East Lake has been good for me this week and last week. One of the days I was up there was quite possibly the best callibaetis hatch day I’ve ever seen.
We’ve also been getting fish on Red/Black and Olive/Red and Black/Gold Chironomids in about 16′ under an indicator.
I haven’t seen any flying ants yet. Maybe not warm enough up at 6400 feet. But we’ve had some good beetle action along the banks.
On breezy days fishing a Type 3 full sink with a Flashback PT, Black Bugger and a tiny Red Thread Midge has been productive with a wind drift.

Hosmer has been good all thru the lakes and the channel. Good afternoon callibaetis hatches and good action with Balanced Damsels and Balanced Leeches under a bobber with a red chironomid or flashback PT as a dropper.

Crane is good in the Deschutes Channel with Damsels and balanced leeches mostly, but a lot of days we are seeing good callibaetis hatches too. Of course the Chironomid under an indicator is a staple on Crane.

East Lake is coming on now, water temps are mid 50’s and callibaetis are hatching near the hot springs area mid afternoon. Plenty of good indicator/chironomid fishing in about 10 to 12 feet now. We’ve been getting most on an Olive Chironomid.

Lava lake is fishing great with Callibaetis. Damsel nymphs, Leeches and Chironomids are all good too.

Hosmer is good, with CB’s and Damsels and some good terrestrial fishing.

Crane Prairie is also good in the Deschutes Channel with Leeches. There have been some decent to good callibaetis hatches and since this is CP we are talking about never forget your damsels and dragon fly nymphs .

Crane Prairie has been good in the Deschutes Channel and at Rock Creek. It has been very good with Black Leeches and Callibaetis Nymphs, with game on Chironomids, Dragon Fly Nymphs, Damsel Nymphs and possible Flying Ants.

East Lake so far has been experiencing a turn over and the lake is cold at the surface. The fish that are hugging the banks are spawning so I’d recommend giving those fish a break for a couple of weeks and let them do their thing. The thing is, the spawn is likely 90% or more unsuccessful, but the fish are stressed, skinny and weak during this time, and by leaving them alone they will be healthier and better fish in a few weeks with a great survival record when not being fished over.
It’s not all bad, certainly (non spawner) fish are being caught near the Hot Springs Ramp on Leeches and Chironomids.

Wickiup has been productive in the Deschutes Channel from Gull Point up to Sheeps Bridge. There have been some really good days on terrestrials. Callibaetis are starting up pretty good too.
In some of the coves up there, a bobber with a chironomid and balance leech is really good, or stripping buggers and rufus patterns is another good bet. I’d go with the Intermediate line usually, but be ready with a type 3 if the fish are deeper in the channels or side coves.

Lava Lake has been fishing well, maybe the best of all the lakes the last week to 10 days. It’s been best with leeches and brown chironomids and callibaetis nymphs.

Hosmer started off strong right after the gate opened but it appears it had a turnover last week and is a little off now. I’d guess by the weekend it will be clear and good to go with the settling of turnover combined with this great warm weather we are seeing.

3 Creeks was still frozen as of last week.

East Lake is open and I heard good reports yesterday from Day 1 with fish working the shorelines and shoals.  Leeches, PT’s, Chironomids and look for those tricky little March Flies on the surface again now. You may recall last spring the fish were on them hot and heavy.

Crane is getting better mostly in the Deschutes Channel with leeches and damsel nymphs and the beginnings of some callibaetis action. For sure the nymphs, but prepare to hit the hatch with the nice weather coming this week.

Lava is fishing well near the boat ramp and resort side and down the west sand shoal with leeches and chironomids.

We hear Hosmer is open as of yesterday but can’t confirm that nor have we had any reports yet.

I was at Crane yesterday and it was awful. No fish for us. A friend got 2 fish all day. That made me jealous (Ha!). Troy, one of our guides was up there Monday and it was awesome on leeches. So I think what happened in just a few days is the weather just got hot and bright suddenly and in the last few days there was a MASSIVE midge hatch that I would guess has the trout quite full. I’d give Crane a few days to a week to turn and try it again.

The gate to Lava opened today. I had a friend who rode his bike past the gate with his tube yesterday and he sent me some photos of some really nice rainbows. I can’t wait to get up there. Leeches and Chironomids are the ticket.

Davis is good, with the bass turning on, and the trout bite better. The reeds are starting to come up which is good for the bass. I would expect to see spawning bass very soon.

Wickiup is a good bet for early season up to Sheeps Bridge from Gull Pt.
Leeches, Chironomids, Terrestrials, Sculpins are going to be your best bets for now until Callibaetis are coming out.

North and South Twin are good fishing, especially for you tubers and pontoon boat anglers. Easy access and little wind and plenty of trout coming to wooly bugger patterns on sinking lines.

As far as I know there is no access to Hosmer yet. I flew over it last friday and it was 70% frozen.

East Lake is not open yet.

3 Creeks Lake is not open yet.

Crane Prairie is going to be a good bet for opener on Sunday 4/22/18. The lake has been ice free for several weeks and I was up there today and there is no snow. All boat ramps should be open with the resort and the Quinn River ramps favorites for us. Leeches and Black Chironomids are good bets for early season, with dragonfly nymphs another excellent choice if you are fishing around the trees.

Hosmer is still mostly iced over as of today.

East is 90% iced over and Paulina is 99% iced over.

Not sure if they opened the road to Lava but both Lava and Little Lava are ice free and nearly all snow free on the banks and parking areas.

