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| Kaufmann Streamborn Northwest Fishing Report |
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| OREGON |
The Clack has been holding steady for weeks with little change. Over the weekend there was a slight spiking of the river due to a small amount of rainfall and runoff from the tributaries. Look for a sustained rain to improve conditions, if not we're at summer flows to stay.
You'll want to be flexible on the Clack from this point on. Every type of line is going to be a factor. Pay special attention to some of the lesser used tips in your wallet. Intermediates and Type III's will play a substantial role over the next few weeks. There are fish spread throughout the river.
The river is clear and visibility is good. Choose your flies accordingly. It won't be too much longer before things get tough in the hard boat, so get your drifts in now! There's fish to be had from Clackamette to McIver.
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The Sandy continues to stay low as well. Warmer weather is producing some glacially colored waters, making visibility and the fishing challenging at these times. Cooler spells find the river with a varying degree of visibility. Low flows can push fish to the deeper stretches of the Sandy, sometimes necessitating long casts or more aggressive wading to get your flies to the fish.
There are plenty of fish around and frequently the Sandy is overlooked in the summer. Be flexible on tip type here as well, though in general you'll want to stay heavier than the Clack. Fly selection is wide open now, but don't be afraid to try some bright flies here.
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As far as I can tell, 2009 is shaping up to be one of the finest years in a decade for the McKenzie and Upper Willamette River trout fisheries. We're going on close to the fourth continuous month of stellar hatches and very few down periods for the fishery. Continued cool weather should keep the river a bountiful place until the hot days of July arrive.
You'll continue to find Green McKenzie Caddis, Golden Stones, Yellow Sally's, Dark Brown Caddis, Pale Morning Duns and Pale Evening Duns hatching in abundance. There is also a Green Drake hatch happening now to key in on as well. Subsurface fishing continues to be hot as well using larger Prince Nymphs, Magnum Prince's, Dirty Birds as well as Caddis emergers and Soft Hackles.
Steelhead have made it to Eugene and fishing below Leaburg and in the "town drift" section of the Willamette has been good. Most fish in these stretches tend to be taken under indicators; however fishing on the swing is highly effective when river width and casting position permit.
The fishing above Leaburg Dam has been very very good and drifters will find far more challenging water to navigate here, though nothing too intense other than the large rapid in Ben and Kay Dorris Park. The Upper Willamette is an ideal area to plan a summer outing with the family. There's lots of good camping, mountain biking and of course...trout.
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Often forgotten this time of year, the mid to North Coast of Oregon has an abundance of fishing. Whether you're looking for the challenge of a "summer" Chinook, the pull of a summer Steelhead or some exploratory attractor fly fishing for cutthroat, there are plenty of opportunities for a relaxed day on the water. You'll have to do your homework in order to figure out which rivers feature salmon in supply, but if you want to take a stab at this fishery, stop by or drop us a line and we'll share some thoughts on how to get started. We're starting to get towards the tail end before taking a couple months of in anticipation of the big Fall fish.
Summer Steelhead are only featured in a few of the North Coast streams. The Wilson, the Trask, the Nestucca and the Siletz are the primary fisheries until the diminished Thanksgiving Day kick-off begins and winter fish begin to patrol all coastal waters. All of these rivers have been stable for over a month now. There have been very few noticeable changes in water level in this time and you'll find angling challenging and spooky unless we have some kind of significant rain event. If so...you might consider sneaking out for an afternoon of fish on the bite.
Resident Cutthroat fishing is open on coastal streams. Angling for these aggressive biters is rarely scientific. Most fish are hungry and will willingly come to a variety of flies. The Coast is an excellent place for a relaxed day of trout fishing and an ideal place to explore some of the North Coast's threatened state forests.
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First off the bat...Salmonflies and Stoneflies...the hatch is still on. It will continue through about the first of July and then you'll find sporadic snacking occurring for the next week, but only up high in the proximity of the dam. Moral of the story, if you want to fish the big bugs...make it happen in the next 6 days or so. Else, chalk it up for next year and get down to business with your summer fare. In the next 6 days or so, if you have to pick a bug out of your box or one out of a fly shop bin...go with yellow. I mean really yellow. Be sure to have Norm Woods, but the Aane's Mo Jo Stonefly or the Rogue Foam Golden would be good choices, we've got a couple other sneaker patterns as well in the shop.
