fishing

September 27, 2026October 2, 2026

River Time

Just noticed someone is eating our Aspen leaves

The leaves on our aspen trees are a mix of green and yellow, mornings are often frosty, and the bird feeder needs refilling every day. Transition to fall is underway and we’re making the most of it.

A shaded spot by the river to keep an eye on everyone

Trips to the Crooked are spaced weekly, between an occasional rain storm. It’s easy to get on the river just before the sun crests the canyon walls and triggers a morning caddisfly hatch.

Layers are mandatory, but our warm sweaters are folded away by mid-morning. This also is about the time Tip is suggesting it’s time to have some snacks.

There is a day use area fifteen minutes upstream from Prineville that is a regular stop and these last few weeks we’ve mostly been setting up our chairs there.

That crest makes this Merganser look like he’s facing into a wind

A ‘Raft’ of mergansers has been in the area for most of those days.

Occasionally we see the osprey. Often he perches on a snag that dominates the opposite bank. This day the bare branches hold a heron, briefly, but no osprey.

Bull Thistle takes on a lethal quality in the Fall

Some time in mid-summer an SUV spotted JQ adjusting focus on a telephoto lens and pulled over to chat . . . photog to photog.

The gist of that conversation was there’s a Mountain Goat that inhabits the top reaches of the basalt columns on the far side of the river. Since then we’ve scanned the canyon wall, but never spotted him.

A week ago a fisherman chatted with Jack and besides sharing fly pattern information, also pointed out that the goat was on a ledge, over there.

“Fourth ledge down and just right of that outcrop . . . “

It’s no easy tasks to direct someones attention to a small white dot hunkered down on a rock face that is identical to the hundreds of other outcroppings and a mile away.

There are a lot of spaces for a goat to hang out on the canyon wall

But I got the general location. Once back at the car, with the aid of binoculars and JQ’s Telephoto lens we located a mound of white fur nestled in the rocks.

With a better idea of where to look and what to look for this week, we tried again. Pretty quickly we found him standing, exposed with the morning light making it easier to get a photo.

Fall continues to offer a smattering of rainy days amid stretches of clear sky, making it easy to pick out a good river day . . . or whatever outing we feel like. This is by far our favorite time of year.

September 13, 2026September 12, 2026

The Shift into Fall

One of many Woolly Bears hanging out on the river’s edge.

Smoke finally lifted over a favorite haunt and we are back on the Crooked River. There were days of on and off rain, which likely had some influence over the reduction of wildfire haze.

Our chairs are tucked into a shady spot. The cooler is opened long enough to pull out the boxes with quarter cut sandwiches and cold drinks.

The winter migration is picking up and the trees are filled with a greater number and variety of birds.

Osprey

Not sure what to call the season; late summer, early fall? We’re at a transition that is neither, but without a title of its own. We like this time of year.

Labor Day’s over and the crowds have started to thin. The cold of the morning can be warmed with a sweater that is easy to shed when the afternoon sun warms things up.

But it never gets that August hot that drives you off the river by noon. We’re back at the point where you can spend the whole day on the stream.

I rig up a couple of rods, one for wet flies in the morning, the other ready for the afternoon hatch.

The river level keeps going down just as the reservoir dramatically drops, but the fishing remains good.

A bunch of Wooly Bears (caterpillar form of the Isabella tiger moth) cling to riverside branches. If they are a harbinger of winter it would seem the El-Nino predictions are on target.

The weather reports are for mild clear days ahead . . . we take that as a sign to get on the road and enjoy all the fall weather we can.

June 28, 2026June 27, 2026

River Side

There was a nice big Rainbow just behind that rock

We’ve settled into summer. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot, so we travel in the morning hours and are comfortably ensconced in AC by late afternoon.

This will be the rhythm of our days for the next few months.

Back on the Crooked River we’re looking for a Caddisfly hatch.

We have had lots of success on the river in the last few weeks. The dry fly fishing season is in full swing and the Crooked is at peak performance.

We were treated to a Great Blue Heron sunning on a rock. Usually they are kind of skittish and you don’t get much chance to grab a pix. This was not the case this day. He was quite satisfied to just lounge by the stream.

After a long rest the Great Blue Heron heads downstream

We then watched him as he fly-hopped along the edge of the water in search of his next meal. It was a real treat!

The Osprey flew by a few times, hunting the length of the canyon it seemed.

He did rest a few minutes on the other side of the river, passed with a fish in his talons and generally harassed the fish population on our stretch of the river. So I guess we were in similar pursuits.

May 3, 2026May 2, 2026

Tail Waters

We spend a lot of time on rivers. Usually Spring brings a rise in water levels. There is always a period ahead of this surge as temperatures warm and fishing is good.

Then one settles in to wait for run off to end and river flows to return to a fishable level.

Seemed to be casting knots rather than flies.

The Crooked River is a tail-water, meaning it flows out of a dam, which also means that the levels are more regulated. This bit of control has a positive effect on late spring run-off.

This year’s minimal snowpack means there will be a marginal rise to levels. It will become a problem in September when the reservoir dries up, but for now it makes for good fishing.

Caddis flies are food for Buntings as well

This week’s trip to the river was not particularly productive on the fishing side.

There is a Caddis fly hatch timed for the first part of May . . . Mother’s Day Caddis . . . which is just getting started. So maybe next week.

Lark Bunting, known for their flight displays and song

There was a marked increase in bird activity. Of course the Canada Geese and a variety of ducks bobbed in the water and settled on the banks.

We also got to watch a Kingfisher fishing. We added a new species to the list. Though not unusual for the area . . . a Lazuli Bunting was spotted and regaled us with song.

Sighted, also, was the Methuselah of butterflies, a Mourning Cloak in fringed black, was sunning in the willows.

This species overwinters, living for up to ten months which is a couple of lifetimes for a regular butterfly.

Warmer mornings are on tap for the future and the forecast is partly cloudy at worst.

The heat of summer will be on us all too soon, but for now we continue to take advantage of these beautiful spring days.

April 19, 2026April 19, 2026

. . . and, it Snowed

The scene of Tip’s early morning jaunt one April morning

After days of near summer-like weather, we woke to a half-inch of snow. That’s how our week started.

It’s not like we don’t expect some cold and wet days in April, we would prefer it not include snow. Fortunately it was gone by afternoon. But still . . .

Our soup is back in supply on pantry shelves.

While the weather is stormy, we have been completing “at home” projects, like canning, baking, and touch-up painting. That means furniture moving, pulling art off the walls, and in many cases rearranging.

In this house, cleaning results in a series of messes shifting between spaces, until we finally move a pile to the donation bin.

Winter’s cold fingers warmed by mid-week and we decided to take a break from all this housework. We went for a drive.

We have not been to Maupin in quite a while, so we headed north to the Deschutes Canyon.

The Deschutes River Canyon, upstream of Shears Falls

Seems like in Oregon all the good rivers are cut into basalt canyons . . . that’s a good thing.

Spring has started to take hold on the Deschutes. There is noticeable green clinging to the hillsides, occasionally dotted with the yellow of early wildflower blooms.