Crane Prairie Reservoir

Location

Crane Prairie Lake is a man-made lake located 42 miles southwest of Bend. The Deschutes River, which originates at Little Lava Lake, flows south for 8.4 miles before flowing into Crane Prairie. The lake is shallow and approximately 4,000 acres (dependent on water levels), and at an elevation of 4,452 feet.

Directions

Via OR-58 E: take I-5 S 60 miles to OR-58. Take exit 188 for OR-58 towards Oakridge/Klamath Falls. Continue for 73 miles, then turn left onto Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway. The lake will be on the left after ~30 miles.

Via OR-22: follow OR-22 E/US-20 E to US-97 S to Vandevert Rd (148 miles). Follow the Century Dr s/Mt. Bachelor signs, then travel 25 miles; Crane Prairie will appear on the left.

Campgrounds

Quinn River is the campground we usually use. It has a good boat launch and easy access from the campsites. Click here for reservations.

Rock Creek Campground is nearby, and also has excellent fly fishing. Click here for reservations.

Crane Prairie Campground is less accessible to the water, and is also next to the resort. Click here for reservations.

Fishing

Crane Prairie is considered a destination fishery and is famous for its "Cranebow" rainbow trout. Brook trout also congregate around the inlet, and can grow quite large. When the lake warms, trout will retreat into the channels left by the old and now submerged creeks. During the summer, targeting the channels can be very productive. A fish finder is therefore very helpful.

Fly Fishing Techniques

Stripping wooly buggers with an intermediate line is usually effective, but often frustrating with a lot of lost flies due to the volume of snags left from downed trees. Balanced leeches are a good alternative.

Crane Prairie does have a Callibaetis hatch, especially in June when a dry fly can be quite effective, and damsel nymphs will work well in June as well. However, the most consistently effective technique in this lake is indicator fishing with midge pupa.

Since in the summer the fish tend to sit in the bottom of the channels, and since the most effective fly depth is a foot off the bottom, fly fishermen frequently fish with a slip-strike indicator when the depth exceeds 10'. New Zealand indicators can also allow fishing in the deeper channels, since the yarn can slip through guides. Click here for my Indicator article.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse