 |
 Last week the water release
from Pelton spiked, and the gauge jumped from 4200 to just about
5000 CFS. (Madras Gauge). With that said, the water is descending
as we write this and the current reading is 4480 CFS. Expect
flows to be more unstable this year. Even with inconsistent
flows, fishing continues to be good to great.
Concentrate your efforts in the early mornings (as in 4:35 ~
9:30am) and late afternoons and evenings. The mid-day-game from
10:00 ~ 4:00 has been poor to fair, especially on the bright
sunny/windy days. This trend usually holds true until trout
start keying in on Salmonflies and Golden Stones.... This event
is probably no more than a week to ten days away! It will be
an all day event when the big bugs start flying around. The
water temperature is around 49 degrees between Pelton and Trout
Creek, and around 51 degrees in Maupin. Water temps need to
be between 52-54 degrees before the Salmonflies will start to
appear.
The upcoming weather forecast for Thursday, Friday and Saturday
looks a lot more like that of Palm Springs, CA, as 100 degrees
is predicted! The mid-day game as mentioned above might be best
spent talking more about SPF protection and not as much about
fish lies! Evening fishing (aka "that's as soon as the sun goes
off the water") on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday could be spectacular
if flows stay under 4700... ergo no drastic increase in current
flows!
I predict flows to increase come Monday morning, but possibly
sooner as PGE will be generating and selling electricity for
those homes throughout the West Coast mounted with air conditioners!!
Kaufmann's RL BH Stones in both Black and Brown continue to
fish and will only pick up the pace from here on out. Also BH
Bubble Back PMD and BWO are scoring big this spring! Other strong
possibilities the next few weeks will be; Size 14-16 BH Sparkle
Pupa's in Tan, Olive and Bright Green, size 14-16 BH FB CDC
PT's, (That is "Bead Head Flash Back Cul De Canard Pheasent
Tail" for long!!) With the added aqua and increase in flows,
"beef" up your size 18-20 droppers to 14-16. If the flow increases
to above 5000 CFS, dredge two stones in tandem... Remember,
it takes two to tango!
Warm Springs Tribe also reminds anglers not to step foot on,
or fish any island west of the main channel. Law enforcement
from the tribe is expected to be patrolling the entire reservation
in pickup trucks and boats alike. We remind you that there's
no access on the reservation side of the river of any kind from
Pelton Dam to Dry Creek. Same goes for the stretch between Trout
Creek to the Northern Boundary of the Reservation. (Approx river
mile 69/Dixon)
You can only fish and step foot on the reservation between Dry
Creek (94.5 mile marker) and Trout Creek (88.4 mile marker)
with a Tribal Permit. You must provide your state fishing license,
Tribal permit and picture identification when fishing this section.
In order to obtain this permit, visit www.tribalpermit.com.
Plenty of access for the walk and wade angler. Access points
on the East bank (BLM) are Warm Springs, Mecca Flats, Trout
Creek and South Junction. The only access point on the West
bank is Dry Creek. This is a great stretch of water to fish
as most anglers on foot seem to favor Mecca Flats and South
Junction. Also beware of private property at South Junction.
Bear in mind that there's a large spawning area in front of
Dry Creek. Please don't wade on this large redd. You can also
use your mountain bike (with a good suspension) to explore more
water. Again, we remind you, you must have a Tribal Permit in
this stretch.
We like tapered 3X leaders with a Black Stone fly nymph and
a dropper (or two if you dare!) about 18 inches below the Stone.
The tippet used for your dropper however should be limp enough
to let your dropper "swim freely", 3-4-5x tippets depending
on hook size.
Deschutes trout will spread out and hold in many places in the
spring, but some trout lies are often overlooked by anglers.
One place that will hold the largest trout of the river will
be in deep seams between the fast and slow water beneath a riffle.
An "inside elbow" with some sand is prime. Fish will hold near
the bottom right where the sand and slow water meets the boulders/gravel
and fast water.  These
seams are often 10-14 feet in depth and your offering will never
come close to the big boys holding here when fishing your traditional
7-10 foot leader. Long leaders up to 20+ feet are needed, its
chuck and duck at its best (or worst!). You can also fish this
way with a large strike indicator, but casting becomes difficult.
