Normal Topic BROWNLEE RESERVOIR (Read 5669 times)
Rich
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BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
04/17/05 at 22:53:38
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We will be going to Brownlee the first week in May for 5 days.  Does anyone have any info, maps etc regarding this lake?  If so please get ahold of me.

I will appreciate any info forthcoming.

Thanks, Rich
  
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marktfd88
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #1 - 04/18/05 at 02:28:55
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Hey Rich,
  The lake is long and skinny with a few little arms off of it.  It is loaded with BIG crappie.  State record came from there.  It looked like it wasn't really a clear resevoir, and most of the smallie fishing would come off the main lake.  Look for unusual rock formation just above the water line to try and find where the unusual rock pile would be underwater.  Fish the transition zones from one type of water to the next.  Sand / gravel.  Big Chunk rock to gravel  etc...  The nearest town is Cambridge in Idaho and I am not sure about the Oregon side.  Cambridge has very little to offer as far as amentities.  One little cafe and stop and go gas station grocery store.  Get what you need in Weiser Idaho before you leave there.  As for improved camp grounds, I couldn't tell you.  This is the area I deer hunt and set up camp in the Payette Mtns nearby.  Hope this helps

Mark
  
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topjimmy
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #2 - 04/18/05 at 04:11:11
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yes,Im sorry to here of your suffering from such a self indulging pleasure Grin Any of the little bays that scoot off  the main chanel are good.Flats by the RR crossing by Huntington can be good spawning areas . I would not travel up river past the truck scales without some-one who lives there(current+shallow). There are a couple of hotel motel in Huntington Luxor Ritz Carlton beach front type  8) If the water is high there is a oops change that favorite spot ill tell you in person. You will enjoy if not for anything but the simple beauty.There is a quicker way to get there by going strait east of Baker City OR  That road ,the paved one can take you to the water as well
  
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S._Basser
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #3 - 04/19/05 at 01:44:10
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Rich, I got you all setup to send email to my buddy in Oregon, BuKuBass. I can't make your friggin email addy work, so you'll have to contact him, at the addy I sent you in the PM. You will get good info, I promise.  Shocked
C&R, Steve
  
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BuKuBass
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #4 - 04/19/05 at 07:08:03
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Howdy Rich...Tracked you down since I got a note from Steve that you wanted some info about Brownlee.  The best place that I can recommend for your time frame is a feature known as the "Grizzly Bar".  It's located about at the "CO" in the phrase "Baker CO" found at  http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=14&Z=11&X=152&Y=1541&W=1&qs=%7...; On that prominent point north of the mouth of Dennett Creek  is Mountain Man Lodge which is very visible from the water.  It's about twelve miles "up rez" from the mouth of the Powder River.
The bar itself is found 50, 60 yards off the Oregon shore, depending on the rez's level, creating a drop-off of 15 to 30 feet deep.  I've had good (as opposed to what...bad?) success casting blade baits such as the Silver Buddy, Heddon's Sonar, etc. along the face of the bar.  Of course you could "round up the usual techniques" to work the submerged cliff if you don't have any of this lure type.  Fish the surrounding flats as well; there are a few isolated rock outcroppings found nearby.
Two miles further to the south are the mouths of Wolf and Trail Creeks in Idaho and Conner Creek on the Oregon side; these are also fine locations.  The steep sides of Conner Creek are like rip-rap.  A quarter mile south of Trail Creek is another submerged bar.  I love working these types of structure; you enjoy yourself as well. 
Regarding licences: Oregon and Idaho have an arrangement comparable to WA and OR.  You can't fish into the mouths of the creeks unless you have a licence for that state; however, I've never heard of anyone being busted for doing so.
The best way to get to this area is to take Exit 302 east off of I-84 onto Highway 86 .  It's 45 miles to Richland.  Two miles east of there is Hewlitt State park which has a fine ramp as well as RV hookups; there is lodging in Richland also.  Brownlee Reservoir can be accessed by going seven miles east down the Power Riiver arm.  If you have the time, go to the Oregon Trail Interpetative Center located on Highway 86 three miles east of I-84 as you leave Baker Valley.   
Alternatively you can get onto Brownlee via either Huntington (exit 345) or Farewell Bend (exit 353).
For more information, check there two sites: http://www.brownleecharters.com/index.html ; Gary will answer any questions with the straight skinny. 
Ifish.net's "Bass and Panfish" forum at  usually has on-going threads regarding Brownlee.

Edited to add more stuff.
« Last Edit: 04/19/05 at 08:14:52 by »  
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Rich
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #5 - 04/21/05 at 17:53:39
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Thanks guys for the info.  I am not sure just where we are camping but hopefully we can take advantage of this info.

But if not it will still be fun to try "new" water.  Right now the weather doesn't look really great, Richland area has rain, wind and possible snow.  Sounds like here.  But the trip is a couple weeks away yet.  Maybe the sunshine express will roll in by then.  RIGHT!

Rich
  
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Carlos
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #6 - 05/10/05 at 17:52:12
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Hey Rich, how did you do on your trip? Catch any toads or have any stories you care to share.

Carlos
  
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Rich
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #7 - 05/10/05 at 18:26:02
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BROWNLEE,  let's see.  What do I remember.  OH YEAH, wind, rain, thunder, lightning.  And we were tent camping.  THANK GOD FOR BLUE TARPS. Grin

It was great.  Terrible weather from Tues. till Sat.  Then we left Sunday. HAHA

Actually Sat. was pretty good weather wise and we did get most of our fish then.  But even poor weather didn't keep us from fishing.  We averaged 20-30 crappie apiece each day.  Most of them were 1-1.5 lbs.  And they are D-D-eliciuous.  We also caught several nice cat fish 3 - 9 lbs.

The bass fishing?  It was pretty poor.  Down there you can only keep bass over 12".  Most of the bass we got were dinks. 6 -11".  Every once in a while you would get a couple about 13 - 15".  A 16-18" bass was considered a MONSTER.  Everyone we talked to reported a myriad of the small bass.  I think they are overstocked on the small ones and there aren't many big ones cause everyone keeps them and they don't get a chance to get big.  I would like to see them do like we do and have the slot 12 - 17" release so they can get bigger.  Most of the bass caught were mainly caught incidental to crappie and cat fishing.  Not too many were targeting bass.

Otherwise it was a pretty good time.  We stayed at the Spring creek campgrounds.  No electricity except for my Son having a generator with his 5th wheel.  But nice campground.  441 miles one way.  On the way back Sunday we ran into the front end of that storm in Eastern Wash. that spawned the tornado over there.  Couldn't even see the road sometimes. Shocked

Rich
  
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Carlos
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Re: BROWNLEE RESERVOIR
Reply #8 - 05/10/05 at 22:55:03
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Sound's like a fun fishing trip. Glad to hear you slayed the slabs and cats and got to get away for some R and R.

Carlos
  
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