Moving on to the summer staples...Yellow Sally's will continue on for some time. This is a must-have pattern for the D through July. Additional staple top-water patterns are Pale Morning Duns, Pale Evening Duns and Craneflies. For the next week or so, Green Drakes will be a bit of a factor, the hatch has been typically popping off around 2 and if strong will dominate activity. Obviously I've left out a giant here...Caddis are going to come on strong. It may be a few weeks before you see your evening crushfest, but caddis are about to become the food of choice for quite awhile. You'll need to start stocking your boxes with all colors and sizes. You may find a specialized color and size working better than another, but more often than not, there are 20 combinations happening at once and you've just got to take a stab at it.
Subsurface activity will be dominated by the movement of smaller stones, mayfly's and caddis. I personally would skip the mega-stonefly nymph for awhile, but to each their own. If you're wanting to run a larger fly or suffer from fear of split shot, use a large Cased Caddis or a larger Tungsten Hare's Ear. Caddis should be a mainstay in both larval and pupal patterns. Try a yellow or green Soft Hackle as well, these flies are mainstays on other rivers and are somehow avoided on the D.
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| It's just the beginning for the North Umpqua. You'll find very little competition for premier camp spots and access to some of the most sought after beats on the river if you head in now. Once Independence Day passes, things will become substantially more hectic here and you'll find more competition for access to the river...of course, there will be more fish as well. Special Regulations for the N. Umpqua fly water are in effect now, do not use flies containing lead, beadheads, eyeballs, etc. Sink-tips are however allowed.
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Lawrence Lake - This north side lake is fishing very well, a good bet for the lake going crowd.
Lost Lake - Mt. Hood - It's just starting to warm up here, figure on everything being a bit behind. Chronomids now, some Damsels and Callibaetis / Hex activity on the way.
Harriet Lake - Also just starting to turn on. Fishing has been good.
Lost Lake - Santiam Pass - I have some doubts, but I've heard several very good reports from this once very prolific lake. It's possible things are turning around here. Might be time to not just drive on by.
Lost Lake - Coast - Fishing has been very good here as well. If you're out this way, a good bet.
Cascade Lakes - The Cascade Lakes are heating up. Fishing at Hosmer and Little Lava has been good. Crane and Wickiup are seeing lots of lines in preparation for what's sure to be a big July 4th weekend in these parts.
Davis - Davis is fishing well. Some lunker trout on the take alongside the bigmouth catch.
Diamond - Fishing here has been spectacular. Chronomids moving to Damsels.
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Crooked - The Crooked is fishing alright this spring. As matters move to summer, consider putting this spot on the calendar for the fall as it is irrigated heavily.
Upper Deschutes - A great spot for some leviathan brookies as well as copious amounts of smaller fish. One of the most engaging spots in the state for beginning anglers.
Metolius - It's Green Drake time on the Metolius now. Other items on the menu: PMD's, PED's, Aquatic Moth's and Caddis. Look for Golden Stone's to start in earnest the mid-part of July.
Upper Clack - Portland's closest trout fishery with miles of river to explore. The Oak Grove fork and the Callawash can be pretty good through the summer.
Cowlitz - It's game on here for the biggest summer steelhead run in the Northwest. Also you'll find sea-runs making their way here throughout the summer.
Kalama - One of the area's healthiest populations of steelhead. Expect close quarter fishing through the summer. You'll find a few fish making their way above the falls, but the bulk of the nate's in the fly water is still a couple months off.
Hood - The Hood has quite a few fish in it.
Klickitat - It's almost time, not too early to swing a line here.
John Day - Smallmouth city. A great place to cast to your heart's content and have a great day catching lots and lots of goldeneye.
Umpqua - Ditto for the mainstem here. Along with shad, striper, steelhead and salmon. What's not to like?
Santiam - Some opportunities for trout here, but the real attraction will be steelhead. The North Fork is off to a good start. Few reports on the South fork.
Columbia Shad - This fishery is going bananas right now.
Willamette Shad - Ditto.
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WASHINGTON
Yakima River
It's melting, it's melting, the snowpack is melting. And it has been melting rather rapidly for a couple weeks. And so now here we are, on the better side of run-off. Curling just beneath 4500cfs in the Canyon, albeit-high-but-Stable summer flows appear to have finally settled in. Time to get somebody to row!
