Tag Archives: Crooked River

Fly Fishing on My Birthday!

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I got out with Mary Ann last week on my birthday for a little trout fishing here in Central Oregon.  We hit the Crooked River about an hour from our house.  It was a chilly 18 degrees when we left the house but by the time we got to the river it had warmed up to the mid 40’s.  The whitefish were spawning in the river so a lot of fish were pretty active.  We both picked up about 20 fish on small egg patterns using euronymphing techniques.  We didn’t get anything large, but it was still pretty fun hitting the water with bamboo.  Here are a couple of photos of our day.

The Crooked River in November

The Crooked River in November.

A feisty rainbow that took a #16 orange egg pattern.

A feisty rainbow that took a #16 orange egg pattern.

Let’s help clean up our rivers.

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No, I’m not bait fishing with my bamboo fly rods.  I’ve made a commitment to take a small step in helping clean up our rivers.  Each time I get out fishing, I make sure I pick up some trash I find along the river.  It’s usually a Styrofoam bait cup or a beer can.  I pick it up, put it in my vest, and haul it out with me to dispose of in the appropriate waste container after I’m done fishing.  If we all do a little, we can make a big difference.

Let's help clean up our rivers. Pick up something each time you're on the river.

Let’s help clean up our rivers. Pick up something each time you’re on the river.

 

 

 

Bamboo Rods on the Crooked River

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Mary Ann and I got the chance to get out to the Crooked River a few days ago with our bamboo rods.  I chose an 8′  3″  5 wt rod.  It was a wonderful weather day and we picked up a handful of nice rainbows on dries and nymphs.  Here is a quick video that Mary Ann shot while I was landing an especially nice rainbow of about 18″.

 

 

First Fish Of 2015 On The Crooked River

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Mary Ann and I hit the Crooked River yesterday for some January trout action.  It was a chilly 32 degrees but the sun shining brightly…you gotta love winter trout fishing in central Oregon!  The water level in the river was abnormally high due to some recent dumping from the reservoir but we were hoping the fish would still cooperate.  I chose an 8′  3″  5 wt bamboo rod for my day on the river.  There were no bugs out of any kind so it was time for nymphs with a EuroNymphing setup.  While my standard go-to zebra midges and bwo nymphs were of no interest to the rainbows in the river, I managed to pick up a few decent fish on a #12 Tellico Nymph.  The Tellico Nymph is a great imitation for a small golden stonefly nymph.  Here is my first fish of 2015, a nice feisty 12″ rainbow!

A Crooked River Rainbow in January

A Crooked River Rainbow in January – My First Fish of 2015!

The beautiful Crooked River

The beautiful Crooked River

The Crooked River and the Tellico Nymph

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I was looking through my fly box recently and realized that I was out of (and hadn’t even fished) a Tellico Nymph in a very long time.  It used to be a favorite pattern of mine but for some reason I had gotten away from fishing it.  Most of us on the west coast haven’t heard of this fly as it was originated years ago in the Southeastern United States.  A well known fly back east, it does a great job at imitating a golden stonefly nymph.  And, you can be guaranteed that the fish in our local waters haven’t seen this fly before.  So, I tied up several a few up a nights ago and Mary Ann and I hit the Crooked River yesterday for a few hours of fishing.

We got the river about noon.  The recent snows were mostly gone and it was a nice overcast day with temperatures in the mid 40’s.  Small fish were already rising for BWOs on the surface.  Mary Ann picked up several fish on dries but I decided to stay with nymphs.  The Tellico Nymph didn’t disappointment me and I picked up a handful of decent fish drifting this fly towards the bottom through the deeper runs.  Since I’ve now “rediscovered” this great fly pattern, it will again be a standard in my fly box.  Here are a couple of shots from the day, as well as my fly recipe for the Tellico Nymph.

The Crooked River

The Crooked River

A nice fall rainbow that took a Tellico Nymph.

A nice fall rainbow that took a Tellico Nymph.

The Tellico Nymph

The Tellico Nymph

The Tellico Nymph

Hook:  #8 to #12 – 1X Long (Daiichi 1560)

Lead:  15 turns of .015 Lead Wire Underbody

Thread:  Brown

Tail:  Grizzly Hackle Fibers

Body:  Yellow Floss

Rib:  2 Strands of Peacock Hearl with Fine Copper Wire Counter Wrapped

Back:  Turkey Tail Fibers

Hackle:  English Grouse