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Fishing Crane Prairie Reservoir: what the data says
4,160-acre reservoir near Bend. The lake tops out around 15 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Rainbow Trout fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir
Spring rainbow trout on Crane Prairie Reservoir hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Cultus River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir
Spring largemouth bass on Crane Prairie Reservoir hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 10 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 5 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 5 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Cultus River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Deschutes River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Crane Prairie Reservoir?
Crane Prairie Reservoir is about 15 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Crane Prairie Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, rainbow trout on Crane Prairie Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Crane Prairie Reservoir?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Crane Prairie Reservoir?
For rainbow trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Charlton Lake · Hosmer Lake · Crescent Lake · Cougar Reservoir · Miller Lake · Big Lake
See how Crane Prairie Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Oregon · best crappie lakes in Oregon · best rainbow trout lakes in Oregon
Browse all Oregon fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.