Now that ice has cleared and snow is melting, there is access to a few more fishing areas. Local reservoirs are seeing more activity from out of the area anglers, so realize you may not have the serene desert or forest setting that you were having here a few weeks ago. PLEASE NOTE:  there have been recent reports that ticks are thick and rattlesnakes are out and being seen around the small BLM reservoirs!!

Yellowjacket: Now accessible. No reports, but should fish 'ok' for carry over trout.

Delintment Lake: The road may still be blocked with snow in areas. Accessibility  is questionable. No reports.

Chickahominy: I ventured out last week and noted about 8 camps and twice that many vehicles....mid-week. It is still fishing well when stripping leech patterns. Scud patterns retrieved slowly or hung under an indicator could produce, as well. I did note some insect activity, but the glassy smooth lake showed no surface disturbance. 

Moon Reservoir: No reports of trout caught, but apparently there are plenty of chubs and shiners in the system. A chance that it may become a warm water fishery....

Mann Lake:  There is water in the lake! ODFW has plans on stocking the lake once they overcome a few barriers.

Beulah Reservoir:  96% full. No fishing reports.

Warm Springs Reservoir:  99% full. No fishing reports.

Blitzen: Recent melting and thunderstorms has the river running over 400 cfs today, and that's down from over 500 cfs last night. It has been on a steady rise for a week, with midnight seeing the highest flow. The lowest flows occur late afternoons/early evenings.

Malheur River:  Hydromet shows that the river is running around 1,000 cfs below the reservoir, and nearly 1,500 cfs once the N. Fork joins. No fishing reports.

Owyhee River:  A week ago the river was running OVER 8,000 cfs. At the time of this writing it's showing just under 4,800 cfs. It sounds like it could be running over 1,000 cfs through May,

It's been a nice few days here in the high desert, and people are getting out on the local waters. Unfortunately, the cold weather is making a comeback this weekend and will linger for a few days. This past week saw a number of individuals fishing at Chickahominy. While the water is in excellent condition and fish are being caught, up until a few days ago it was the fly fishers who were hooking the most fish, followed by those throwing hardware, while bait fishers seemed to find the catch rate a bit slower. That said, the fly fishing has slowed down to a "good" pace from the frantic "strike a cast" fishing which is normal right at ice out. Bead headed Prince nymphs, olive buggers and small black leeches and Wooly Worms have been producing at Chick.

Water levels continue to improve at all (accessible) reservoirs. There have been no reports from the lakes in the forest due to accessibility, but that should be changing rather soon.

For those of you who are adventurous and like poking around the desert, a reminder that this time of year many of the roads are soft, even if they look dry on the surface. Even some of the graveled USFS roads can be hiding sink holes, as I learned first hand last spring. Be careful out there. 

Blitzen:  No recent reports. The river is currently flowing at 157 cfs, and has been as high as 500 cfs this past week. 

Owyhee River:  The water was rushing out of the dam at nearly 800 cfs this past week, but the gates are now allowing just over 250 cfs of water to hit the lower river. Keep an eye on the flow before planning a trip there.

BLM Ponds: Most, if accessible, should be fishing well. Nymphs such as Princes, Hare's Ears and smaller dark Wooly Worms are often productive here in early season. If there is a slight chop, those who like fishing under an indicator my try small balanced leeches and nymphs tied on jig hooks. Not many chironomids have been noted yet this past week.

Local reservoirs are starting to shows signs of ice out. Chickahominy is currently ~10% open. Higher elevation water bodies will be a bit longer to become ice free, with some not yet accessible. Projected temperatures for the next two weeks show lows in the low 20s to low 30's, with highs in the 40's. A couple warmer days with the inevitable spring winds will open up waters, however, may cause some turbidity once the protective ice is off. 

Good early spring patterns include leech patterns (traditional and balanced), and I've had the most success in dark or black colors. Don't overlook scuds, chironomids or snail-impersonating flies, too, which can be accomplished with Prince nymphs and small Wooly Worms. Fish slow, and throughout the water column.

