A lot of things to talk about on the Cascade lakes with access, fishing conditions and flies.

So…

#1) East Lake is fishable. Fish are on the shoal near the resort. Float Tube or Wade Fishing access from that beach is good. There is no access to EL Camp Ground or Boat Launch, Hot Springs Boat Ramp or Cinder Hill CG and Ramp. There is access at the resort but it’s limited due to snow. As of yesterday there is a good 3 feet of snow in most of the camp grounds and parking lots.

#2) Crane Prairie is good. The fish are taking chironomids, back leeches, maroon leeches and this week the callibaetis hatch came off good and the fish were hitting the duns on top but really liked nymphs down a few feet on a slow strip.

#3) Lots of Callibaetis at Davis. Fishing is fair, seems like it should be better with all that hatch going on. I’d also have a good leech selection and damsel nymph patterns.

#4) Lava has been good for us. We’ve been seeing lots of fish on the shorelines nearly all around the lake. The best fish for us have come on chironomids under an indicator about 3 to 5 feet.

#5) Homer’s access road is still closed. I know some people who walked in yesterday. Looks like you could launch a tube very easily. Should be amazing! Road ought to be open within a week….the snow drifts looked thin and hot weather is coming back.

Lava Lake is open and fishing well. The fish are on Leeches mostly and we have found Brown to be the best color but Olive to be a fine choice as well. There have been times when a black chironomid pupa has produced well in the last week too.

Crane continues to fish best in the Deschutes Channel area on Black Leeches and Black/Red Chironomids. We had a customer there over the weekend who saw some callibaetis hatching too.

No access yet to Hosmer.

Crane Prairie. Fishing is good on Leeches and Black and Red Chironomids. The Deschutes Channel seems to be the most productive area. I ‘ve been up there fishing a couple of days this week and there is a midge hatch that is deserving of a National Geographic special. If you go, be prepared with a bug net or at least a hat and a Buff to keep them from going up your nose, or in your ears and mouth. The fish don’t seem to be eating them, at least on the surface, and a size 28 pupa is hard to come by. It is the hatch of the century. I’ve never seen so many midges and it borders on gross and certainly annoying. Not sure how long something like this lasts, but usually these phenomenon’s don’t go too long. Thank god. It’s been 7 or 8 days already.

Wickiup. Fishing is good with small streamers, leeches and damsel nymphs. The areas of Sheep’s Bridge, the Davis Arm and the reeds between the Dam and the Gull Point Launch has been good. Kokanee anglers are reporting good catches on Lures in open water and very near the surface.

Davis Lake. Davis is good with the first few Bass showing up, and some decent Rainbows on Leeches. I’ve heard just a few snippets on Davis but have seen a few photos of nice trout on social media in the last couple of weeks.

3 Creeks is still iced over and won’t be accessible until Mid June at the earliest.

East and Paulina are iced over still as of my fly over this morning. Road crews are working to clear the road and looks they made great progress so if the lakes ice out May 22nd is when the gate opens. Cross your fingers.

Lava is still iced over today. I flew over it this AM and the ice looked like it was going very fast. Little Lava was ice free. The gate at Deschutes Crossing is still locked so no access, plus there was a fair bit of snow around the lakes and side roads, although the Cascade Lakes Hwy looks all clear from the air.

Same story at Hosmer. It was free of ice in the Channels but the lower lake was still solid white. The road is closed in there still.

Crane Prairie is always a fun and good bet at opener. Launch early morning  and fish into the early afternoon. It’s not open today but I am betting on Balanced Leeches, Brown Rufus, Damsel Nymphs and Ruby Eyed Leech. The Balance Leech you’ll fish on a floating line with an indicator, all the rest go with an Intermediate line.

North and South Twin Lakes were both stocked this week for the Opener. They should be quite good on Wooly Buggers, Rufus, Possie Buggers and Red Ice Cream Cones.

Wickiup is a hard call. I think the Sheeps Bridge area should be OK on scuds, damsel nymphs, leeches and water boatman.  I think the flats out from Gull Point and along the reeds by the shoreline will be good with leeches and baitfish patterns.

Davis is open and fishing fair. Some nice trout are being caught along with the occasional Bass. Brown Rufus, Damsel Nymphs and Black Leeches are good patterns to focus on with a slow sinking line adding to success.

There will not be access to Lava, Little Lava or Hosmer this week. Still snowed in, although it looks like Lava is close based on a photo I saw on the Deschutes County Road Dept website. There was clear pavement in most areas but the gate is not open.

Davis is open and ready to fish. Not many anglers up there yet, between the crappy weather this week and all…

I would suggest an early season start near the lava and I’d fish balanced leeches and damsel nymphs.

Rough week of weather so far in the cascades, with snow at East Lake, and cold and wind at the lower lakes.
That said, don’t give up on the lakes. Fishing is good to great.

East Lake is seeing good activity on the last callibaetis of the year, and leeches! Black ones. There are a lot of browns on the south shore looking for a big meal.

Crane is very good, especially near the resort on small leeches and callibaetis type nymphs.

Hosmer is good, tons of picky fish in the channel. Leeches and tiny red ice cream cones have been good. I’d also recommend an ant or beetle along the reeds.

Davis is good by the O’dell Creek channel. Big fish. Leeches and callibaetis nymphs.

Lava has a bunch of fish in the little cove by the resort. I haven’t been there but a customer was and he said there were lot’s of fish hanging right there.

The best callibaetis dry fly action of the season so far on my last 3 days up there.

Good wind drifting with callibaetis nymphs on slow sink lines.

Still doing well with Ants and Beetles. I had a friend take some fish on HOPPERS. Wow. I need to try that.

As Fall weather is coming, the big browns are going to be more active on Streamers. This is more of an October thing but with this cold weather we are having now it may be early. I was there on Sunday and it was 49 when I arrived at noon and 49 when I left at 4. Brrr. That is 6400 feet above sea level for you…

Callibaetis and Chironomids are still good. Callibaetis hatches have been mostly early afternoon now, with spinner falls later in the morning.

I’m still catching fish on Chironomids in deep water, typically 15 to 18 feet. Black #14 ice cream cones are my best pattern this season by a long shot.

Leech patterns on type 3 lines are good in deeper water.

We had some really good fishing on #16-18 red ice cream cones last week. There are still a bunch of damsels and callibaetis and callibaetis have been productive.
Troy, one of our guides also had a really good session on small black leeches.