New to Central oregon, metolius river?

SandyRiverFisher · 10-19-2008, 09:29 AM

Hey there everyone,

I recently moved to Bend from Sandy. Been here a few weeks now and Im starting to look around for some fishing. Ive never been really into trout fishing, mainly because the idea of catching hatchery raised planters does not appeal to me and thats mostly whats available near my old home. I havnt really poked around that much and have little in the way of appropriate gear. Id like to transition into fly fishing but for the time being that is going to be cost prohibitive. A couple weeks ago I drove up to the Wizard hatchery to visit a good friend who works there and was checking out the metolius. I understand that its fly only above the lower bridge, and artificial flies and lures below, C&R only. Does anyone fish it below the bridge with artificials? I also took the kids up to the Benham falls area on the Deschutes for a day hike. We spotted quite a few large trout in there. havnt checked the regs yet for that area but we saw no one fishing in spite of the fish that looked to me to be active and feeding. Any tips on where to go and what I might need are greatly appriciated. I also have three kids, two boys and a 4 year old daughter hanging on my leg so Ill be looking for areas safe for them to fish from the bank as well.

Eagleclaw · 10-19-2008, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandyRiverFisher

Hey there everyone,

I recently moved to Bend from Sandy. Been here a few weeks now and Im starting to look around for some fishing. Ive never been really into trout fishing, mainly because the idea of catching hatchery raised planters does not appeal to me and thats mostly whats available near my old home. I havnt really poked around that much and have little in the way of appropriate gear. Id like to transition into fly fishing but for the time being that is going to be cost prohibitive. A couple weeks ago I drove up to the Wizard hatchery to visit a good friend who works there and was checking out the metolius. I understand that its fly only above the lower bridge, and artificial flies and lures below, C&R only. Does anyone fish it below the bridge with artificials? I also took the kids up to the Benham falls area on the Deschutes for a day hike. We spotted quite a few large trout in there. havnt checked the regs yet for that area but we saw no one fishing in spite of the fish that looked to me to be active and feeding. Any tips on where to go and what I might need are greatly appriciated. I also have three kids, two boys and a 4 year old daughter hanging on my leg so Ill be looking for areas safe for them to fish from the bank as well.

Lava lake has some nice trout in it and this is the time of year to fish it. good bank access.

fish-on-bend · 10-19-2008, 10:54 AM

Welcome to Bend. There are more choices here than you can ever experience. I think the kids would love kokanee fishing, they taste pretty good too. Lots of opportunities for trophy browns, rainbows, bulls and macks. The bulls are up spawning in the Metolius now and will be returning below the bridge by next month I think. Do you have a boat? PM me if you do, I have lots of suggestions. This guy was from the Metolius further down.

SandyRiverFisher · 10-19-2008, 04:25 PM

Never caught a bull trout, would love to get one under my belt. No boat, unfortunately. Im thinking about trying to finish my degree, so money is going to be a little tight, but hopefully Ill be able to buy one in the future. For the time being Im stuck on the bank. Ill give Lava lake a look. I was also thinking about Prineville res., my kids are really into the rockhounding thing right now and I hear Prineville reservoirs good for that, as well as fishing.

honker1 · 10-19-2008, 06:06 PM

If you are going to drive to Prineville Reservoir, you might want to try Ochoco Reservoir which is just a short drive out of the town of Prineville. It has a nice state campground there and the kids use to do well for trout just off the rocks. It would be worth a look and see.

Incredible_Bulk · 10-20-2008, 08:22 AM

We did pretty good yesterday on the Crooked below Bowman just outside of Prineville as well. The Redbands were hitting pretty good. Between three of us, we caught probably 10 or 12. Varying sizes. They're fun little fighters.

Eagleclaw · 10-20-2008, 08:26 AM

i took my family up to South Twin the day we got blown off Lava lake and we had a ball catching those trout. Garlic marshmellows and worms. We fished off the bank to the right of the resort below the cabins.. it was none stop action.

Bird Dog · 10-20-2008, 11:51 AM

You're going to need a new moniker!

I think you'll have unlimited opportunities in central Or without getting any new gear. My first fish I ever caught was on the Metolius below #99 when I was 6.

