Northwest Reel Life April 2024 Volume 3 Issue 7 - Flipbook - Page 16
Park, micro-breweries, and
the Bend Ale Trail. On a
weeknight when everyone
else is bending an elbow,
bend a rod on a local lake.
Stay till dark. Most anglers
quit at dinner, leaving the
moment the fish start to
feed in earnest.
There are easier places to
fish than the Deschutes
and most waters are not
fly-fishing only. Bring a
spinning rod and there are
a lot of places to exercise it.
WHERE TO FISH
East Lake is home to
rainbow trout, browns,
and kokanee (a landlocked
salmon). This productive
fishery can be accessed
from the bank. East Lake
Resort offers lodging,
a restaurant, and boat
rentals. A good option is
nearby Paulina Lake. Both
are favorites with the locals
with plenty of room to
spread out.
On the Cascade Lakes
Highway, North Twin Lake
might be the easiest place
to land a rainbow. South
Twin, less than a mile away
can turn out fish to six
pounds or more. Want
to set up for trout fishing
success? Stop in at Twin
Lakes Resort and carry your
rod inside. One of the pros
can help.
Hosmer Lake is fly-fishing
only and cutthroat trout are
the main quarry. Stop at a
local fly-fishing shop to get
the scoop on the best flies
and presentations or to rent
a float tube.
repellent.
The Metolius River is flyfishing-only and when
the locals go, they wade,
cast, and watch the water
to appreciate the habitat
where it's more about
the fishing than the
catching. Some reaches
are pressured while other
sections are virtually
ignored.
On a Saturday in July, with
East of Prineville, Ochoco
two other Bend locals, we
Reservoir is a good
fished the Metolius casting
destination for the bank or
dries to wild rainbows and
boat angler. Rainbows grow probing darker reaches
fast in these rich waters.
for bull trout. We had a
mile and a half of river to
Up in Willamette Pass,
ourselves while the rest
about 75 miles from Bend,
of the world was having
Gold Lake offers fast flybreakfast. The challenge is
fishing for brook trout and
rainbows. Hike-in lakes offer to see what everyone else
is doing and then do the
solitude in the Cascades.
opposite. Fish like a local.
Locals bring mosquito
Gary Lewis Bio
Gary Lewis is an award-winning author, TV host, speaker and photographer. Recent books
include Fishing Central Oregon, 6th Edition, Fishing Mount Hood Country and Bob Nosler Born
Ballistic. Gary has hunted and fished in eight countries on three continents and in the islands
of the South Pacific. Born and raised in the Northwest, he has been walking forest trails and
running rivers for as long as he can remember. Lewis is twice past president of the Northwest
Outdoor Writers Association and a recipient of NOWA’s Enos Bradner Award.
FOR A SIGNED COPY OF FISHING
MOUNT HOOD COUNTRY, SEND
$29.99, INCLUDES SHIPPING TO:
Gary Lewis Outdoors
PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709
Contact Gary Lewis at
garylewisoutdoors.com
