9/19/2025 – Still good things coming out of Davis Lake! The fish were stacked up along the Lava Flow this week it seems. I really love throwing crawdad patterns along the drop offs as they cruise along. While crawdads are always a good pattern for any bass, they really, really eat them in Davis.
Poppers in the mornings and evenings are still great choices. Streamers with really erratic movement (most often unweighted) could land you the Largemouth of a lifetime!
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9/12/2025 – Nothing has changed from Davis Lake it seems. I got three reports from folk who made it out that direction and they all had caught pretty decent sized bass. I would like to add Gamechangers to the list of flies to try on Davis. One’s catch-rate with a Gamechanger is not always the highest, but the fish that eat them are almost always some of the biggest fish I see get caught every season.
In addition, anything that has an overwhelming amount of rubber legs will be mighty hard for a big Largemouth to pass up.
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9/5/2025 – People have been pulling out some absolutely sloppy fat bass out of Davis Lake in recent days. Look for them to be cruising on and off the shelf on the north end of the lake, as well and hiding amongst the weed beds and long grass. If you don’t have any “weedless” flies, it would behoove anybody headed out that way to pick some up. Those fish tend to feel very confident and aggressive in the long grass as they think they’re being very sneaky and protected.
Flies to try: small baitfish patterns, crawdads, frog patterns, Jawbreakers (crawdad, olive, black), Tequeelys, larger Woolly Buggers (#4-10), and all-purpose popper patterns.
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8/29/2025 – Nothing new to report from Davis! I have spoken to three people the last week that had great days on Davis in search of bass. The popper fishing has been stellar, and twitching indicator rigs has been working, too.
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8/22/2025 – There is still time for those in high-riding floatation devices to get out on Davis! The boat crowd is basically non-existent and Davis is practically impossible to fish from the banks.
Poppers: you gotta have them. Leeches: you gotta have those, too. Baitfish patterns: the bass love them.
Coaxing a big bass out of the weeds by casting at them and strippping back is an exciting endeavor that can lead to great success. Find cover and trust that the bass are hiding there. Twitching balanced baitfish/leeches by the Lava Flows can also help you find fish.
Patterns: Hot Head Woolly Buggers, Soccer Moms, Thin Mints, Jawbreakers, Baby Fat Minnows, Low Fat Minnows, and Micro-changers are some recommendations.
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8/7/2025 – Bass fishing on Davis Lake has been on fire!! Both on the surface and under it, the bass are chasing bugs and prey. I like stripping big leeches or twitching them below an indicator along some sort of structure (weed beds, lily pads, trees, etc…), though those are two of many strategies.
The popper fishing has continued to be good, too! One of the best popper days I’ve had came on Prineville Reservoir last year. I was twitching a Woolly Bugger (?) below an indicator, and started to really yank on my line, so the indicator was starting to create a wake like a popper would. Bass immediately starting whacking it left and right. Having fun, I refused to put on a popper and giggled as bass desperately tried to gargle my orange Airlock.
I then put on a small, bream-flavored popper and proceeded to catch just about everything in the lake it felt like!
All of this to say, try several techniques and see if one is significantly more productive than another! Jigging crawdads, stripping streamer, leeches under an indicator–it’s all fun!
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8/1/2025 – Davis Lake has continued to drop at a remarkable rate, with only the lightest of flotation devices being able to launch. An angler with an anchor on their paddle board might have a ton of success working the east bank of the lake around the long grass and lily pads. The water temps are high and the bass are cruising around taking every opportunity to get fat. Damselflies and leeches seem to be a fairly significant portion of their diet currently. The popper fishing has continued to be en fuego, with a frog-like imitation seeming to get the most action.
A few flies that might be worth picking up before you go: RIO’s Soccer Mom (any color combo), Jig Slum Lords, large claret-colored leeches, and any color variation of a Hot Head Woolly Bugger.
Anglers struggling to find fish along the east bank will most likely find fish along the lava flow; especially in the series of coves that run along it.
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7/18/2025 – Bass fishing on Davis has been killer since my last report! It might take you a second to find the fish, but once you do you’re likely to find a ton! They definitely love moseying around the weed beds and beneath the lillies. In addition, downed trees and long grass also provide great cover for your average Largemouth. Jigging crawdad patterns by the weed beds, poppers through the long grass, leeches by the lillies, and stripping bugs in the coves are a few tactics I like to employ at Davis this time of year. Ken Morrish has a big, foam, dragonfly pattern that I might consider stopping by the shop and scooping up. Skittering that in the mornings could lead to an epic blowup or two.
