Small Streams

Sisters, Oregon area is an amazing place for a small stream fly fisher. We have so many options for fly fishing around here. Here is a rundown of the Small Streams that we  love.
The Crooked River is one of the state's most popular spots. This small stream is known as a year round fishery and most of the time it lives up to that designation. Watch the weather and predict there might be some tough days here in the winter if we get a cold snap. The river can freeze over. In the Winter they are holding back water in the reservoir so the flows are usually very low at 60 to 75 c.f.s.. By mid-Spring the irrigation demand downstream calls for them to release more water, and the river rises to an optimal 200 to 250 c.f.s. In a high water year, we might fish the river at around 500+ c.f.s. but that is about as high as you'd want to go if you were planning a trip here.  In the heat of the summer, during  one of Central Oregon's heat waves, plan to fish the river early in the morning or late in the evening for best success. During normal Summer conditions, the cold water coming from the bottom release dam and the shade the Canyon walls provide  gives us fine fishing conditions at any time.
At one time, the Crooked River held huge populations of Trout (6000+ per mile), but several high water years and a Dam caused nitrogen disease took that number to around 1000 per mile. We are happy to say the river has bounced back nicely and the Trout population appears healthy. We are seeing some nice fish and good catch rates again. The Scud population was once enormous,  it is still important but overshadowed  now by Mothers Day Caddis and Blue Wing Olives. Midges and leeches are also very important food sources  on the Crooked. 
The Crooked River is best fished in the Tailwater section from Bowman Dam back downstream towards Prineville to Mile Marker 12. This 8 mile stretch of river is the best section of water to fly fish. There are also limited opportunities to fish the Crooked River near Smith Rock State Park and near Opal Springs.
Whychus Creek is a tributary to the Deschutes, but it's origins begin up in the Cascades south of town. The Creek tumbles from the 3 Sisters Wilderness area down to Sisters and often doesn't fish well until mid summer when the snow melt run-off finally slows down. Around  Whychus Creek Falls there is plenty of  access to the stream and it's eager fish. Most fish here are 4 to 9 inches but are all Wild Trout.  As you get a little closer to town there is  limited access due to homes and ranches but there is still some great water to fish. Much of the creek is diverted to irrigtion water about 3 miles south of Sisters. This is a blessing and a curse. Early in the season we can find fishable water below the diversion, but by mid-Summer it might be too low to fish. Past town the Creek flows through the Land Trust property and other private areas and is mostly off limits. Once it gets down to the Crooked River National Grasslands area you'll find trails from the Alder Springs area back to the Creek. This is rough country for hiking and we recommend not trying this alone! Fom Alder Springs to the confluence with the Deschutes is a nice piece of water with some good trout.  While the regulations show the stream is open year round, we recommend late May to the end of October to concentrate on this creek.
Tumalo Creek is another tributary to the Deschutes. It is just one drainige East of the Whychus drainage. Tumalo Creek is a neat little Fishery in the Summer months  through the Fall. Over the Winter, it is blanketed by deep snow and during the Spring is usually too swollen to really fish well. From Bend, the drive up to the Tumalo Falls takes you up Skyliner road. Skyliner area is now a place with a few homes and an OMSI camp, but at one time was the local Ski hill before Mt Bachelor was developed. Once you reach the end of the pavement and cross the bridge to the gravel road that takes you to the Falls you have reached the good fishing water. Anywhere from the Bridge upstream to the falls is good water. We find mostly small fish here but usually eager to take a nice high floating dry fly.
Another place to fish Tumalo Creek is through the Shevlin Park area. There are many good access points through the park, and if you are willing to hike up or down from the park you'll find some very lightly fished water. I can remember fishing upstream from the park on the 4th of July one year and having to make careful casts to some very "spooky" trout. It was a blast!  In that clear water you could see everything. Without  7x tippet  and some nicely tied black ants  I'd have left without success. That was a low water year and every year is a little different. I've also had times on the creek where a good cast to a likely looking holding spot would raise fish 100% of the time.
The Upper Deschutes in the Head Waters area is considered a small Stream. For more info on that please refer to the Deschutes river page of our web site. 
The Fall River is one of my favorite places to fish! Maybe it's because I am a Spring Creek Fanatic or because this is  where I learned how to fly fish. It's a 10 mile long Spring Creek and is a tributary to the Deschutes. While there are a few  places that are private property the river is mostly open to the public.  From the Headwaters, down through the campground, the horseshoe bend and the Fish Hatchery is all very accessible water with only one small piece of private property. From the Hatchery to the Bridge on road 4360 there is another section of private water with just a little public access above the bridge. From the Bridge down to the Falls is all good water. All of the water from the Headwaters to the Falls  is open for year round fishing. Below the Falls is mostly public except the last little piece where it flows into the Deschutes. The area below the Falls down to the Deschutes is open in late-May and closes at the end of September.  The Fall River has diverse and prolific hatches. These include BWO's, PMD's, Green Drakes, Mahogany Duns, Yellow Sally's, Midges and Caddis. Terrestrials are very hot here and Attractor dries can work miracles. Because there are so many lava ledges for the fish to hide under, you'll need a selection of small, tungsten  bead head nymphs. Streamer fishing on the Fall River can produce nice takes and truly exciting action.
The Fly Fisher's Place guides can take you to the Fall River.
The Blitzen is a ways away from the Sisters Country (about 4 1/2 hours) but is one of our favorite small streams in the state. In the Spring fishing leech patterns down through the Malheur Preserve is a great way to start the season. By Summer and into the Fall, the areas around Paige Springs Campground and Blitzen Crossing offer awesome fishing with Hoppers, Renegades, Royal Wulff's, Parachute Adams, Stimulators and small Bead Heads like Pheasant Tails, Prince, Bat Man, Copper John and others.
The Upper McKenzie is a gem of a small stream and is one of our hot guiding spots in the Summer.  Good access for small water is upstream of McKenzie Bridge. From here you'll find campgrounds, parks, side roads and trails that lead to good spots. Be careful with the currents here, this is a fast moving stream and going with a guide is recommended. The Upper McKenzie is perfect for a Dry-Dropper rig. This is a great caddis stream but we see plenty of  #12 Yellow Mayflies (epeorus) all summer and even some Drakes. Attractor dries are great on the McKenzie.
The Fly Fisher's Place guides can take you to the McKenzie River.  The South Fork of the McKenzie is another good bet for a small stream angler. About 1 hour West of Sisters this stream is best fished in the area below Cougar Reservoir.
Horse Creek is a tributary to the McKenzie that offers fair to good dry fishing when conditions are good in the summer.
The Upper North Fork of the Santiam is a neat little stream we fish. From the upper reaches down to Whitewater Creek this stream has a good mix of Wild Rainbow and West Slope Cutthroat and is stocked with Rainbow trout on a regular basis from the Marion Forks hatchery. Fishing a bright little bead head nymph in the runs is an excellent way to catch fish here. Often an attractor dry will produce well too.  Can't decide? Try both...run the nymph behind the attractor as a tandem rig. In the evening you usually get decent hatches of caddis and mayflies and right before dark can offer fun fishing with a Rusty Spinner on the flats.
The Fly Fisher's Place guides can take you to the North Santiam River.
The Fly Fisher's Place works with Afishionados/Maynard Davis and offers trips on the upper Mckenzie and the North Fork of the Santiam rivers under special use permit on the Willamette National Forest and is an equal opportunity recreation provider.
The Fly Fisher's Place offers trips on the Deschutes National Forest under special use permit from the Deschutes National Forest and is an equal opportunity recreation provider.