Heading East towards Redmond and Prineville gets you out of the deep snow (on the Metolius and Fall), but not totally….there is some snow left in the Crooked River canyon around Bowman Dam. I’d bet by the weekend, or sometime next week the snow will be gone out there. that bodes well for a nice Spring Break fishing destination, including camping opportunities. Today i’d say it’s about 8 inches deep still but going fast.
I’ve had several friends on the river in the last week and fishing is good. It’s mostly a midge show, both nymphs and dries. Water temps are high 30’s to low 40’s, and all it takes is a degree or two rise during the day and the metabolism of the fish can really ramp up and they start to eat a lot of bugs.

The BWO’s are barely there as duns. It won’t be long, I’d guess next week with the warming trend forecast that they will really get hatching.

Scuds and small leech patterns have been taking fish here and there, but small mayfly nymphs with a thread midge or zebra midge dropper will be your best bet for searching flies.

Prineville Reservoir is 43% full with an inflow of 230 cfs. The outflow at Bowman Dam down the river is 85 cfs. I said on a fishing report quite a while ago I didn’t believe the Crooked would experience any high water events this spring. With the basin at 112% of average snow pack and the reservoir only at 43% I still believe we are safe from a major high water event, especially with the beginning of irrigation withdrawals just about 3 to 4 weeks away. I just think it’s looking like a perfect spring and summer for the Crooked in terms of flows.