Bend, OR

From earlier posts we know that Wickiup Jct is located in La Pine, on Hwy 97 and that the side road is called Burgess and is one of the most traveled roads in the summer to get to the lakes; so where else will this Wickiup Jct & Burgess Rd crossing take you? Well 8 miles down Burgess, on your left is a sign that says Dam Rd; what a play on words huh. Yes this road does take you to a dam and the dam is that between Wickiup Reservoir and Deschutes River. Once you get to the dam, take a right and it will take you right on into Crane Prairie Reservoir. I will do a future post on Wickiup later as it is Crane Prairie Reservoir that I want to talk about.

Crane Prairie Reservoir has a resort on one side which has the usual full amenities known to most any lakeside resort to include camping, boating, fishing, a store and cabins but that isn’t what holds the appeal for me here at Crane. I rather prefer the road that can be traveled that goes all the way around Crane as well as the log jams that sit out in the reservoir itself. Though on the other side of Crane sits regular campsites which I prefer anyway, and a small boat launch and no facilities.

Crane Prairie is an 11,200 acre body of water that can be driven completely around and my joy is in finding that most people don’t drive all the way around so I am able to take my time and sometimes the whole road when I go wandering. If I go wandering in the early spring, after the snow melts then I do have to take a chainsaw as sometimes there are trees that have come down over the course of the winter.

This road provides for some of the best views of Mt. Bachelor, some of the best sunsets and small private beaches that will go for a mile or 100 yards. It also holds some spectacular fishing, especially for small mouth bass, though I fish for trout. When the weather is cold the bass come up towards the surface and reside in the shallow waters so shore fishing can be easy all along the shoreline here and considering I don’t have a motor boat, this would be prime for me but I like this drive and it’s for the serenity, solitude and all the little beaches and inlets I come across. This is only half the reason why I enjoy Crane, the other half, as mentioned, is the log jams.

I have a kayak and this little tiny thing can get into the log jams whereas a lot of the motorboats don’t even come close, let alone get into. In here is where I have done some of my best fishing. No I haven’t caught the record breaking rainbow that weighed in at over 19 lbs but I have caught my share of 7-10 pounders on a fairly regular basis. These delectable fish put up an awesome fight, which is the main reason I like to fish but they also generally grow 2” a month in the summer. I get all excited when I have a fish on the line so I am always trying to go for the big one. The key gem to my fishing is the ability to get in the middle of the jams. I have always brought home fish in doing so while those in motorboats will sometimes come in empty handed. Should you kayak to the jams for this reason be sure to get your kayak into a secure position as you don’t want to tip over when fighting that fish. I have also tied my kayak off and sat on the jams. Makes a person feel very small in a big body of water and this is also a good area to watch the sun, osprey and eagles as they hunt for their own meals.