Putting a hard-sided boat in at Lava is just about impossible at this point. The lake has been reduced significantly to the point where a paddleboard, kayak, pontoon, or float tube might be the best options. The season on Davis is sprinting to a close, so get out there while you still can! What a splendid location to spend a hot, summers day.
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7/11/25 – I was unable to make it out to Davis this past week, but the several dedicated bass anglers who fish Davis have been letting me know they’re having great success. The prime water temp for bass to feed lies somewhere between 65-75 degrees. Due to it’s shallow depths and lack of any kind of break from the sun, Davis is highly susceptible to high water temps during the month of July and August. In addition, more water flows beneath the lava rocks at the north end of the lake each day, so the season at Davis is not long for this world.
The bass have been eating on the surface in the early-morning and late-evening, while targeting structure (weed beds, downed trees, up against boulders) is a good call during the middle of the day. Stripping leeches, small streamers, crawfish patterns, damselflies, and callibaetis nymphs are all bass-catchers, though you’ll want to try a few types of flies to see what is working best the day you are there. Bass aren’t very tippet shy at all, so don’t be afraid to fish some heavier tippet!
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7/4/2025 – Water temps are really starting to rise at Davis, which is great for the bass, but makes the rainbows rather upset. Given the high water temps and relative shallowness of Davis Lake, I would recommend leaving the rainbows to themselves and focusing on bass only, as their mortality rate from angler pressure is near-zero.
Popper fishing has continued to be extremely fun in the mornings and evenings. One customer came in this week and bought some saltwater poppers meant for barracuda and tarpon and let me know they had been catching some huge Davis bass on them! Not necessarily a numbers game, but a great way to target some trophy, Central Oregon Largemouth!
More and more water escapes through the sink at the north end of the lake as each day passes, so get out there while you can! For anyone who might’ve had a couple rough outings looking for trout, whooping up on some bass can be very therapeutic.
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6/27/2025 – For those who are hoping to get out to Davis Lake this season (especially in a boat), now is the time! The water is quickly receding and I’m unsure how much longer one will be able to launch a boat at Lava Flow.
The popper fishing in the mornings and evenings has continued to be stellar, with fish kind of everywhere, but especially on the edge of the weeds on the east side of the lake. My favorite way to target them is to find stand-alone lilies or other weed-like protrusions, cast past it, let it sink, and then strip, strip, strip! It seems like there is almost always a fish there, and they normally are looking for food.
Twitching leeches under indicators is another technique to keep in mind; as is stripping leeches and damsels on a intermediate or hover line. The fly suggestions from last week still apply, with the addition of Woolly Buggers (olive, black, wine, sometimes white) and RIO’s Soccer Mom.
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6/20/2025 – Weather permitting, Davis is a great option right now to target some eager bass! Poppers have been working well in the early morn and at dusk. While I don’t think it particularly matters, it seems like the olive ones work the best.
During the day, anglers have had plenty of success on smaller streamers and leech-patterns. My favorite bass streamer is the Dahlberg Diver in olive and yellow. The photo of an angler holding a bass with a big ol’ black and white fly hanging out of its mouth that lives on this page is none other than our fearless leader, Tye Krueger, demonstrating the productivity of Dahlberg’s Diver out of Davis Lake several years back.
Other flies to have: Morrish’s Dragon, Jig Slum Lord’s, any olive leech with a hot bead, Baby Fat Minnows, and Woolly Buggers. Bass will eat damsel-nymphs with the same ferocity as a trout, so don’t forget your Hula Damsels at home!
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6/13/2025 – Action on Davis has been picking up in recent days! The bass have been eating a variety of different bugs on the surface, primarily poppers and hoppers. While the fishing has been best in the early morning and evening, one can still find fish throughout the day, though mostly sub-surface. Damsels are really key right now for bass and trout, alike. Zack Attacks (#12-14), Hula Damsel’s (I like tan on Davis), Barr’s Damsel Nymph, Ultra Damsels, and Scott’s Damselfly. If anyone wants to see what a damselfly looks like in the person, pop into the Old Mill and walk over to the pond across from Athleta. If you look down into the water by the pipes you will see them everywhere. I recently caught a few to photograph for reference during future tying sessions.
