Fishing along hwy 26 or 97 - Central Oregon

[FisherMom]

Hi All! I'm starting my fly fishing journey and am hoping for some recommendations on where I can stop on my way to Sun River from just south of Portland. I don't want to veer too far from the highway but can venture out a bit. I'm looking for spots that I can just pull over during my drive and fish for trout for an hour or two. Does anyone have suggestions on where specifically I could stop? Is this even ok to do? Thank you for any thoughts!

 

[Snopro]

Crooked river near Smith Rock state park is an excellent place to get started flyfishing. A few miles off 97. The Fall river near Sun River can be good also. It might be harder to have success as a new fly Fisher than the Crooked.

 

[Irishrover]

Lower Bridge on the Deschutes. In Terrebonne take NW Lower Bridge Road. It's on the west side of the hwy just as you come into Terrebonne. Follow it to the bridge and fish! Not sure what the water level is right now.

 

[FisherMom]

Crooked river near Smith Rock state park is an excellent place to get started flyfishing. A few miles off 97. The Fall river near Sun River can be good also. It might be harder to have success as a new fly Fisher than the Crooked.

Thank you! I’ve heard both are beautiful. I didn’t realize how close Smith Rock was to 97. Easy stop!

 

[FisherMom]

Lower Bridge on the Deschutes. In Terrebonne take NW Lower Bridge Road. It's on the west side of the hwy just as you come into Terrebonne. Follow it to the bridge and fish! Not sure what the water level is right now.

Perfect! Thanks so much-this is exactly what I need.

 

[olshiftybiscuits]

It’s going to be pretty hot in the high desert, but there are also a few mountain streams along your route. Clear Creek just off NF-42 is about a mile off of highway 26. A bit beyond that is the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River. Both are easily accessed from the road. The Salmon and Zig Zag are also easy to access off 26 at Wildwood Recreation Site and Tollgate Campground, respectively. All of these streams fall outside the emergency “Hoot Owl” regulations that went into effect on July 1, so you can fish them all day. Have fun!

 

[FisherMom]

Crooked river near Smith Rock state park is an excellent place to get started flyfishing. A few miles off 97. The Fall river near Sun River can be good also. It might be harder to have success as a new fly Fisher than the Crooked.

Hi Snopro, is there a way to access tje Crioked River st Smith Rock state park without hiking down into the canyon from the parking lot? Where might other access to the river be?

 

[olshiftybiscuits]

Hi Snopro, is there a way to access tje Crioked River st Smith Rock state park without hiking down into the canyon from the parking lot? Where might other access to the river be?

Access to the Crooked near Bend all requires a steep hike, but if you can make it to the stretch above Prineville along highway 27 it’s some of the easiest access to A+ fly water in the whole state.

 

[FisherMom]

Access to the Crooked near Bend all requires a steep hike, but if you can make it to the stretch above Prineville along highway 27 it’s some of the easiest access to A+ fly water in the whole state.

Nice!! I’ll try. Thank you so much.

 

[Irishrover]

Mile post 18 is my favorite. Not sure what the water flows are now. The reservoir is extremely low.

 

[troutdude]

A bit beyond that is the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River.

Ditto. And if you should happen to follow the Oak Grove Fork, to Lake Harriet, give the mouth a try. Should be easy to get to from the road on that side. As well as an easy to moderate creek to wade. Five years ago the fish loved flies with red in them. The lake also holds some sculpins, so muddler minnows have been good too.