Crane Prairie

[arcticm7]

Ant reports for trout at Crane for May 2007

[Half fast Toyn]

I havent seen or posted a good report for Crane in 5 years..... except for bass.

[julezilla]

I've never had a good experience at Crane. Last time we were there we got no fish, but we did get ticketed for a PFD violation when I took my son's life jacket off to change his diaper. It was off all of 3 minutes, and earned us a $285 ticket, even though we were anchored. We got out of it, but still - the deschutes county heavy handed law enforcement has put a bad taste in my mouth - I won't be going back. There are better places to fish than Crane.

[Jedcraft]

Yeah, about 5yrs ago was the last good report I've heard. Used to be awesome. Hooked some that were too big to pull outta the trees. First the stickelbacks overpopulated then the bass.

[Wreckless]

These reports give me a heavy heart, but.........I know they are true

Although there are a few of the great native rainbows, it's life has passed......The damsel fly hatch less than 10 years ago were beyond belief........While on your back cast you could chose which rise to cast to, on the great days!!!!!!

[Half fast Toyn]

I would like to add....

I was at the Crane resort during an algee bloom last year and ODFW had posted it in the newspapers and flyers. The resort owners were belly aching that it had killed business for them.

In years past, the resort would take your picture and post it on the show off wall in the store. There was only 4-5 pictures up there and this was in July. In essence, they killed thier own business by promoting the taking of breeding size fish. The 1 fish a day over 21 inches just insured that anyone catching and keeping a 22 inch trout would "accidently" let it off the stringer for a 27 inch fish. This lake should have been made catch and release a LONG time ago.

In addition, while Im on a roll, ODFW has the wrong answer for combating illegally introduced invasive species like bass. Once bass have been introduced illegally into a area, it should be made illegal to target these fish. That means no tounaments. This would eliminate the rewards of introducing species like bass to prestine waters.

I can tell you that bass are now gaining greatly in Wickiup and have decimated the brown and rainbow populations. Hopefully, not so much of the Kokanee.

Whew....now I feel better

[bait dunker]

luckily the idiot who illegally dumped the bass into crane praire will never do that again! i think it should be manditory catch and kill of all bass in places like crane praire, davis lake, wickiup etc. the sooner this happens the sooner we can get back to a trophy fishery! may all bucket biologists choke on a stickleback!

[spinnermaker]

Kill the bass that lake was one of the best lakes in oregon.

[viigfish]

If the bass were eredicated the trout and insect life would again thrive for awhile, until the reintroduced bass again take over. Now that they know the bass do well there, the bucket brigade will continually restock. Maybe banning tournaments and making sure the speed limit is for everyone will make it less attractive. I fished the lake from 1962 through 1998. I haven't been back since and probably never will. It was like watching an old friend die a horrible death.

RV

[steelie817]

rotenone.

[Last Cast King]

It's a shame what has happened to Crane Prairie, I've only fished it twice but it was a night and day difference. I fished it first about 5 years ago and had one of my best weeks of trout fishing ever. Went back 2 years later for another weeklong trip and the only fish caught was a 4" rainbow that my friends daughter caught on the very last day. Funny thing was halfway through the week a bunch of people with bass boats started showing up, I finally asked one of them about it and found out that there was going to be a bass tournament there the next week. I decided right then that I wasn't going to go back unless the bass are dealt with.

I'm not sure what can be done about it though, they can't poison it without diverting the Deschutes and I don't think that's feasible. One thing I don't understand is the regulations for bass. In places where bass have been illegally introduced there should be no limit on size or number of fish that you can keep, in fact you should be legally obligated to keep ALL bass caught where they are not supposed to be.

[spinnermaker]

What I don't understand is the fish and game department wants native fish in Oregon and the bass is not native to this lake.

[leadeyedbugger]

If you want the regs changed at crane Prairie, then submit to the oversight committee, but you had better have a organized and large public backing...otherwise they will just laugh at you. Remember, public opinion has a large effect on regulation changes, and the Bass fishermen have a much larger and more organized voice then you do. After i get done working on Davis Lake bass eradication, then i am going to set my sights on crane.....but it will be a very big battle, are you guys gonna step up.

[BentMetal]

A couple interesting things . . . somebody above talked about fantastic fishing on a trip to crane a mere 5 years ago . . . I decided to quit going to crane almost 10 years ago. Other people I have read talked about how it "used to be," and they quit fishing it 20 years ago (about the first time that I ever fished it). I don't know what that means, but I always thought Crane was very, very off and on. Some days they were easy to catch, other days you wouldn't see anyone on the lake bring a fish in. Trophy trout are not, nor should they be, easy to catch. I personally only caught one that I would consider a trophy, 26 to 28 inches or so, and that was in 1994.

I have read many very good reports on Crane every year for the last five years on Westfly (another flyfishing board), with pictures of big fish. The guy who posts those reports (who I don't know other than his internet handle) talks about lots of days where he gets skunked on Crane, made up for by the numbers of really big fish being caught.

