Outdoor Report: Fishing is good but heed the evac notices at all times

By ROB DEHARPPORT/for The Herlad  —  Fishing continues to be good on the high lakes of the central Cascades. Odell and Paulina Lakes continue to be good bets for anglers, as do Diamond Lake and others. Paulina and Odell are producing nice Kokanee. Diamond is decent for Rainbows and catch and release of Brown and Tiger trout. Both were planted to help control the invasive Tui chub. And it seems to be doing well in that task, as well as getting them to quite a large size.

Despite the Level 1 evacuation notice for the Odell and Crescent Lake area, all resorts are currently open. Level one is a notice to be prepared that things can change, and the danger can elevate. Level 2 is to be ready to evacuate and Level 3 means Go Now. As is the case of Twin Lakes Resort that recently experienced two nearby fires. One 11 acres fire at North Twin Lake, I believe, is fully contained controlled.  Two larger fires to the east of the resort have been contained and are being mopped up.

Here at Crescent Lake, as in most areas of Oregon, the smoke level from the many fires in our state is unpredictable. It is completely in the hands of the prevailing winds, humidity and burn level of the many fires. We’ve had periods most everyday of fairly clear skies and of course times of heavy smoke. However, it can change by the day, hour or minute.

All trails leading into Diamond Peak wilderness are closed due to the Red Fire. The road to Crescent Lake is open but subject to occasional closure as the fire crews will be using heavy equipment to build a “shaded fuel break” along the west side of the road.  This fire prep work will continue along the Union Pacific Railroad track to Odell Lake as part of the Big Box fire strategy.

Elsewhere, at the coast, salmon and tuna fishing are starting to heat up. A couple of friends caught 11 Albacore tuna out 40+ miles from shore recently. Others have found the tuna a bit closer. Silver salmon are being caught as well as some bottom fish.

It’s going to be another long and smokey fire season. We are unfortunately beginning to refer to summer as “Smokey Season”. Stay aware of the fire situations wherever you may be. Campfires are now banned even in campgrounds on the Deschutes National Forest, with good reason.

Stay safe, find relief from the smoke when you can but don’t let it completely stop you from enjoying the outdoors when and where it is safe. Currently, over 500,000 acres have burned or are currently burning in Oregon. Pray for no wind to fan the flames, cool weather, rain and firefighters’ safety.