Mainline Reservoir Number 1 in Crook County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Mainline Reservoir Number 1 is a Crook County water, in Oregon. It sits at 3,645 feet above sea level. It covers about 16 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest town is Prineville, 34 miles away. It is 143 miles to Eugene, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mainline Reservoir Number 1

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Reported across Crook County: rainbow trout, bridgelip sucker and largemouth bass. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read this water for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 29°F to 65°F. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing this water regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Mainline Reservoir Number 2, 0.7 miles out. Confirm before you fish this water.