Get ready to layer up for early spring fishing!

And by we, I mean water in southeast Oregon! The winter of 2022-23 provided some much needed water in our local streams and reservoirs. Stillwaters were re-stocked this past spring, and trout growth was everything we hoped it would be. Waters were mostly rested, in that they weren't hit hard by trout fishers while the fish grew. Several local reservoirs  produced fish to 17"  for those who did go out before they froze over. This coming spring should see good fishing, with fall fishing for 20" trout a strong possibility. 

The Blitzen showed signs of what I'm calling "recovery" after the low water and high temperatures of the past few years. 

While this winter has seen a slow start in terms of snowfall, we are to get several inches this week. Here's hoping that the watersheds see a good amount of snowfall in the coming weeks, and even spring rains to maintain, or even increase, current water levels in our beloved stillwater fisheries. 

With this said, and our local fisheries making a comeback, check back this spring for updated fishing reports.

Until then, Happy New Year!

With the weather finally showing some improvements, at least in the short term, it's time to get out and start hitting the local waters. That said, options remain limited due to a variety of issues. Here's an update of what's going on around the area.

Chickahominy - DRY

Mann Lake - DRY

Blitzen - This is the system of most concern. Besides spending 4 hours fishing various sections of the river a month ago during ideal conditions, I have spoken with over a half-dozen anglers who have fished multiple days on the river and I have yet to hear of a fish caught, or even seen. ODFW has concerns, and will be doing some creel surveys and other studies on the river this year. There are MANY variables which can affect this stream, so narrowing down the issue may be difficult. Two years of over a month each of 70 degree water temps has undoubtedly affected the population and recruitment, along with other possible factors. As info comes forth, I will pass it along.

Beulah- Currently 47% full, and receding as water is being released. I have heard of one trout caught, that by someone fishing spinner baits for bass. (Yes, bass have 'somehow' been introduced into this water body....). With over 400 cfs of water being released from this reservoir, we will see it dropping rather quickly, as just under 200 cfs is coming into the impoundment. 

Warm Springs - At 16% full and nearly 400 cfs being released versus 120 cfs entering the reservoir, Warm Springs will be short lived. No fishing report from Warm Springs.

Malheur - Up until the release of water from Beulah and Warm Springs, the only water flowing in the Malheur was from the South Fork, with under 20 cfs being reported for a flow. Fish did survive in much of the main stem below the South Fork, however, I have been told by ODFW that they anticipate losing this fishery this summer.

Krumbo - Due to requirements to maintain a minimum pool, Krumbo should fish ok as conditions allow. No recent reports.

Yellowjacket/Delintment - Each of these carried over this past winter. Yellowjacket is fishing the best and undoubtedly has the higher population of fish. Cooler temperatures should delay the annual "weeding" of Delintment (although that is major contributor to the prolific damsel hatches witnessed at that small reservoir).

That's a quick rundown of what's happening in the county. Other small BLM reservoirs may have carried over, but no reports, and it's inevitable that with the conditions, any little water body will most likely go dry or see very high temps by mid to late summer. We are also finding perch in some of the small reservoirs which have held only trout in the past. Some people just can't seem to help themselves....

Things are slowly starting to thaw out here in Harney County. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot to thaw in terms of snow which will make it to our local reservoirs. Chickahominy will remain essentially dry this season, it appears, and with that, no fish will be introduced. Before it went dry last year, ODFW did capture a good number of fish from the reservoir and transplanted them into other local waters. With that, time will tell if the other lakes and small reservoirs in the area carry over.

Reports:

Blitzen:  Currently running at 44 cfs, anticipate the flow to increase as the weather warms and the lower elevation snow melts. Only time will tell when this will occur, and how significant the increased water levels will be. Fishing was reported to be unusually slow through the winter. Standard nymphs (GRHE, PT's, Princes) and streamers stripped in the deeper pools would be the go to patterns. 