BD

SandyRiverFisher · 10-20-2008, 06:41 PM

Thanks for the replies guys, I really appriciate those willing to point me in the right direction. I took the kids up to suttle lake yesterday after hitting the pumpkin patch out in Terrabone. Someone told me you could see the kokanee spawning in there but we had little time and never found the area. talked to one guy fishing who hadnt had any luck, and saw one boat out on the lake.

After dropping the boys off at schoole this morning I swung by sportsmans in bend and picked up a bag full of spinners and kastmaster spoons with the intention of heading up towards lava lake to take a few casts and just check out the country, but the wind here in town kicked up pretty good so I called it off. maybe Ill try again tomarrow. Guess I better buy some power bait and garlic marshmellows too

, never in amillion years thought Id say that... Dont know about changing my moniker, the in-laws still live down at Dodge park and I should still have private access on the Sandy, so I should still get down once in awhile. Im definitely looking forward to getting out around central Oregon though, lots of firsts to be had out here for me. Ive never caught a bull trout, brookie, brown, or a lake trout. Hopefully exploration of the high lakes will lead me to some new hunting ground as well. Anyhow, exactly what sizes of spinners do you guys generally recommend for the area? I mostly baught 1/8 oz offerings, but then I tend to error on the small side. Ive had several people tell me I ought to try jerk-baits and plugs, but fishing from the bank I wasnt too sure about that.

Two Fister · 10-22-2008, 08:56 AM

SRF,
You'll like living in Bend. Besides a lot of great local fishing on both rivers and lakes, you can be on the Deschutes, McKenzie, both Santiams, Upper Willamette, MF Willamette, Sandy, Clack (if you know the back route), N. Umpqua (fly only section), upper Rogue, Williamson, Hood River, and the John Day within 2 hours. Puts you smack dab in the middle of lots of good fishing and hunting. My sons are almost 6 and 8, and to be honest, they really don't like fishing out of the boat. I think they have more fun running around and playing on the bank and reeling in fish when they catch one. Their favorite lakes are Lava and South Twin because they know the stores stock some of their favorite ice cream bars. Anything to get them hooked on fishing!

East Lake is a great place to take kids as well during the summer as there aren't swarms of mosquitos and the fishing can be pretty good from shore. There is some naturally occuring mercury in East so it's best not to have the kids eat fish from there. My boys have officially branded the fish at East as "stinky" so they are thrown back rather than brought back to camp for Momma. There's some great dry fly fishing on East as well, but it was really an off year for that this past season. There's some great fishing on the Deschutes around town as well. The majority of fish aren't very big, but there are some monster brown trout lurking in the deeper holes. Most guys catch the big browns by casting big Rapalas at first light or right at the end of the day.

The Crooked is also a great river to introduce kids to fishing on a river. It's not too big and there have been lots of fish in the past. It got hammered by some bad dam operations (they think) a few years ago, but it seems like it's making a slow comeback. It can be slippery as snot so good wading boots or cleats will really help keep kids upright.

It's a great place to live.
TF

Rusty Psoadman · 10-25-2008, 04:20 PM

Hey..welcome to Bend. We just moved here last year too....I've got an almost 2 year old that I'm getting close to introducing to fishing. We went to South Twin this summer and rode around in the drift boat....went to the Metolius today for a picnic...that Wizard hatchery is really fun for kids..lots of fish.

I'm not real experienced/successful but I love Central Oregon....

I will say the John Day River is fun and would make a good summer camping trip..we did this in late August. Canoed a bit at a BLM campground on the North Fork this late summer (2 or 3 miles above Kimberly)..caught few smallies and had a blast wading and swimming when the river was a 200 cfs at Service Creek. I'm going to try to John Day near Clarno for the first time in November for steelhead.

have a good fall.

SandyRiverFisher · 10-25-2008, 05:07 PM

Thanks Rusty,

Ill have to give the John Day a look. lots of people have told me it makes for a fun camping trip. Wizard hatchery is a great place for the kids to see some fish. A good friend of mine works up there and we swung by for the grand tour here a couple weeks ago. All Ive heard since is my kids whining about why we cant live their like my buddy does.