Well, that happened quickly. Here we are in mid August already. The days are actually getting shorter and those blessed chilly nights are more frequent thankfully offsetting the higher daytime temps. The hatches are for the most part slowing down a bit. It's a month for creative presentations and changing tactics. Flows on some rivers are pretty low this time of year. The McKenzie for example is flowing at right around 1650 cfs. and it normally flows around 2000-2300 cfs. These flows tend to move the fish into pockets of deeper cooler water. It's a great time to fish, and fun for me on the oars. If you were in the boat with me on the Mac, you remember " pick it up and put it down" as we were rolling through the rock garden. Quick casts into these little pockets make for a lot of fun. The river is still being stocked and the native fish are feeding more aggressively with each passing week. It's also just a beautiful time of the year to be on the river.
The Deschutes is fishing well with some real big fish being caught. It's in a bit of a lull hatch wise which makes for an interesting challenge. A challenge frequently rewarded with large fish. There are still numerous caddis coming off ( particularly in the evening ) some PMD and PED ( the larger more graceful cousin of the PMD) but alternative methods to traditional bobber nymphing are a necessity. Think ESN or swinging trout spey.
August on the upper river brings to mind Steelhead. Although the numbers aren't where we'd like them to be there are definitely fish in the system all the way up. That being said the section below Maupin, from Pine Tree down is still the go to area. The three day float from Trout Creek to Harpham Flat is also an ideal way to get on to some good swinging water. Sept is filling up quickly but October is wide open and It's a great time to be on the river. Bring your spey game and lets' play. If you don't have a spey game yet I can get you up to speed in very short order. It's a blast and will have positive ramifications through all aspects of your fishing repertoire.
​
I shouldn't neglect the lakes. East and Crane Prairie are both fishing pretty well. Check out Jeff's blog on the FFP website, or face book page to get a recent reflection. The surface action can be great with beetles, ants and some callibatis. Chironomid action is good and I'm rapidly becoming a fan although tying those little guys on is becoming a challenge ( remind me to bring my glasses.) I'm getting more proficient at the balanced leech technique as well. Lots' of fun tactics for taking trout. Let's go try them all. Check your schedule, check my availability and lets go fish. Time on the water is time well spent.
Tight Lines.
​
​
​