Take a 9 foot 2-3X tapered leader and attach 8-13 feet of tippet.
Your fly should be a black weighted stonefly nymph or a black
BH Rubber Legged Woolly Bugger. Attach just enough 3/0 split
shot and only 12-18 inches above the stone so you tap the bottom.
At the end of the drift let the fly swing as you hold the line
tight. Skip the dropper as the trout holding deep are looking
for big meals. This technique is deadly in spring! Avoid fishing
your winter stone nymphs.... you know... those steelhead circus
colored ones with glitter gummy legs and orange beads! Plain
Black or Golden-Yellow will work best from here on out. The
profile of a size 6 stone nymph draws plenty of attention, without
the bling!
If you have questions on the perfect nymphing setup for the
Deschutes, stop by the Tigard store and we will show you how
to rig your flies. A 3 nymph setup sounds tangly', but there's
a few tricks to rig this.
We've caught fish on top as well, using various patterns but
it's not been red hot by any means. We've mostly seen PED and
Caddis.
Here's a list of can't miss Deschutes Spring Flies:
Tool Nymphs (Stones): GB RL Kaufmann Stone # 6-10, Morrish's
W.M.D Dark Stone or Golden # 6-8, Foxy Brown BH Stone, Fat Bastard
BH Stone # 4-6, Cone Stone # 6-8, JB Wired Stone.
Dropper Nymphs (size 14-18): BH Lightning Bug, BH Bubble Back,
BH CDC Prince, BH GR Hares Ear, BH CDC PT, Black Biotic Nymph,
Kaufmann's BH Rhyacophila, Green Jelly Cord Caddis, Kaufmann's
Mirage Copper, BH Softhackle Orange or Yellow, Bead Head WD-40.
Dry Flies (size 14 ~ 20): size 14-16 Pale Evening Dun's,
size 14-20 Midges, size 14-18 Tan & Peacock Elk Hair Caddis.
Finally, we urge you to stay off the spawning beds, also known
as redds. They are area's with clean gravel usually in
1-4 feet of water. If you see a "pod" of trout sitting
in places like these, trout are spawning and should be left
alone. It's not your job to police the river, but we still
encourage you to mention this to other anglers should you see
people fishing and wading on redds. Bear in mind that not everyone
is as "educated' as you, and a kindly reminder to
your fellow anglers is all that's needed. |
|
16 Feet!!???
Go elsewhere!
Watch the gauge closely until a reading of 12.8 (and dropping)
appears. With snow pack higher than normal, expect high flows.
Anglers are reminded to use caution if on foot, as many of your
passable runs can't be crossed at this point.
Summers reported to have been caught throughout the system,
but not in huge numbers. If you do encounter an early summer,
chances are this blue-back-chrome-bellied Steelhead will be
a 3 salter'.... ergo BIG!!
Only about 15 summers has been trapped at the hatchery as of
this morning May 13th, but expect numbers to increase with the
next month. We recommend fishing in the lower reaches (below
Bonnie Lure). All summer Steelhead will have the right maxillary
clipped as well as the adipose fin.
A couple of Spring Chinook have been caught as well.
Be careful when checking the Estacada gauge! There's a large
difference between in CFS flows between 12.5 feet (great!) and
14.5 feet (go home!) We like the gauge between 11.5 ~ 12.8.
At 12.5 feet the CFS is usually around 2700 CFS!
At 14.5 feet the CFS is usually around 6800 CFS!
Large Intruder Style flies in Purple, Blue, Orange, Pink and
Black are always solid producers, with fire engine Red being
a sleeper color. With water temps in the 40's and low 50's,
you should slow down your swing as much as possible. T-14 custom
mini tips and sink tips in type 2 thru 6 should be in your tip
wallet mix. Daylight is growing, skip work early and get your
big 14 foot swinging stick ready! As the water warms up, think
about scaling back the size of the fly a touch and if it really
warms dial back the tip, however.