3 Creeks Lake is still snowed in and 99% iced over. I saw a little ice free zone near where the main creek flows in on the south west side, but it will be at least a month I’d guess before that is opened up at that elevation.

Davis is wide open. Already some reeds coming up. That’ll be good for Bass fishing in about a month. Some trout being caught but not a lot at this time. Leeches are the best bet for sure.

Wickiup will open Sunday 4/22 as well. It looked good when I scouted it today. I’d say anywhere from the Gull Point up to Sheeps Bridge will be good fly fishing along the shorelines and in the coves with leeches and chironomids.

Not a lot of time left on some of the lakes. Many close on October 31st, so here is a rundown on how to hit the last of the lake opportunities and 2 lakes you can keep fishing until the weather really goes to crap.

East is always my favorite. Part of that comes from the fact I started fishing there when I was 3.
I had friends up there last week using streamers along the banks and catching a good number of nice trout.
Docks are out so launching a bigger boat is going to be hard. There was snow on the ground, but the storm over the weekend ended up warm so I would guess a lot of that melted away.
For the next week, the weather looks good and I’d put East high on the list.

Crane is good out in the Rock Creek flat over to Quinn and in the Deschutes Flat thru the Channel. It doesn’t sound like the fish are in the channels much from the reports I am getting. The fish seem to be mostly coming on Leeches.

I was at Hosmer last week and it was pretty good. We got most of out fish on a red chironomid, but also on black leeches and on little brown beetles during the afternoon hatch. It doesn’t close october 31, so if the weather stays warm and dry in November keep fishing Hosmer.

Wickiup I’ve heard is pretty slow. I did hear of some guys getting fish on leeches under an indicator, but I also know a guy who was blanked several trips in a row. I’d go somewhere else.

North Twin is a good late season lake and won’t close Oct 31 so keep fishing up there in November and later as long as it stays warm like it is. Leeches and Scuds are good bets, but I would also fish some blood worms in about 6 to 12′ under an indicator now.

Clear Lake is off the radar for a lot of Central Oregon anglers. It shouldn’t be. Just 40 minutes at the most from our fly shop it is a worthwhile year round fishery as long as the weather is holding and conducive to getting in there.
The fish can run deep so at least a type 3 sinking line, and if you have something heavier like a type 5 or 200 to 300 grain 24′ sink tip it can be useful to get to the fish.

So last wednesday was my last great day of fishing on the lakes. Thursday 9/7 we got a big thunderstorm and it rained hard. Friday AM greeted us with fresh skies, no smoke, and clear water on East lake. But the fishing was S-L-O-W. It did pick up a bit in the afternoon but not to the level I’d been experiencing for the last 4 or 5 weeks.
Monday and Tuesday at East lake brought around 10 fish per day, mixed on a slow chironomid bite, some callibaetis risers in the morning and some beetle or ant fishing in the afternoon.
So wednesday I decided to go to Hosmer. It was also quite slow. Lot’s of cruising fish that looked to be feeding but we enticed very few. Red Chironomids were the best bet. We rose a couple of fish on ants, and saw a few fish take a damsel adult or rare callibaetis. It was a weather pattern change day and was cool and windy which is always tough at Hosmer.

I’m headed back to East several days next week and hoping for the best. This is often a magical time on the lakes but right now is also a transition time between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. I am hopeful the fall weather, with the cold rains and spitting snow that begins on Monday and lasts for 2 or 3 days over the Cascades is the change we need to get the fish realizing it is fall and they need to feed like it is a frenzy time because Winter is Coming.

I heard some good reports from Crane on Leech Patterns this week around Quinn and Rock Creek.
Also, Adam from the shop was on Wickiup yesterday and bought some nice Browns streamer fishing.

Lava ought to be picking up for fall. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been there.

It’s an intersting year, or at least an interesting last couple of weeks at East Lake.
One note it the lake has recently turned over and there is a fair bit of debris/algae/detritus floating and that mixed with a S**T Load of Pine Pollen in some areas the surface of the lake is just yellow.

Fishing is pretty good, but I’d say at the moment not as good as normal for this time of year and for myself I am having to do really different things to get fish.
For example, I love to fish chironomids in 12 to 18 feet of water. It is a staple of my daily routine. I usually fish a Red Ice Cream Cone on the bottom and a black or olive chironomid 18 to 24 inches above the bottom fly. This year (so far) it is like crickets. Nothing. Zip.

What is working is running on the bank lines. Plenty of fish there. Some days they are eating Callibaetis, other times terrestrials. I am finding Black Beetles to be my best dry this year.
Yesterday they were eating Callibaetis parachutes, 2 days ago they likes a Brooks Sprout, 2 days before that a BB Callibaetis and one day last week all they wanted was a Harrops CDC Callibaetis Cripple. So everyday is different. It’s a game and it’s fun but it’s not easy.
Sometimes they key on spinners too, and that’s the other thing to watch. The spinner fall dance will be heavy and we assume spinners are what the fish are keyed on but if you look carefully the emergence of new Duns is happening at the same time but being over shadowed by the spinners.

Wind Drifting has been good. Some nice trout and a ton of small Kokanee. I am running a Callibaetis nymph on a Type 3 full sink on 5x Fluoro and running a tiny red worm (#22) as a dropper on 6x fluoro 20 inches behind the 1st fly. It’s very productive and great for kids and newer anglers who you just want to have a lot of success.
Definitely catching more on the type 3 than on an Intermediate but that can change from day to day.

Will be watching water temperatures. 65 now. 69 is our stopping point to keep the trout safe. A little cool down will be welcomed, including a big thunderstorm with some hail. That would be great!