Big stone dries and nymphs (late salmons, current goldens, early summers to come), assorted caddis and PMD's with perhaps a few spotty, late Green Drakes are the bugs of the moment. Timely reports should begin streaming in with the decidedly improved conditions, and we shall keep you apprised of meaningful developments/considerations as they manifest themselves.
All you have to do, in the meantime, is return to the beauty on the dry-side, and re-acquaint. Next literal STOP is Winter. The Yak is back!
Eastern Seep Lakes
While Spring was slow to get going, the window stayed nice and wide open for "all systems go". Well, not only did the warming begin, it has not relented! And the doldrums appear to be settling in. Short of a meaningful cooling phase, best strategy will be to catch the Okanogan lakes at elevation for a couple more weeks, anyways, then seek decided elevation, as in Leech, the Alpines, etc. Of course, night-missions do still apply.. something about class A predator trout like Browns preferring to eat in the dark, with Lahontans not too far behind in that category.
Skykomish River
Since the opener, this baby has been dropping. It is still pretty high, so tips, bigger wets and even tandem nymphing will definitely apply; but, at least we are on the doorstep of FISHABLE! In other words, it's time to repetitively foray. This period during which run-off is continuing, until it finishes, is normally the best window for summer-runs until late-summer/fall. So, now is exactly the time. Good luck!
Snoqualmie River
Still just a little high, but trending down, the coming weeks should be the better weeks between here, the low flows of summer, and fall, for summer-runs. Stay tuned for the "go now" signal, or defy the "little too high" water, and go get a fish. And..
Good Luck!
For trout, the Upper Forks and their tribs (Taylor, Pratt, Denny) are all quite high, but on the drop. Suffer limited wading for a few fish in the near-term, or just wait a little longer for unlimited wading levels. Either way, time to go is, if not now, very soon! And if you must nymph, by all means, nymph away; however, these fish are not known for refusing bushy attractor dries. Good times ahead..
Rocky Ford
If you can keep your back-cast High, and keep a piggy-trout's nose UP, you'll contend with bankside towering-vegetation and aquatic plant-life just fine. Midges can happen any time, but can be banked on early and late. PMD's will be materializing late morning to early afternoon sometime - sometimes sporadic and abbreviated, sometimes sustained and fairly intense. Pretty soon, we can also start anticipating early morning Trico spinner falls that sometimes go past 8 in the morning, normally followed by fish keeping the minutia love alive by switching to #28 midges - best policy, offer a cluster in the form of a #20 griffiths gnat. Or go ultimately Micro!
Damsel nymphs and adults will be very important as well, with beetles, ants and hoppers meaning more and more "business" every day.
In between, before and after, sure enough, scuds and leeches and dragon nymphs and crayfish provide puh-lenty of non-hatch staples for these fish to get the way they do - huge, fast!
Okanogan Lakes
Chironomids, Callibaetis and Damsels are all in effect. Be prepared moving forward to address the damsel adults, and also the impending doldrums. The only thing that'll move the fish away from the prolific shoals which harbor the aforementioned staple hatches will be high-temps/low-oxygen (hand-in-hand). When this happens, focus early in the day and by night. Once water temps entrench above 65, it's time to seek higher elevation. Until then, there should be just a few more heady damsel migrations and adult sessions, with some chironomids and callibaetis to match along the way. Couple that with night-time Dragon out-migrations, and the next couple weeks are definitely worth a visit, if only for a last hurrah until Fall.
Cedar River
Just a few days ago, this sucker was pushy as get-out. Very clear, yes, but not exactly safe. Since the opener, though, all it has done is drop by about half and has stabilized. Suddenly, all systems are go - see how run-off hurried just as fast as she could so we wouldn't have to needlessly suffer more waiting?
The lower river has tended to produce most of the epic specimens as a rule, and particularly early on, after which more and more occasional larger fish (over 20") show up farther and farther upstream.
Earlier has also traditionally been most productive with bigger stuff as a rule - as in, sculpins and big stone nymphs. Just be prepared with caddis, PMD's, yellow sallies, PED's, beetles and ants the further we move away from "early", as the fish do seem to turn more "buggy" as the summer progresses.
That all said, it's time to start going now. It doesn't get much closer than this.
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