Crane Prairie...

Billy Tillamook · 02-21-2004, 07:48 AM

How is Crane Prairie fishing these days? I used to enjoy some fantastic results with burgandy leeches back in the mid 90's, but haven't been back since then. Any feedback would be appreciated!

TheCamel · 02-21-2004, 08:39 AM

Billy:
Crane is not fishing right now, at least legally, since the season is 4/24 through 10/31. IMHO, Crane has really deteriorated as a trout fishery over the past 5 years, due to over-harvesting and the competition for food and space from bass. Pursuing "Crane-bows" in fall used to be one of my favorite seasons, but I typically only fish there once per season lately, and have found the trout fishing to be less than satisfactory.

TheCamel

SilverFly · 02-21-2004, 08:07 PM

I've only been to Crane Prairie once many years ago but it makes me very angry that someone felt they had to plant bass in a world class trout fishery. I don't have anything against bass or panfish but it seems to me that there are enough places to pursue those species elsewhere. One of the things that makes Oregon "Oregon" is that you can fish in a mountain lake for genuine trophy trout.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are actually size and bag limits on bass at CP now, - and if so, WHY?! I believe Davis has the same problem but there are no limits on bass there. If there is any "overharvest" going on in either lake, it should be on the bass, crappies, and bluegills, - NOT the trout. Is anyone making an effort to control these species?

If not, I know I would be willing to participate in putting some of these fish into batter and hot oil where they belong. Anyone else feel this way?

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[ 02-21-2004, 09:08 PM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

Sauk · 02-21-2004, 11:16 PM

I was at Crane Prarie a few years ago. Brookies and huge rainbows. The large rainbows were taken almost exclusively by a float and chironomid (small bloodworm). Might have changed since then . . .

BuKuBass · 02-21-2004, 11:23 PM

To The Camel...We'd have never heard of Texas if the Alamo had had a back door. :grin:

greenbuttskunk · 02-22-2004, 02:12 PM

yep, closed. I think they try to allow some of the big bows to spawn in the srping before they can be targeted. Crane was world class. About 10 years ago through 3-4 years ago I could float tube into the trees around the channels and springs and catch some hogs with a bear hair leech, then it got tougher and tougher.
It's insane that so many big trout were allowed to be taken, and the introduction of bass. Not sure what will happen, the bass are thought the whole system now. Crane, Wickiup, davis, the deschutes between. Really sad.
GBS

[ 02-22-2004, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: greenbuttskunk ]

SilverFly · 02-23-2004, 01:41 AM

That stinks that they have infested the whole watershed. So just how many bass are we talking about? I'm seriously considering taking my son down there some weekend after it opens, maybe in May. I'm assuming poppers, clousers, lead-eye leeches, and buggers would all work for bass. Also, any suggestions on which lake to try. I was thinking Davis since it's so shallow but wherever the bass are the biggest problem would be probably be best. Might be a lot of fun and therapeutic too!

Thanks,

-SF

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Abalone · 02-23-2004, 06:50 AM

The Osprey love eating big Large Mouth Bass after they have been bonked over the head and thrown overboard. The latest disaster at Crane Prarie I hear is the Black Crappie. Time to rotone that lake and start over. It would take a low life to come up with the idea of introducing Bass in a world class trout lake.

FallRiverGuy · 02-23-2004, 10:23 AM

They will never chemically kill off that lake as it would also kill off all the browns in Wickup. I wonder if they would drain it and then shock the river?

Abalone · 02-23-2004, 10:30 AM

I was only venting. I don't think Crane Prarie will ever be the Class Trout lake it once was.
The thing to do is think Bass when you go there. There is certainly some good Trout fishing left in terms of size but I haven't seen the large catches of Brookies we use to see.

I would like to go over there sometime during the warm weather and try poping at the bass.

I love using a poper with my fly gear. Every aspect of Trout fishing in Oregon is on the decline from what it used to be. Some faster then others.

TheCamel · 02-23-2004, 06:06 PM

My Bad! Should have known that the subject of Bass in Crane would shoot up people�s blood pressure. Well, unless the ranting is a release, and actually helps reduce the BP, the damage has been done in all these lakes, and they will never be the same. My observation is that there are many more bass in Davis, due to the lower water level and more conducive living and reproductive conditions(for the fish LOL!). I have seen the Osprey decline to take a bass, which had been sent to that big fish in the sky, but the gulls are always willing, and have been known to follow me waiting for a meal. Now that there are bag limits, wasting of these "trash fish"(yes I am baiting you warm water fishermen!) is a crime, and the birds will have to work a little harder! The Bald Eagles will not even waste much time checking out a dead bass on the surface.

TheCamel

SilverFly · 02-23-2004, 09:54 PM

No bad, good for you raising a topic that needs attention. I see this as an opportunity to fish for a good cause.

I checked the regs and the limit is 5 bass (no more than 3 over 15") at CP but there is no limit on crappies or other panfish. Davis is still no limit on bass (size or bag). If panfish are in the system ODFW might actually be correct to place some limits on the bass since they may be the only thing keeping the crappie in check.

