The Crooked River is a bummer. 36 cfs today. Normal winter flow starts around this time of year and is about 100 cfs. Normal summer flow is 250 to 280 cfs.
So it is low.
Is it too low? Well, Chester and I could tell you stories about fishing the Crooked many times over the years when it was this low. It still fishes ok. Fish move to more comfortable places and in some cases may move way down river to the deeper, slow pools closer to Prineville.
On November 1 the river will be raised to 50 CFS for the winter.
I have seen the river at 10 cfs more than one year, and have fished it back in the 80’s and 90’s at very low conditions. But the fact is, we are not in the 80’s or 90’s and there are just a lot more people using the resource than the good ol’ days so going to a pool and catching all the fish stacked in it is not responsible angling ethics.
Be cool. Go fish. November will offer more habitat, and pray for a good winter.
BWO’s, PMD’s, whitefish eggs, midges and scuds are the flies. If you go, keep it mellow. here are some ideas: Limit your catch to a dozen and call it a day. Bring a lawn chair and sit by the river and watch it flow by. Bring binoculars and watch birds, download the Merlin app and have it “listen” to the birds and learn to identify them. Hike Chimney Rock. Drive back to P-ville and have an ice cream at Tastee Treat.
Chester and I stopped there so many times in the early days, partly because I had a huge crush on a cute redhead that worked the counter. Great days then and great days now, and respecting the resource makes great days ahead too.