Go small and heavy for Crooked River rainbows

Published 4:00 am Thursday, December 18, 2008

“Do you mind if I bring my dog?”

Did I mind if he brought his dog? Jeff Perin’s golden retriever must be the best fishing companion a guy could ask for. She’ll never bum a leader off you or plead to borrow your last No. 16 Copper John or say she has to be home early when a hatch of blue-winged olives is underway.

All these things flashed through my mind. “Not at all. Bring her along.”

I have seen a lot of pictures of Jeff and his dog over the years. Jeff, owner of The Fly Fishers Place, in Sisters, is one of the area’s best fishermen and he fishes some of the prettiest water in our corner of the state. And the dog is ever-present, a companion, faithful, alongside as the master plies his offerings upon the water.

So it was my pleasure to meet Paloma, who seemed so familiar from the photos, but the golden retriever was actually new to the game, a pup, a youngster, an angler dog-in-training.

Jeff picked up a palm-sized rock and a handful of algae. We examined the crawlies that scrambled in the light: small stoneflies, caddis, snails and freshwater shrimp.

I learned long ago that if you want to catch fish on the Crooked in the absence of a hatch, you need to go small and heavy. I rigged with a tungsten-beaded No. 16 Flashback Pheasant Tail and a No. 20 Beadhead Bubble Back.

The first fish took the smallest fly and Paloma took notice. So did Jeff. He rigged with a Beer Head Baetis trailing a Prince Nymph and the trout just seemed to throw up their fins in surrender.

When you absolutely need to catch a fish in the fall or winter, the Crooked River is the best bet. In 1961, when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built Bowman Dam, a productive year-round tailwater fishery was established downstream from Prineville Reservoir. The water is off-color, full of silt, and rich in food.

Riffles, runs, pools, and pocket water make up most of what the fly angler will encounter in this section. Rainbow trout are the dominant species, though at times, it may seem that the only fish in the river are whitefish. Rainbows average 8 to 10 inches, though you will likely hook a few 14- to 18-inchers.

On a cloudy day, look for a hatch of blue-winged olives at about 2 p.m. When the adults are on the surface, instead of fishing dries, try emerger patterns like the Loop Wing Emerger, CDC Emerger or Winger Emerger. Prior to the hatch, trout may be feeding on mayfly nymphs. A No. 16 soft hackle Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail will produce during this period.

After the first few fish, we moved downstream a few miles and crossed the river in the canyon.

The water was the color of wet concrete and the leaves were orange-gold along the shore. We waded, kept our flies out of the willows and the junipers and in the bubble lines that folded around the rocks.

Trout grabbed and went airborne and threw the hook. Paloma grew bolder, taking on a demeanor like a brown bear on an Alaskan stream. If we couldn’t land that fish, she would. She watched intent, knowing that the fisherman with the wide-brimmed hat was an easier mark than her master.

Paloma’s canine intensity built with every minute that passed between fish. When a rod bent and a rainbow arced, she headed for it, seeming to know, with doggie instinct, which way the trout would go next. By the end of the afternoon she could catch them mid-air.

We ended the afternoon with almost 40 fish to our credit, a better day than I’ve had on the Crooked in several years.

Once known for its numbers of fish, the Crooked seems to be producing bigger rainbows. If you don’t believe me, just ask Paloma. She’d probably tell you that they’re a real mouthful.