The crappie (and other panfish?) might actually be the bigger threat to the trout since they eat off the same menu. I'm guessing that these should be decent sized crappie given the combination of predators (bass & large trout) and a productive ecosystem. I've never caught crappie but I hear they are scrappy and very good eating. Still sounds like a good way to spend a weekend with a kid.

-SF

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greenbuttskunk · 02-24-2004, 09:28 AM

crappie, other than walleye, are the best eating fish in freshwater. go get em boys! let's clean out the lake somehow, get it back to it's glory.

Mtn. Basser · 02-24-2004, 01:41 PM

Its probably time to make lemonade and just enjoy fishing for the bass. Crane will never be the same and I havent seen one thread on Ifish that involved Crane that didnt read exactly like this one. Killing every bass you catch aint gonna do the job.

It was a low-life who stocked bass in Crane- I'll agree with that. But, another contributing factor is the sheer number of trophy trout removed from the lake. Guess what- if you take home coolers of 10# trout pretty soon there wont be any. We're having the same problem at Henry's Lake in Idaho- the regulations allow the harvest of trophy fish and people carry home coolers stuffed with them. Now, the last few years fishing has stunk- jeez, I wonder why.

As for eradicating crappie by harvesting- good luck!! Those things reproduce like bunnies. Ever see crappie fishermen leave places like Brownlee with buckets full? Doesnt even phase the population.

[ 02-24-2004, 02:42 PM: Message edited by: Mtn. Basser ]

SilverFly · 02-24-2004, 09:45 PM

Instead of lemonade how about lemon butter bass, or crappie fish’n’chips with lemon wedges? Yeah, I agree with making the best of a bad situation but does that mean it’s time to just write off Crane Prairie? Sure, Crane probably will never be the “same,” but it can be “different” and still good.

While it is true that crappie are prolific, I seem to remember a crappie fishing show where the hosts admonished people to not “take more than they could use.” So even crappie can be fished too hard. And to be fair, Brownlee is an immense body of water compared to CP. If it is possible to "dent" a population of crappie, it should be much easier at CP than Brownlee.

The alternative to not harvesting is the likelyhood that the population will runaway and everything in the lake will stunt or starve (with the possible exception of the bass.) I’m much more worried about the crappie than the bass. It’s hard to imagine bass sipping mayflies or sucking up tiny chironomids.

The best hope of getting the crappie under control is draw attention to the "great crappie fishing at CP" (I need to use mouthwash after saying that!

). Nobody will want to go there for stunted fish. If some serious pressure is applied to the crappie - ASAP, competition will decrease, growth rate will increase, and bigger fish should result. Size matters to crappie fishermen too, and reports of "slab" crappies should bring in the jig flingers. IF the crappie do eventually thin out, then it might make sense to remove limits on bass and start harvesting them in earnest too.

As for the harvest of trout, that's something that can be fixed with regulations. Maybe the generous harvest regs were politically motivated based on the local economy. But now that the trout fishing is crashing, there should be no economic reason not to implement C&R or strict harvest regs on trout. If they don't, the local economy will lose the C&R fishermen too! Time to email ODFW.

This could actually be a "win/win" situation in that the people who like to fill coolers can knock themselves out, and those that want the experience of catching but not keeping a trophy trout get those valuable fish protected as they should be.

Even though I've only been there once, this situation upsets me because I knew "Crane Prairie would always be there." It was on my future fishing "to do" list to catch a huge bow or brookie on a dry.

I'm not ready to let that dream die just yet.

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[ 02-25-2004, 05:36 AM: Message edited by: SilverFly ]

TheCamel · 02-24-2004, 09:51 PM

Mtn. Basser:
My life just flashed before my eyes, as a bass fisherperson is in complete agreement with my humble opinion(LOL)! See, we can "just all get along"! The previous treatments(poisoning) of Diamond Lake(1954) in Oregon, and Davis Lake in Northern California(1997) could not eradicate the populations of Tui Chub and Pike respectively. Until we can educate or eradicate the "Dumas's" responsible for the actions of illegal planting, there will continue to be the despoiling of some magnificent fisheries. My suggestion would be no bag limits on any individuals who are caught and convicted of illegally introducing non-native fish.

TheCamel

Mtn. Basser · 02-25-2004, 08:04 AM

Well Camel,
I'm kind of a unique individual. I am the only person I know whow is active in my local TU and I fish bass touranmets! I am just as happy fishing #22 Tricos on 7x to huge rainbows on Silver Creek (10 minutes out my door

)as I am throwing crankbaits at bass in the Snake River. So I look at things a little differently than many fishermen.

I agree with you guys sadness- my whole life Crane Prairie was my dream trip for huge trout, but I never made it. That dream has died, but a new one has surfaced: a trip to Crane Prairie for huge bass. I just try to make the best of it.

