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Bend, Oregon sits on the eastern slope of the Cascades where the Deschutes River flows through the center of town. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife counts over 50 fishable waters within 90 minutes of Bend, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and high-mountain streams that span the full range of trout, bass, and warm-water fishing.
But the three waters that define Bend's fishing identity are the Deschutes River (Oregon's most famous trout stream), the Crooked River (a technical tailwater 30 minutes north), and Crane Prairie Reservoir (a high-desert lake holding trout that grow to sizes that seem wrong for their setting). Together, they offer a diversity of technique and experience that few mountain towns can match.
The Deschutes River, Oregon's Icon
The Deschutes is Oregon's signature river, a desert canyon waterway that cuts through basalt rimrock for over 100 miles, holding wild redband rainbow trout, brown trout, and steelhead in a landscape that looks more like the Southwest than the Pacific Northwest.
The Upper Deschutes (from its source near Little Lava Lake through Bend) is the local fishery, accessible from town, wadeable, and holding rainbow and brown trout in the riffles, runs, and pocket water that characterize the river through the city. The section through downtown Bend is literally fishable on a lunch break, and the Mirror Pond area and Colorado Avenue stretch hold trout year-round.
The Middle Deschutes (from Bend north to Lake Billy Chinook) flows through a deeper canyon with less access but better fishing. The salmonfly and stonefly hatches of late May and early June are the headline events, giant insects (#4-8) that bring the biggest trout in the river to the surface. The middle river is float-trip water for the most part, and the canyon scenery is dramatic.
The Lower Deschutes (below Pelton Dam to the Columbia River) is the most famous section, 100 miles of wild steelhead water and some of the best trout fishing in the state. The lower river is managed as wild-trout-only water, and the redbands average 12 to 16 inches with fish over 20 available. The steelhead run peaks in September and October. The lower Deschutes is a separate destination from Bend (two to three hours north), but many Bend guides run multi-day float trips on the lower river.
The Crooked River, The Technical Tailwater
The Crooked River below Bowman Dam, 30 minutes north of Bend, is one of the most productive trout streams in Central Oregon per mile. The tailwater holds native redband rainbow trout and mountain whitefish in a small, clear stream that flows through a rimrock canyon.
The fish are numerous but not large, most redbands run 8 to 14 inches, with the occasional fish over 16. What makes the Crooked River valuable is the year-round access (the tailwater flows keep it fishable even in winter), the technical dry-fly fishing during hatch activity, and the sheer number of fish per mile. It's an excellent water for building fly-fishing skills and for days when you want to catch a lot of trout.
Midges, Blue Winged Olives, Pale Morning Duns, and caddis all hatch on the Crooked River through the season, with BWOs being the most reliable early-spring and late-fall producer. The river is wadeable throughout and has multiple access points along the canyon road.
Crane Prairie Reservoir, Trophy Stillwater
Crane Prairie is a shallow, high-desert reservoir (elevation 4,445 feet) south of Bend that holds rainbow trout, brook trout, and largemouth bass in a setting that looks like a flooded meadow, stumps, channels, and weed beds creating structure in three to eight feet of water.
The rainbow trout at Crane Prairie grow to astonishing sizes, five- to eight-pound fish are caught every season, and the lake produces occasional rainbows over 10 pounds. They grow fast on a diet of damselfly nymphs, leeches, scuds, and chironomids, and they cruise the shallow flats like bonefish, visible in the clear water, spooky, and requiring careful approach and presentation.
Brook trout in the two- to four-pound range hold in the channels and deeper pockets. Largemouth bass fill the stumpy shallows and provide a warm-water option that's surprisingly good for a mountain reservoir.
Crane Prairie fishes best from a boat or float tube, May through October. The damselfly hatch in June is the signature event, trout cruise the shallows eating emergers, and the sight-fishing is as visual and exciting as any stream.
Beyond the Big Three
Bend's 50-water radius includes:
Davis Lake, fly-fishing-only for large rainbow trout in a shallow, weedy lake. Trophy fish over five pounds.
East Lake and Paulina Lake, twin lakes in the Newberry Crater volcanic caldera, holding brown trout, rainbow, kokanee, and the largest Atlantic salmon in Oregon.
The Metolius River, a spring-fed river near Camp Sherman with the famous green drake hatch and wild bull trout in a gorgeous, cathedral-forest setting.
Lake Billy Chinook, a deep reservoir holding kokanee salmon and bull trout, one of the few places in Oregon where anglers can legally target bull trout.
When to Go
- May–June: Salmonfly hatch on the middle Deschutes, Crane Prairie opening, Crooked River hatches, the season ignites
- July–August: Peak dry-fly fishing everywhere, Crane Prairie damselflies, Big Wood and all reservoirs producing
- September–October: Fall BWOs on the Crooked River, lower Deschutes steelhead, brown trout moving, the best overall month
- November–March: Crooked River winter midges, Upper Deschutes through town, year-round fishing in a mountain town
