Headed to Owhyee...best motels close by??

[nsyhunter]

Headed to Owhyee for a week starting June 17. Passing on the old favorite, Brownlee, this year in search of bigger crappie. Can any of you give recomendations on the closest motels? I know I can stay in Ontario but trying to find something closer. The wife is NOT a camper so the parks at the resivor are out of the question.

[fishnfun]

I think Ontario is the closest.

[B-RUN STEELIE]

Headed to Owhyee for a week starting June 17. Passing on the old favorite, Brownlee, this year in search of bigger crappie. Can any of you give recomendations on the closest motels? I know I can stay in Ontario but trying to find something closer. The wife is NOT a camper so the parks at the resivor are out of the question.

There are MORE crappie at Owyhee, and the size has been pretty good. However, the biggest crappie are still at Brownlee.

There are a couple of dive hotels in Vale

[retaliate]

There are MORE crappie at Owyhee, and the size has been pretty good. However, the biggest crappie are still at Brownlee.

There are a couple of dive hotels in Vale

True B RUN, & they are concentrated in Owyhee also, took us a while to find them, altho we were told where they were all along. Nyssa has a Motel or two also, Owyhee has some very nice camping areas, with Showers, a nice fish cleaning area, a store w/some hot meals available, & a few T-Pee style tents for rent also. Good luck! have fun.

[olgrizz]

Retaliate

About how big are the crappie at Owyhee this year, Thinking about slipping out after work this week. It about a 30 mile drive for me, but I am new to the area. New to crappie fishing too, flyfishing used to be my game, but finding that warmwater fishing is relaxing to me now days. Them crappie are sure good eating. Thanks Olg

[retaliate]

Retaliate

About how big are the crappie at Owyhee this year, Thinking about slipping out after work this week. It about a 30 mile drive for me, but I am new to the area. New to crappie fishing too, flyfishing used to be my game, but finding that warmwater fishing is relaxing to me now days. Them crappie are sure good eating. Thanks Olg

8" to 12" most were 9" to 11" very few 8" & 12", the 2 days we fished, when we got there Sat 5-3 a couple were cleaning a bunch they got right off the Campground from shore the evening before, that were a bit smaller, say 7" to 9" mostly, some nice Bass, & Trout were aslo being caught from shore by the campground, a couple bass , & a trout hit our Crippie jigs way up Dry cr. cove also, there was a bass tournament both day's as well, & plenty of nice Bass were caught.

[raptorschild]

There are MORE crappie at Owyhee, and the size has been pretty good. However, the biggest crappie are still at Brownlee.

There are a couple of dive hotels in Vale


This sounds like the usual story, but this year maybe different. I just got back from Powder river arm/Brownlee, and the crappy were all over. didnt matter where you casted.....as long as it was a crappy jig...it was getting eaten. The biggest one however that I caught was 8 inches. Everyone had the same story. I saw a few decent fish at 12" but there were VERY few and far between.

I'd say Owyhee is a good bet right now for size. They can't be any smaller than Brownlee right now.

[olgrizz]

Can anyone explain the deal with the size of fish at Brownlee. The few I got last year at Brownlee were bigger than they are this year. It was late in the year and I was thinking they would be 11" this year. Seem to be lots of fish last year. So do the small fish show up early and then the large ones come to shore. What gives. Can someone explain what is going on, is this just a normal cycle with crappie One of these days I will become a crappie fisherman :excited:Thanks Olg

[nsyhunter]

RE:Crappie size in Brownlee. I have been visiting Brownlee & the Powder arm since the mid 80's. A biologist told me that crappie go through a 5 year cycle with overall sizre increasing annually. I have had years there where most fish are better than 12". I usually can out together 30-40 nice fish a day by culling out the little guys but that has become harder & harder the last few years. Last year it took three of us all day to put together 40 12"+ fish. I still believe that the lack of a limit is putting a strain on the population. When the old Sag road used to be open I saw small pickup trucks going out of there full of crappie, NO JOKE! However I swear we caught bigger Crappie through those years. It would be nice to see OR & ID get serious about managing the freshwater fish in the area.
Retaliate, sent you a PM.

[retaliate]

RE:Crappie size in Brownlee. I have been visiting Brownlee & the Powder arm since the mid 80's. A biologist told me that crappie go through a 5 year cycle with overall sizre increasing annually. I have had years there where most fish are better than 12". I usually can out together 30-40 nice fish a day by culling out the little guys but that has become harder & harder the last few years. Last year it took three of us all day to put together 40 12"+ fish. I still believe that the lack of a limit is putting a strain on the population. When the old Sag road used to be open I saw small pickup trucks going out of there full of crappie, NO JOKE! However I swear we caught bigger Crappie through those years. It would be nice to see OR & ID get serious about managing the freshwater fish in the area.
Retaliate, sent you a PM.

