The ODFW stocked 200,000 fingerlings last year, and half are expected to winter over, providing an estimated 100,000 to catch right off the bat. Expect the ODFW to augment the bounty with 20,000 legals soon after ice-off.

Flyfishermen should be prepared with chironomids, callibaetis, caddis and ant patterns. When no insect activity is evident, prospect on a slow-twitch-troll with a two-nymph setup.

Whatever method you employ, the secret is finding the feeders. Chances are, they will be near the weed beds or suspended, and will be letting the bugs come to them. Experiment with different depths until you hit the first fish.

CENTRAL
If it's a mosey you crave, point your windshield toward central Oregon in May and try to time the salmonfly hatch. As the water warms in late May and early June, salmonfly and golden stonefly nymphs crawl toward shore. These monster flies struggle up out of the water to dry their wings, and perch in trees or in the tall streamside grass. Sometimes hanging out over the water, they fall in.

The migration stirs the taste buds of Deschutes River rainbows. And over the course of the next few weeks, trout that key on these golden mouthfuls grow as fat as footballs.

If it's dry-fly action you crave, timing is everything. You want to be there when the clouds of flies are black against the sky. Your best bet is to find a local fly shop and check in every couple of days for a report.

Fed by springs and marshes and bounded by lava outcrops and pine forest, Lava Lake is a scenic spot -- Mount Bachelor, South Sister and Broken Top are visible from the shoreline -- and one of the most productive fishing waters in central Oregon. It is a good place to bring the family for a boat ride and a great place to net a limit of big, fat rainbows.

Trout grow fast here. On years when the lake is accessible on opening day, anglers can catch fish from the bank by casting lures or employing jar baits. By June and July, the trout average 15 inches, and 18-inch rainbows are common in a five-fish limit. The ODFW stocks rainbows as 6-inchers. By the next season, the typical rainbow doubles in size.

The key to Lava's fishing is its insect life. Shallow waters and weeds promote abundant insects. The fish gorge themselves during the season.

The lake is easy to read. Outcroppings, marshes, shoals and rushes break up the shoreline. The average depth is 20 feet. Water level fluctuates with snowmelt. Weed growth in the summer can limit trolling efforts. The fish are still there, but they are easier caught with still-fishing techniques.

In the Newberry National Monument, east of La Pine, East Lake's rainbow trout fishing peaks in July with reliable hatches of mayflies and midges. Leeches and baitfish are other important foods. Brown, black and olive streamers can imitate damselflies and dragonflies, as well as leeches and minnows, depending upon the retrieve.