The Ecological Angler
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Fly Fishing the Wood River Oregon
The drift boat is definitely handcrafted. I believe this one represents the third drift boat Dennis has crafted since I've know him. Dennis designed and built this boat precisely to float the Wood River in Eastern Oregon. The Wood is a small, spring creek and has a few obstacles to get through including a really low bridge.
I really enjoy fishing hopper patterns in early September with my friend Dennis Nagel. I've fished the Wood River on and off over the course of ten years. It's a beautiful stretch of spring fed water that runs north of Agency Lake in the Klamath Basin. It has some big brown trout.
Long casts aren't typcially needed; drag free drifts are. The trout prefer the cut-banks for daytime cover and will come out for anything resembling a grasshopper. That said, the Wood River is a cold and super clear spring creek. The visibility of the water works in favor of these wild trout. Long leaders and again getting your hopper to float nature are really important.
The Wood River flows through Klamath County, Oregon. It's headwaters source from a large natural spring located in Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site. The aquifer feeding the spring is believed to originate from the east side drainage of Crater Lake National Park. The Wood River meanders through pine forest and ranch land for 18 miles before flowing into Agency Lake.
As the Wood River flows downstream of Fort Klamath, public access to the river becomes limited. Where Weed Road crosses the Wood is the most common access point for launching a boat. Since the Wood River is surrounded by private ranch land for the last portion of it's course to Agency Lake, you'll be fishing exclusively from the river.