As for Bass eradication . . . I personally think that as long as you have bass in Crane and Wickiup, you are going to have bass in Davis. I don't know if people bring bass eggs from lake to lake in mud attached to their anchors, or birds bring eggs/fish from lake to lake, or if there is a lava tube that fish can somehow magically transmit through . . . I don't know if any of that is possible, but it seems a lot more likely that "life found a way" (line from Jurassic Park) then some bass fisherman put bass into a fly fishing only lake only to never be able to fish for them. Call me crazy.

[rum runner]

Originally Posted by BentMetal

Call me crazy.

yep, you're crazy

[kill2hunt]

im not old enough to have fished crane in its glory days because im only 21..... but i have fished it every year for the past 8 or 9. and we dont fish for bass. personally its my favorite lake to fish. i have caught numerous rainbows over 5 and brookies up to 5. some days we have a hard time but usually we do well. they just arent the stokers you catch at detroit, they take a little patterning. im sure its not what it was and probly never again will be but i love the place and have many fond memories of the place

[JohnOD]

Crane is not the lake it used to be but it's still the best public water in central Oregon for large rainbows that I know of. The fish numbers are not what they were 10+ years ago but from my experience the bows tend to run larger these days. Where else in C.O. do you have a realistic shot at 10# class rainbows? A mature Crane fish is about as good as it gets.

John

[Half fast Toyn]

I have a unique job that gives me a week off every month. 5 years ago I would spend EVERY one of those weeks off during season fishing Crane or Wickiup. Then week of serious fishing produced No fish. And dito the next month.. and close to dito the month after that. If crane is so good, where are the guides? There was 3 of them covering that lake back then. Where are all the anglers? Where are the dragon fly nymph catchers? Most importantly, look at the Crane resort braggin board....WHERE ARE ALL THE FISH? Sure, I could probably pull out a fish in a weekend of fishing, but my best day on that lake was 10 fish over 5 lbs. My biggest was a 29 inch hog guessed about 10 lbs. Where has that all gone?

[spinnermaker]

Crane Prairie needs help! 20 years ago it was in the top 5 lakes in oregon. It was one of the number one lakes in the west for fly fishing. The native red sides are going fast. Get the bass out next to go well be Wickiup.

[JohnOD]

Half fast I am a part time assisstant guide and do trips on Crane, along with the permit holder I work with. In 06' I saw at least three other guide outfits out there with clients. Last year while fishing myself (not guiding) I landed three Cranebows in three consecutive trips over 10#, along with quite a few smaller specimens. The illigeally intruduced species have had a dramatic impact on the insect populations and the trout have made adjustments to it. Anglers that have changed thier tactics along with the trout contine to have sucess on the praire.

Dont get me wrong I wish the bass, bullheads, etc were never introduced. I'm glad you dont see lots of pics of dead fish from Crane anymore. The wanton slaughter of all those trophy fish back in the day probally did as much damage to the fishery as the bass & sticklebacks have.

John

[leadeyedbugger]

I've seen plenty of large crane fish caught in the last 2 years, i've already hooked and lost one at the boat that was at least 6lbs this year. Is the population of them any near where it should be.....NO.....is there still a tono of big fish in there.....YES......And thats great news that there are not a bunch of pics of dead fish up in the resort....maybe then they will get a chance to reproduce a few times and grow so we can have those 20# fish.
I know of at least 3 different fly fishing guides...i'm sure there are lure/bait guides also......And at least 2 of the fly fishing guides catch and release tons of 4-8lb trout in the last two year...the trout are there, you just have to find them.

Michael

[viigfish]

The lack of insect life in the lake makes it hard for the young fish to survive. Once they are big enough to feed on other fish they can grow very large. Few make it to that size, they either starve or become fish food. Yes there were a lot of big fish killed by anglers, but the lake didn't crash until the bass and sticklebacks arrived. It's more like steelhead fishing now, a couple of hookups is a good day. It's just not the same lake and probably never will be. On the plus side there is always a place to camp, before it was a challenge finding a spot.

RV

[uhmw]

Please keep the gloomy crane reports comming. ever since the rumors started the pressure on the lake and camp grounds has been nice. I have been fishing the lake for decades and the fishing has been up and down as long as I can rember I thought the algae and bug shortage was to blame. It seems to me that the news of good fishing led to a slaughter on the water from the dough fisherman which resulted in some poor years. I have been fishing the lake religiously for years and had good success the last few years w/large bows and some really fat brookies- but as far as I heard the lake is really de-void of trout and wouldnt be worth a look

[arcticm7]

OK, so i am heading up there the weekend after Memorial day, give me some bait tips besides Powerbait and Marshmallows. What else do you use? And how do you fish it? Thanks for your time guys

[viigfish]

First go to the lava flow at Davis lake. That is one lake that still has lots of dragonfly nymphs. Start turning over half submerged rocks and you will find the nymphs attached to the underside. Take what you need for fishing Crane. Hook them under the collar with a #14 fly hook. Fish 6' to 9' under a small bobber with 4# leader and you will be in business.

RV

[spinnermaker]

Take the limit on bass off the lake. Theres a limit on bass on this lake. Why I don't now? they stoped the limit on brooks and kokes in many lakes in Oregon[ not native ] why not bass.

[Dip]

got a 22" finclipped rainbow this year casting a blue and rainbow spinner from shore.