Record-book rainbows, bulging bull trout and fat-bellied mackinaw -- these are the fish anglers dream of. Five of Oregon's current big-trout records were set in the 1980s. One was set in 2002, and several records are vulnerable right now.

The Upper Deschutes watershed can still kick out some big brook trout like this one that Brett Dennis caught while fishing Crane Prairie Reservoir. Photo by Gary Lewis.

For the trophy seeker looking to enter the record books, there is one hard and fast rule: Go where the big fish live. Here is our look at three rivers and three lakes that produced big trout. We examine current conditions and the likelihood of seeing another record from that body of water. We also look at tactics and tackle.

UPPER DESCHUTES WATERSHED
9 Pounds, 6 Ounces -- Brook Trout
It's hard to imagine that a stream this size could produce a 9-pound, 6-ounce brook trout, but that is just what happened in 1980 when Burt Westbrook landed his record beater.

"I think there is still probably a fish there that big," Russ Seaton of The Hook Fly Shop said. "We're talking long odds. And on that river, hooking and landing it are two different things. They know every tree they can wrap you on."

When the upper river opens for fishing in late May, the water runs clear and cold from snowmelt. It's easily waded, and a fisherman need not be a skilled caster to reach the other bank.

Downed timber, a winding watercourse and a shallow gradient make it classic fly-fishing water, but an angler armed with a spinning rod and a selection of small spinners can provoke grabs from rainbows and brook trout.

On the Upper Deschutes, rainbow trout must be released. An angler can keep up to five brook trout.

The watershed can still kick out some big brook trout, particularly on Crane Prairie Reservoir. At first glance, finding big brooks or rainbows in this reservoir might seem a daunting prospect. The trick is finding the old river channels. Cultus, Deschutes and Quinn rivers empty into the lake and their old channels still carve its bottom. As the average lake temperature warms, the fish move into the cooler river channels and use them as highways to move around. The channels average 12 to 13 feet deep and are relatively weed-free with a sandy or silty floor.

It may not be the most exciting form of fly-fishing, but fishing small chironomid patterns is one of the most effective techniques. This is because most of what a trout eats, it finds underwater. The little flies from the order Diptera form 40 percent of the stillwater trout's annual diet.

Some of the most popular patterns include the Ice Cream Cone, Pearl Pupa, Chromie, Bronzie and Collaborator. A floating line is the best choice. Tie on a long leader and position the strike indicator to suspend the fly a foot or more above the vegetation. Cast and let the line drift, keeping the line almost taut, paying close attention to the indicator. Set the hook at the slightest unnatural movement of the indicator.

PAULINA LAKE
28 Pounds, 5 Ounces -- Brown Trout
On Oct. 4, 2002, Ronald Lane landed a 28-pound, 5-ounce brown trout that eclipsed the former state record set in 1993.

Paulina first produced the state brown trout record in 1965 with a 35-pound, 8-ounce behemoth and has held it ever since. There is an asterisk. The big trout was scooped up in a net with a broken line and tackle hanging from its mouth.