Yes, I agree, Number, & or size limits are needed, & they need to keep the Water level Full pull, or at least stable level for spawning periods also.:twocents:

[Crappie Chaser]

Can anyone explain the deal with the size of fish at Brownlee. The few I got last year at Brownlee were bigger than they are this year. It was late in the year and I was thinking they would be 11" this year. Seem to be lots of fish last year. So do the small fish show up early and then the large ones come to shore. What gives. Can someone explain what is going on, is this just a normal cycle with crappie One of these days I will become a crappie fisherman :excited:Thanks Olg

What you are seeing now is the result of a very successfull spawn in 2006. I was concerned about that spawn as that was the year we were 52' down on May 1st and full pool by the end of May. Turned out to be a great spawn. The predominate age class of crappie currently in Brownlee is 2yrs and they average 8". These fish will be taken by the 1000's this year. Now we have a great opportunity to track this age class and see how strong it will be next Spring with the current lack of regulations. If they are just as thick next Spring and still strong in Spring 2010 it tells me that a good spawn is everything. If these fish are scarce next year overfishing is the problem and a limit is a no-brainer. We haven't had this situation in several years.
According to IDFG, who leads the charge on studying Brownlee crappie, the average life cycle is 4yrs. with 5 yrs being an old crappie. So there's your cycle. Have some bad spawns during those 4yrs and there will be holes in the age classes. It also would show that you can't stockpile big crappie due to the short lifespan.
Sometime,somewhere on the reservoir the big fish will show up this year. Last July they showed up at Hewitt Park and stayed into November. Not by the bucketful and you had to fish for them but good catches of 11"-14" crappie. Further out on the Powder and the Snake the same age class we are catching now were predominate. They were 5"-6" last year.

[nsyhunter]

Crappie Chaser..nice report. Have you caught any crappie with eggs yet? By some of the reports on the board it sounds like fish are schooling and I'm curious if they will wait for the next full moon (mid-June). Have you fishes out in the main Snake yet for crappie?

[creamfish]

Owihee is an awsome bass and crappie fisherie. My uncle owns a cabin up there and we go up for a week every summer. but you gotta love it especially the late evening top water bite for trophy sized largemouth. For crappie weve caught plenty of 1 pounders up there. The best baits to use for them are just a little white or black crappie jig. Locate docks in and gravel shorlines and you will end up with tons of them. there is one problem with finding a place to stay if you dont want to go camping cause the closest motel is about an hour away from the lake. But good luck and catch a bunch.
Here is a pic of my biggest i caught there last year
http://joshcreamerfishing.com/images/IMG_2420.JPG

Josh:wink:

[Crappie Chaser]

Crappie Chaser..nice report. Have you caught any crappie with eggs yet? By some of the reports on the board it sounds like fish are schooling and I'm curious if they will wait for the next full moon (mid-June). Have you fishes out in the main Snake yet for crappie?

Many of them are busting with eggs. One squirted eggs in the boat. Lots of dark almost black, black crappie males. Females with eggs are very bright and shiny, both black and white crappie. Not many dark, white crappie males yet. Water is rising 2'-3' a day and these young crappie are coming right up with it. Currently there is a cold front coming thru, miserable wind but the crappie are still biting strong. last thurs., the 1st day I was able to launch dad and I fished the Snake. I put the boat at a right angle to the shore and I worked the shore from the front of the boat while he drifted the deeper water from the back of the boat.He landed 8 10"-11" keepers while I caught 4 off the bank. It could be that the better fish are still holding offshore not quite ready although nobody seems to have hit the bigger fish yet. Tough conditions this Spring. I hit a big limb and broke my transducer off the bracket Sunday.

[Fishrite]

True B RUN, & they are concentrated in Owyhee also, took us a while to find them, altho we were told where they were all along. Nyssa has a Motel or two also, Owyhee has some very nice camping areas, with Showers, a nice fish cleaning area, a store w/some hot meals available, & a few T-Pee style tents for rent also. Good luck! have fun.
True B RUN:
Never fished Owyhee. Really thinking of going this year. Where is the camping area that you are talking about? Is it on the reservoir, or in the town of Owyhee? Thanks, Terry

[feisty's wife]

Folk's,how far is it, and what would be the best/shortest route would be from Vancouver, Wa.?

[retaliate]

True B RUN:
Never fished Owyhee. Really thinking of going this year. Where is the camping area that you are talking about? Is it on the reservoir, or in the town of Owyhee? Thanks, Terry

Camping on the Reservoir $14+ per night, Primmitive Camping below the Dam, no fee.

[creamfish]

Folk's,how far is it, and what would be the best/shortest route would be from Vancouver, Wa.?

It is a 8 hour drive from vancover but it is defenitley worth it.

[retaliate]

Folk's,how far is it, and what would be the best/shortest route would be from Vancouver, Wa.?

It is a 8 hour drive from vancover but it is defenitley worth it.


84 to Ontario, 201 S to nyssa, follow the signs from there, is it worth it?, It was back in early May, we spent a week at Brownlee, & 2 Days at Owyhee, wish we would of went to Owyhee sooner, $400 in Fuel, but what the heck, we were on vacation.