Leslie casting on the headwater of the Rogue River ·
We left the Metolius after our morning of fishing and proceeded south on our way to Diamond Lake. Along the way, we decided to stop and fish the Fall River near La Pine.
This is an interesting piece of water; you can fish next to a fish hatchery in one area. I had never seen a site in such close proximity to a hatchery. It was strange to see people fishing and catching fish. We watched an angler land a nice fish of around 18 inches using an ice cream cone midge. It was a red midge similar to a zebra midge, but tied with a white bead in about a size 18 or 20 scud style hook.
Deciding we needed to fish in a slightly wilder setting, we drove upstream and found a couple of access points. We began fishing at the second one and had no luck. The river was shallow and clear, with lots of downed timber.
As we proceeded downstream, we kept hearing gunfire. As we rounded a bend, we could see a vehicle above the water and a group of guys who were apparently firing off rounds into the river. As a result, we cut our fishing on the Fall River short and decided to head to Diamond Lake, near Crater Lake.
This turned out to be good timing, since it was nearly dark by the time we had driven to Diamond Lake. We first checked-out the north end of the lake, where we were attacked by mosquitoes. After hustling back to the car, we drove to the south end to find a campsite at Broken Arrow Campground.
Diamond Lake is a large lake, and I certainly would not recommend it to those who are float tubing like we were. The only day that we had to fish the lake, the wind was howling and the lake was turbid and full of white caps. It was certainly not a day for float-tubes. As a result, we searched to find a section of stream to fish.
We decided to check out the Rogue River. Leslie was first to hook-up with a small and colorful wild rainbow. Another followed, and then I caught several. Leslie had switched to a dry Royal Wulff and took another in the bottom of the run. I switched to a rubber leg attractor in a size 16, which proved to be a pattern that they could not ignore.
We caught many small, but wild, rainbow and brook trout. We had a great time and agreed that the size of the fish had not detracted from the experience. The downside of this location is that I found an inordinate amount of monofilament line in the vegetation. I gathered what I found up and disposed of it.
Since it was early afternoon, my daughter suggested taking a look at Crater Lake. It was an impressive site, which would have even better had it not been for the smoke of a fire that was burning somewhere. While the haze spoiled our view, it was nonetheless impressive. More on Crater Lake next week.
FISHING REPORT (See Sightseeing for water levels.)
Boca | Inflow is at 90 cfs and the outflow is 76 cfs. Try powerbait or nightcrawlers. Throwing lures from shore has been working. Fly fishers have been catching some fish near the inlet, mostly nymphing and with streamers.
Donner | Fishing has been good. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the bait of choice. Mackinaw and Kokanee fishing has been fair. Fly fishermen are catching some fish with streamers.
Lake Tahoe | Fishing has been fair to good for mackinaw. A guide is recommended if you are fishing for mackinaw for the first time. Toplining and shore fishing is fair. Most shore fishermen use inflated nightcrawlers. A state record Kokanee was recently landed by an angler out of Nevada City in Lake Tahoe.
Little Truckee River | The flow is at 90 cfs. Fishing has been fair to good. Hopper dropper set-ups are working well.
Martis Lake | Zero kill. Catch and Release only with barbless artificial lures or flies. Some small cutthroats and an occasional large brown and rainbow can still be caught here. Smallmouth bass also have been introduced in this water.
Prosser | The lake is fishing fair to good. Powerbait and nightcrawlers are the best bait. Smallmouth Bass are biting well with the warmer water. Lure and fly fishermen also are taking some fish from shore and near the inlets.
Stampede | Fishing has been fair to good from shore. Kokanee fishing has been fair. Mackinaw fishing has been good. Smallmouth Bass fishing has been good with the warm weather and water temperatures. Fly fishermen have been doing well near the inlets with nymphs and streamers for trout and in the coves for Smallmouth Bass.
Truckee River | Flowing out of the lake at 351 cfs. The flow through Truckee is at 361 cfs as of Aug. 18. Fish have been caught on nymphs, emergers, dries and streamers. The main hatches now are Caddis and terrestrials, ants, beetles and grasshoppers. Flies imitating these have been the most productive. Streamers also have been good. Crayfish patterns should be a top producer this time of year. A hopper dropper set-up also is a good combination. Warm weather is causing the water to warm into the 70s by the evening. Carry a thermometer and limit your fishing to cooler periods. Fishing from Boca downstream should be your best bet now.
Other Waters | Davis and Frenchman have been fair to good. Fish are being caught on blood midge patterns and Callibaetis imitations. Streamers fished deep also can be productive. Water is now warm at these lakes and fish have gone deep as in most of our area waters.
Bruce is a long-time area fly fisherman and past president of Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers.
