August 2018
Firstly, sorry for the delay. I've been very busy and finally have some time to write some updates. We've had a smoke filled August with fires raging all around. Even the verdant valley wasn't immune. A fire near the S. Fork of the McKenzie had us fishing in a fog for a couple of days. Water levels dropped as well , which actually helped as it revealed the pockets and pools more clearly. Fishing with Chubby's with a long dropper were very productive as was nymphing. I try to honor the McKenzie history and stick to something that floats. As we transition into full on fall the October caddis will be more prevalent , so make sure you have some large ( size 12 or 14) caddis bugs in your arsenal. There will also be a few fall green drakes so size 14-16 green parachute adams will also be useful. I'll have more to say about the McKenzie soon, as I will be spending a couple of days on it this week.
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The lower Deschutes is coming out of the late August doldrums and with water temps lowering and the days getting shorter the fish are feeding more aggressively. Large stonefly nymphs, caddis soft hackles, bloody mary's, tan x-caddis, and perdigon style bead headed nymphs are doing quite well. And oh yes, did I mention STEELHEAD ! They are now throughout the system. Sadly the numbers over the dam have dropped precipitously, but the early spate of fish has populated the river throughout. Get your swing thing on and begin your hunt. If you don't know how, but want to learn, get in touch with me or contact FFP and we will get you swinging away.
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The Crooked River is fishing very well. Although I'm noticing that the clarity we were so happy to have earlier in the year is diminishing. The tight line version of " Euro Nymphing " is still working really well. But early morning dry fly fishing with small caddis is phenomenal. There are sporadic hatches of p m d's that the solicit unabashed rises. Conventional ( read indicator ) style fishing is also productive with small p m d nymphs, chironomids, skinny nelson, or basically any small mayfly nymph imitations.
The Fall River is full of fish! The run near the hatchery has several pods, the eddy below the falls, the hole below the tubes all have decent numbers of fish. There are lots of brood stock too and they are super fun on a light weight long rod using the tight line method. P m d's and the ubiquitous caddis are providing dry opportunities too. My advise for the nymphing crowd is start small, use fine leaders and tippet, fish upstream as much as possible and be as subtle as possible. Standing directly over top of them and waving a stick over their heads will definitely impede your progress.
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East Lake is sporadic but can be fantastic. I was there two days ago and we fished dry callibatis mayflies all day long in various locations. Between my two anglers I would say easily twenty fish rose to the dry. And they were all great fish. The brown in the photo was just one example. There was also a twenty plus inch rainbow in the mix. Start you day over by the hot springs and work westward as the day progresses. Water temps are coming down to safe levels for fish fighting and handling but still, be mindful that fish don't breath air.
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