be tough fishing, but over the last 50 years this lake has produced more big trout than any water in central Oregon. You have a chance of catching your fish of the year ------- or maybe the fish of your lifetime! HOSTS: Dennis Munroe. 541-729-9670 [email protected] Joe Moody 541-510-2616 [email protected] .