Krumbo Reservoir:  Krumbo has been seeing some significant fishing pressure the past couple of weeks, with some fish in the 12-15" range being caught. It is ice free. Slow stripped leech patterns and chironomids should provide some success. Be aware that many roads in that area are turning soft.

No reports on current ice amounts or ice conditions at Yellowjacket, and doubtful that Delintement is reachable due to snow drifts.

This past week, ODFW lifted the bag limit on Chickahominy. This is in effect until October 10.  According to the news release, the reservoir is less than 10% full, with the deepest portion only 6 feet deep.  Driving by this past Thursday, it appears many are trying to take advantage of the current scenario, with over a dozen RV's at the site.

I'm hearing that Krumbo is still fishing a bit slow, however, recent winds have hampered attempts. 

The Blitzen is seeing 30-50 cfs swings each day, but well within the levels I feel are good fishing conditions. Other local streams, not effected by runoff, are starting to fish well. Until hatches start with regularity, bead head Hare's Ears seem to be the most effecting pattern.

Fished Chickahominy mid-morning yesterday to be able to get a real fishing report posted. Parked at Access Point A and walked out to the water's edge....then out another 100 yards or so to find water which was nearing knee deep. I would say that the visibility was 2 inches, however, that may be a bit generous. Or a lot generous. Half-heartedly, I made a cast, launching the ol' standard brown Woolly Bugger, and began the slow strips. I figured I'd give it 20-30 minutes, but the poor visibility had me thinking 5 min may be sufficient! However, on cast #3 the line came tight, and it wasn't weeds. A strong fish was landed after a couple of minutes, a bright, red-stripped  beauty which measured a true 20" according to the mark on my fly rod. Decided to give it another 40 minutes. I saw one fish roll, bait anglers leave, and the breeze pick up. Not another bump. So....I know there are at least 2 fish in there. May try it again in a week or so. Not sure it'll clear up a whole lot. I will warn those wading to beware that there are some soft spots, and sinking in above the ankles and having boots stuck when fishing solo a couple hundred feet from the shoreline when no one is around gives an ominous feeling for a bit. But seeing that the water has already dropped about 3-4" in the past couple of weeks, I didn't think I"d be stuck there much more than a month or two at the most.... 

This past weekend a drive out to Chickahominy showed us a couple of things we were a bit surprised about. First, there was some open water. In fact, nearly half the reservoir was free of ice. The second discovery wasn't quite as encouraging. The area out from Access Point C and a ways south/east are dry. Absolutely no water in the areas so many of us were fishing this past spring. Coupled with the ODFW report of low O2 levels this winter, concerns were rising. So, I planned on a trip out to fish the open water today to see if any signs of life presented themselves, but first decided to call our local ODFW fisheries biologist, Dave Banks. Dave told me the agency has netted a couple of areas and, despite the 0% dissolved O2 in a December test, there were some fish in the captured, including some nice sized fish. However, there were not the numbers of smaller fish found which were there in the fall. With that said, it's not anticipated that the reservoir levels will substantially rise, and there will not be fish planted this spring. With that info, I'm holding back on today's trip.

Krumbo: My tires tracks also led to an area which allowed a look down on a lot of Krumbo from a couple miles away, an it appeared the reservoir is essentially ice-free. No reports.

The reservoirs in the forest saw considerable ice this year, but most likely starting to break up. Yellowjacket usually always carries over (plenty of fish were caught through the ice this winter), and time will tell about Delintment when it becomes accessible. 

More info as it becomes available....




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It's 3:05PM on Tuesday and I just got off the phone with the local BLM. The road and access into Chickahominy remains open, just no camping and restroom facilities are closed. Boat ramp remains open. I've had multiple inquiries as to the status of Chick....so there ya go! However, we are encouraging people to stay close to home, limit out of town traveling, and please, maintain all safety precautions during this time. Thank you!