Wickiup Reservoir

Wickiup Reservoir holds the upper Deschutes and the Davis Creek arm behind Wickiup Dam, about 2 miles below Crane Prairie. Full, it covers about 10,000 acres, the largest of the Cascade Lakes, but it is an irrigation reservoir, and in dry years it drains to little more than the old river channels by fall. It is known for big brown trout, some of the largest in Oregon, and for kokanee.

The browns feed on kokanee and chub, so big streamers and leeches on a sinking line, worked along the old Deschutes channel and the drop-offs, are the fly angler's best chance. Spring after the opener and fall, when the water drops and the browns move toward the channels, are the times to try. The Deschutes arm closes on September 1 to protect spawning fish. Kokanee school in the deeper water in early summer. Check the storage before a late-season trip: the ramps go dry well before the season ends.