I just got back from a couple fishing trips in Oregon and Nevada and am happy to report that fishing is excellent! Here are my reports on three private lakes I fished this month.
Hyde Lake, Oregon, May 5 – 6
Feisty jumping trout at Hyde Lake
The opportunity to catch big trout and camp next to a campfire with good friends lured me back to scenic Hyde Lake in Oregon. Eager to fish, I was not put off by the full moon. What I did not anticipate was developing five leaks in my float tube in the middle of the lake. As I made the harrowing trip back to the shoreline, images of the Titanic swirled in my mind. Temporarily repairing the boat with a wader repair kit, I returned to fishing, landing feisty, knuckle-busting trout.
Day 1 Conditions: Water temperature: 58 degrees F. Skies calm and clear with a high sun.
My Burgundy and Black Grizzly Bug and UV Midge were killer flies. Each of us landed a dozen trout all over 17 inches.
Day 2 Conditions: An overnight storm brought high winds and rain. Wind forced air and water temperatures down, negatively impacting trout feeding behavior and reducing the number of hook ups.
Despite this, my Grizzly Bug and UV Midge remained productive with anglers landing trout 16 inches to 22 inches.
Hyde Lake is beautiful, easily accessible from Portland, offers camping, and contains big, feisty trout! Let me know if you would like me to host you at Hyde Lake for a fun-filled day of fishing!
Pronghorn Lake, Oregon, May 7, 2020
Anglers are getting off the Pronghorn Lake full of smiles. Springtime fishing is in full swing with anglers landing big trout all along the shoreline edges. The water is a little off color, but the fish do not mind. I find black or burnt orange flies productive in off color water conditions like this.
In a few hours I landed six fish on the east side of the lake using my black and burnt orange Grizzly Bug before a strong east wind put the fish down – and helpfully blew me back to the dock.
Trout hit hard and fought aggressively. All the fish that I landed were feeding in the top two feet along shallow shoreline edges. The most exciting take was when a steelhead trout grabbed my my Grizzly Bug as soon as the fly hit the water. Off he ran taking me into my backing. Landing this trout really got my heart pumping!
This 150-acre lake is a gem nestled in the heart of southern Oregon. Just 45 minutes south of Klamath Falls, Pronghorn is the perfect getaway. I have taken fish up to 23 pounds from this lake. Trout season ends June 15th and the lake opens to bass anglers during the hot summer months.
Contact me if you would like me to host you at Pronghorn Lake. If you need overnight accommodations, I enjoy staying at the Golden West Motel in Klamath Falls. Their phone number is 541-882-1758.
Crittenden Reservoir, Nevada, May 10, 11, 12
This video made at Crittenden Reservoir includes tips on landing big trout. The videos were recorded during this trip.
Day 1 & 2 Conditions: Falling Barometer: 29.8-2.75 in/Hg; Water temperature: 61 Degrees F; Water was flat in the AM & choppy in PM.
The trip started with some definite character-building: a broken fin, cracked sunglasses, a cracked truck windshield, and a lost net and sun glove. However, the next two joyous days made up for that rough start as we landed trout over 18 inches including some that reached 28 inches.
On the water early, I trolled my Predator Bugger along the shoreline edges. It was spawning season for the rainbows and I observed males close to shore defending their territory against other invading males. During the spawning season, the male rainbow lower jaw elongates into a hook called a kype. A female does not develop this feature.
Rainbow Trout caught on my Burnt Orange Predator Bugger
Trout caught with my UV Midge
When a light breeze stirred up ripples on the surface, a cast and retrieve next to shoreline edges where cruising trout were looking for prey landed trout on my UV Midge Pupa.
Trout landed with my Black UV Midge Pupa
My Grizzly Bug was productive landing several trout and bass nestled along the shallow shoreline edges.
Since the female rainbow trout were scattered throughout the lake, I continued to target shoreline areas where the large males were guarding their territories. My Brown Caddis AP Nymph turned out to be a hot performer landing several large trout over the next two days.
Caught using my Brown Caddis All-Purpose Nymph
Day three started at 8 AM with white caps. As the storm front moved in, a cold north wind pushed the water temperature down by over two degrees. A rapid change in water temperature will drastically affect the bite and that is exactly what happened. Fish refused to bite while the barometric pressure changed as the storm system moved through.
A few anglers remained on the water and anchored their boats against the onslaught of high waves and shivered in the icy cold winds.
When there was a break in the wind, I resumed fishing along the shoreline. I was rewarded with this beautiful male trout landed on my Blood Red UV Midge.
While fish blithely went about their business unaware of and unconcerned with the coronavirus crisis impacting our world, all anglers honored physical distancing to protect themselves and each other. Fishing at these beautiful locations felt like luxury after two months obeying stay-at-home orders and missing the camaraderie of fellow anglers.
If you would like more information on any of these locations or my fly patterns, or if you want to schedule a fishing trip, please contact me.
Tight Lines!
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