Trout fishing is closed and will be open again later in the
month.
Guide Info: Jad Donaldson. Call us at 503-639-6400 to book your
trip. |
|
Angling pressure
has been on the light side. Only a few reports are surfacing,
but with the run peaking around June 15th ~ July 1st, it's
not too early to head out with your summer stick. Water flows
are looking great as of today, and this might be your only "metro
option" catching chrome Steelhead as the Sandy and Clack
are going to blow!
Water and weather temperature have not been warm enough to think
about floating lines and size 8 Skunks and Purple Perils. Black,
purple and blue leeches on type three sinktip will do well.
The indicator fisherman will also find success using both glo-bugs
and nymphs alike. Summers seem to turn off glo-bugs and beads
when water temps warm, but you are ok for now. |
|
| Summers have been caught
for over a month now. Not enough to get excited about though!
Stay tuned! Springer fishing is a trickle. |
A few Summer
Steelhead have been trapped (River mile 64). In other words,
fish are spread throughout the system in fair numbers.
All hatchery summer fish will have an adipose fin clipped only.
About 15-20% of the run is native fish. They must be released
without harm.
Peak for the run is the 2nd week in June to July 1st and again
in September. August usually slows, as low and warm water is
to blame, but with higher snow pack in the Coastal Range fishing
could hold strong throughout summer. Stay tuned. |
|
 Watch
the flows carefully with the weatherman calling for 90+ in Portland
Friday! The mountain will feel the heat and the river will blow!
On fishable days, anglers are catching plenty of fish. Summer
fish have been caught for over a month now. Catches will increase
throughout May and peak in June and July. With that said, summers
will continue to trickle into the Sandy as late as September.
All Sandy River Hatchery fish will have their adipose fin clipped
(only).
With Spring Chinook in the system, many gear anglers will start
leaving the Steelhead rod at home, thus giving the fly angler
more room to swing.
The removal of Marmot Dam has changed some of your favorite
runs throughout the river. We recommend hiring a guide for the
day to get familiar with the new "surroundings".
Guide Info: Jad Donaldson. Call us at 503-639-6400 to book your
trip. |
The McKenzie has been fishing well despite higher than average
flows for this time of year. This is prime time for swinging
soft hackles on this river and you should be well armed with
these flies in a variety of colors and head types.
Keep an eye on the gauge at Vida however, if the predictions
are to be believed the river is going to swell to double its
current size. If that happens, book a tee time, cut the grass
or head east for better opportunities.
One final note...summer steelhead are in the McKenzie. The numbers
are increasing everyday and this is a viable option. |
|
I'm sure you've noticed the general theme this report
is high water. All the snowpack we've accumulated is finally
going to go....it's time to pay the piper so to speak.
If one of more of the above options doesn't work in the
plans and you've gotta go fish here are a couple places
that pop into mind. (Be that as it may, you might call the shop
to check.)
Coastal Rivers for Cutthroat - check regs.
Gorge Ponds - Bass
Metolius River *
Fall River *
Private Lakes (Rocky Ridge, Andy's Lake, Little Willow
Lake, Grizzly Lake and Antone Ranch) *
Heron Lakes *
(* Best Bets) |
|
The past week has found water levels up, especially below the
Teanaway, but with good visibility. Unfortunately, the spring
mayflies (bwo's, march browns) are on the wane, with caddis
yet to appreciably pick up. Coupled with colder water temps
than normal (stalling the appearance of the Mothers Day caddis
event), things have been a little slow.
The warming we need is coming, however will blow this baby out
when it does arrive (Thursday). If it doesn't flat-out
flood right away Thursday, we could be fishing caddis (for those
who are free to get on over). After this conceivable window,
though, all bets are off. We'll just have to wait out
the gruesome blowouts moving forward, until the bulk of our
epic snowpack melts away.
Along the way, should milder, stable patterns set-up to settle
things down, caddis will be very important, with PMD's
and Golden Stones set to appear in the next couple weeks. We'll
be keeping an especially close eye on things, so feel free to
call us in Bellevue (425-643-2246) or Seattle (206-448-0601)
for an "up to the minute" update on flows. |
|
Lenice, Dry Falls, Lenore, Dusty et al are all in full swing.