SilverFly: I agree with your points, I just have never heard that harvest is something that can control panfish. They are extremely prolific little fish. As far as the comparison to Brownlee, isnt Crane pretty big, too?

Take care,
Josh.

[ 02-25-2004, 09:05 AM: Message edited by: Mtn. Basser ]

deschutes2 · 02-26-2004, 06:16 PM

Crane is not dead for big rainbows. Their diet may have changed but they can still be had, just not in the numbers people were accustomed to. On a good June or July evening before the water warms too much, you can catch 5-10 large rainbows and by large I mean 18-25 inches on stickleback patterns, leeches, etc. Not to mention less crowds with the exception of the occassional bass fisherman beating snags with plastics and crank baits. Anyways, a different perspective.

SilverFly · 02-27-2004, 11:32 PM

Deschutes2, -thanks for the "different" perspective. It sounds like all hope is not lost yet

. I look at it this way, Crane is a finite ecosystem like any other lake and accordingly it has a finite biomass that it can support. Using that logic it stands to reason that reducing the crappie or bass biomass by "x" pounds should allow the trout biomass to increase by "x" pounds. Also, "less crowds" is great if your talking about trout fishermen but it doesn't sound like anyone is making a serious effort to catch spinyrays. That could change by posting a few pics of stringers full of slab crappies on the main board and especially the panfish board. I also think it's time to get ODFW to reconsider it's trout regs. I for one am planning to go down there in May or June. I would appreciate any info on crappies or bass in the lake that might help me prepare.

Thanks,

-SF

PittsburghD · 03-02-2004, 07:32 PM

I'm am going softly into this goodnight, but I am not a big fan of change even though it keeps following me.

Crane Prarie is not going back. Davis is not going back. That is where my tear comes from, Davis. I can walk across it now for the last couple of years and not even experience the fishery it once was.

Eventually we will be chuckin' poppers.

--D

PharmDoc · 03-05-2004, 12:24 PM

I too fished crane during its' wonder years and it was awesome. Damsel and dragonfly casings could be seen on all the structure. The last three years have been a different story. I'm not seeing hardly any casing these days and the trout fishery is nothing like it was. This is probably a result of many factors. The bass are just one of them. Davis Lake's decline and how it directly has related to the bass introduction lends evidence to bass being the culprits. I enjoyed many 20+ fish days at Davis as recently as three years ago. Each year I see/catch more and more bass on my seal buggers and less and less trout. On the plus side, its fun to catch bass that seem to average four-five pounds. However, and I'm sure I'll catch flack for this one, its far more thrilling to catch rainbow of this size. Luckily, we still have Klamath and Agency lakes.

TheCamel · 03-05-2004, 07:37 PM

Salmonbonker:
The year before last, I caught/landed at Davis what I euphemistically call a trophy "uglytrout". At first, thought it was a large rainbow, as it was doing the head shake. After putting up a halfhearted struggle, it rolled on its side and came meekly to the net. That fish was not going to be released! I threatened to throw it up on the lava flow for the "critters" and finally another fisherman took it for dinner. Morale of the story�� Bass do not put up as much of a fight as rainbows. Only time will tell if Davis goes the way of Crane. I sure do miss matching wits with those big Cranebow's, but am enjoying some other lakes these days. Sometimes you just have to move on with your life.

TheCamel

bucketmouth · 03-05-2004, 08:55 PM

Used to fish Craine Prairie on a very regular basis while living in Bend during the 80's. Caught some 4 lb brookies in 1983, Biggest Trout was one I never saw. Freight trained my reel and snapped off after wrapping my line around a snag. At the time I was fishing with way too light gear for such a monster. In any event, I did not even know what a Bass was at that time. Later in 1988 I accidentally caught one while trout fishing at haystack reservior. I got hooked on fishing for bass since then. I was unaware they had illegaly been planted at the prairie until I had moved back to Portland in 1990. I think it is sad the the prairie is not the primier trout lake it once used to be. But like others have said, I enjoy fishing for the bass there too. Being a purist one way or the other has never been my bag. I enjoy fishing period. I'm glad to see a discussion about the prairie where both views can be expressed with understanding. It's refreshing.

flyjunky · 03-06-2004, 12:08 PM

I'll just add my $.02 to this good discussion. I agree that they will probably never do anything to change crane but I don't see why they couldn't do something at Davis. I,personally, would much rather fish Davis for trout than Crane. As stated in earlier posts, as little as 3 years ago I've had some unbelievable days out there. I used to fish it at least 3 times per week and always had good success. The thing that I like about Davis is it's FF'ing only. Getting back to my point, since the water levels have been so poor at Davis the last few years why couldn't ODFW go out there in August and just shock the place and remove as many of the bass as they can. I can only really speak about the Lava flow area, but I've seen huge schools of bass, 20-30 fish, in that area and I don't know why it would be so hard. The trout are on a decline anyway, and Davis grows trout so quickly. So why not start over on Davis and see if we can get it back to what it once was? What do you guys think about that?

[ 03-06-2004, 01:10 PM: Message edited by: flyjunky ]