Leeches are probably the second biggest producers on Davis right now. I really like Svend Diesel’s (olive) Balanced Bou Leech in a size #10 or #14. An sort of hot-headed leech is worth a go wherever you find bass.
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6/6/2025 – Water levels on Davis Lake have been slowly dropping, which bodes well for the fishing. This means they will start to pod up a bit more and not be so spread out throughout the lake. There is still enough water to launch a drift boat or similar, though it certainly isn’t a back-your-car-up-until-the-boat-floats-off-the-trailer situation.
Damselfly fly action–both sub-surface and sporadically on the top–has been quite good. While anglers seem to have olive damselflies exclusively, Davis has a really solid population of those tan bugs you see flying around some times.
Popper fishing for bass early in the morning over/near the weed beds has been quite solid. If you find yourself in the open water with seemingly no features or color-changes to cast toward, see if you can spot any of those random weeds that are parked randomly throughout the lake. These aquatic plants provide some structure, shade, and protection from predators, while also being a great source of food.
Stripping leeches and small streamers along the lava flow has produced some great fish for anglers over the last few days.
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5/30/2025 – Davis Lake has had a rather slow start to the season. With the sheer amount of water in the lake, the fish are taking the opportunity to get a bit of elbow-room and seem to be spreading out across the lake a bit more than usual. The seem to be starting to key in fairly heavily on calli. and damsel nymphs. The midge hatch has continued to be thick, yet sporadic. The overall state of things on Davis Lake seems to be improving, though, and the amount of water in the lake indicators it might be a longer season than usual (and will hopefully provide ample cold-water refuge if we have another big heat spell later in the summer.
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5/23/2025 – The water has continued to clear up on Davis, which will help anglers and fish, alike. The early-season damsel and callibaetis hatch has continued to be a surprise, and a good one at that! When we get some of that hotter weather rolling through next week, it might be a fun activity to whip out the intermediate sinking lines and try stripping some bugs!
Stripping bugs: Zach Attack Damsels, Pine Squirrel leeches (olive, black, crawdad, in size #12-14), Hula Damsels (tan and olive), Hale Bopp leeches (black, claret, olive in size #10-14).
If you plan on dangling anything below an indicator, midges, chironomids, leeches, and damsel nymphs of your choice are good places to start. As mentioned in my last report, bring some insect repellent if you plan on fishing around the edges of the lake!
The water will probably need to warm up a bit before the bass are really stoked on poppers, but if you find yourself among the lilies on the east or north side of the lake, maybe spend a few minutes trying out this exciting technique!
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5/16/2025 – Not a ton has changed at Davis Lake. The water seems to be clearing up which has improved visibility, but anglers are still reporting low catch rates. Stripping weighted damsel, callibaetis, and leech patterns on a sinking line can produce fish. Leeches twitched under an indicator between about 5-10ft might turn on the predatory instinct of any fish in the area and might also induce strikes. Midges dropped below a buoyant dry or small indicator are also worth a try.
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5/9/2025 – The water level at Davis is quite full, which is good news for the rest of the season, though it does mean the fish have more space to disperse and they have taken that opportunity. Bass have been seen cruising the lava flow and north bank, with some moving in the weeds on the east side.
Good news for anglers: tons of early season Callibaetis and Damselflies!
Bad news for anglers: tons of early season mosquitoes. Make sure to bring repellent!
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4/25/2025 – Davis Lake is officially accessible, though no reports have come in just yet. For those looking to give it a try, leeches under indicators will get bit! The bass should be pretty stoked on rising water temps after a long winter. There is the potential for some topwater action in the morning with small poppers.
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11/22/2024 – Cascade Lakes Highway is officially closed and Davis Lake cannot be accessed by motor vehicle. However, the lake is technically open for fishing year-round.
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11/8/2024 – For those who tend not to fish in the winter due to poor catch rates, fishing for bass at Davis might be a breath of fresh air. As is the case for many of the lakes at this time in the year, leeches are a staple. Casting them, letting them sink for a few seconds, then stripping them in will often elicit a response from the fish. In addition to stripping them, twitching them below and indicator may also result in a “bobber down”.
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10/26/24 – Davis Lake has about 50% of the water it has during the height of summer. As such, the fish are podding up in the deep sections. While I won’t say exactly where, Google Earth is an exceptional too to use when scouting out water. Stripping small streamers and leeches is a hoot on Davis at this time in the year.