Water temps are entrenched in the low-50's, so the trout
are in heaven. At times, staggering emergences of chironomids
are taking place. The full range of sizes and colors are necessary
right now, but most important is finding where the fish are
concentrating their efforts (anywhere there are chironomids
emerging is a good start!). With several species commonly emerging
at once, over the same given area, literally determining whether
the fish are "up" or "down" is the key,
then keeping the pupa in that "zone". And, of course,
if more than just a few noses are poking through the film, not
a bad idea to have some emergers on hand - what better
way to be sure you're showing the fly to the fish than
to present it directly to the individual? Ditto pupa fished
up top (top few feet). Cover (lead) the cruising fish and numbers
to hand will tend to increase.
Callibaetis are still around on most lakes, and will divert
the trout's attention from the practically always available
chironomids when they make their daily appearance. Of course,
there will be the odd days where the hatch doesn't materialize,
and that goes for chironomids too (quite odd). If left without
an obvious event, time to get down and dirty with damsels, dragons,
buggers, leeches and scuds.
As for the damsels, while they've been slightly active
over the last couple weeks, the coming warming should trigger
them to begin becoming especially active, leading to out-migrations
en-masse. So be on the lookout for damsels! In a few more weeks
we can seriously anticipate fishing the adults - just
have to get 'em out of the lake by the hundreds (thousands)
first. |
|
Remember Chopaka? She's back! Re-habbed last fall and
replanted with trips this spring, the "crown jewel"
of Washington stillwaters is immediately on the comeback trail
- bass-free.
Spectacle, Aeneas, Big Twin and the others are also past "too
cold" and into "just right" mode. Chironomids
and Callibaetis are entrenched for the time being, with damsels
sure to get going with the significant warming event near at
hand. Remember, too, that soon any timbered lakes will provide
some ridiculous dry fly action over the couple days the flying
ants take their mating flights, especially when coupled with
some breezy conditions (when is it not?!).
We could add in the Puget Sound lowland lakes (Rattlesnake,
Pass, Lone, Gibbs, Cady, etc) at this point, but in the interest
of averting redundancy, save it to say that, guess what - it's
chironomids and callibaetis time, with flying ants set to take
flight on any of the ensuing warmer days (seeing as all Puget
Sound lowland lakes are timbered). Damsels will become more
active now that it looks like warming's going to take
place, with dragons to follow shortly. The main difference with
regards to pattern choice is that west-side lakes tend to be
darker, tannic bodies of water, hence the invertebrates tend
to be darker. Think dark olive to brown damsel and dragon nymphs,
and more dark tan-to-brown tone callibaetis.
In a few weeks, we'll explore early summer steelhead opportunities,
run-off allowing. June is also a good time to begin prowling
the beaches for sea-run cutthroat. Until then, if the Yak is
doing its yearly dirty deed, consider getting acquainted with
our many prolific stillwaters that are currently fishing very
well. They'll only continue to do so until it gets too
hot (weeks away). By then, run-off will be behind us, and higher
elevation lakes and streams will just be starting to prolong
any of our designs for trout. |
|
This is the time of year when the surrounding stillwaters are
picking up in earnest, the Yakima becomes a plenty-viable target
if in anywhere near decent shape, and the 'Ford gains
a reprieve. In other words, a little more elbow room tends to
open up here as myriad other options vie for the anglers'
attention. Yes, the cattails and reeds are reaching for the
sky, challenging back-casts, and the in-stream vegetation also
is beginning to reach up through the water column, presenting
challenges for casting and keeping the subsurface offerings
salad-free. Of course, too, challenges tend to offer opportunity
for growth, angling being no different. Learning to deal with
the "obstacle course" will only make us better anglers.
Cooler days in May can still bring forth meaningful BWO emergences,
and Callibaetis are still around, with the Big White mayfly
(#12-#14) soon to join. As usual, though, the midges can and
will dominate the hatch-matching scene at times (always, on
the 'Ford). |
|
|
|