The cold weather is finally pushing out of the area. Most rivers without the benefit of dam regulated flows saw ice, including several north coast waters, the John Day and even the upper Sandy! That should change this week and expect some rains on the coast to bring in some good numbers of winter steelhead. The Crooked and Metolius have been fishing well for those willing to brave the weather. This week should bring some great BWO hatches and the Bull Trout are available all winter. The Steelhead on the Deschutes, John Day and Grande Rhonde are still available, but watch for warmer days to hit these river. For those holiday shoppers you can find some great products on our new on line store. We will be adding reviews throughout the winter, so check it out. We will continue to offer guided trips on the Coastal Rivers, so drop a line if you want to share a cool winter fishing experience. Thanks and we will see you on the water. For a more detailed report on the area waters, scroll down.
Lower Deschutes River:
Trout: Trout fishing is closed from Warm Springs to the tribal boundary upstream of Maupin. The remainder of the river stays open all year. Eddies and soft water will fish best, especially midday. Watch for a good hatch of Blue-winged olives around the warmest part of the day and present flies wisely. Have a selection of emergers and duns in sizes 16-20 available and tippet in the 5x range. You may feel like going to 6x for midges and BWO’s that are size 20 and smaller. Watch for some winter stoneflies in a month or so and fishing can be great during some warmer winter days.
Steelhead: The cold weather this last week has kept many off the water. Temp dropped a bit, but the mid 40’s still allows for some decent action. There are still plenty of fish available, so watch for a couple warm days and get the last of it. Sink-tips from type 3-8 are what we have been fishing and dead drifted patterns, most shop ties, under an indicator. The indicator fishing has been productive but it still pays to move through a run while fishing this way.
Middle Deschutes: The river is around 550cfs and rising a bit according to the chart. Watch the water levels here and a few stable days should help. 550 is a good fishable level for the winter, but when it exceeds 1000 it becomes tough. Look for browns to seek boulders and “softer” water after there fall spawn. There will be be decent Blue-winged olive hatches here, especially on overcast days. The next great happening here will be the small black and brown winter stone hatch which occurs around Jan/Feb and the March Browns that follow. Watch river levels in the winter as up and down flows can affect the bite. A good 4wt, 4x tippet and a variety of beatis and streamers can lead to fun winter days here. This can also be a great stretch to throw streamers and cover water.
Upper Deschutes: The river is closed above Benham Falls. There are a few opportunities to fish above Bend in the winter, but watch out for snow. Streamers are the best option and vary the presentation until you find what the fish like. Try white zonkers, olive buggers and crayfish patterns. There are some good fish here, but you have to spend some time to see a few. Sink tips or shooting heads that allow for multiple tips are the best option. Have clear intermediate – type 8 tips and cover the water.
Metolius River: The Bull trout fishing has been good and nymphs have been taking a lot of the fish. The big streamers will still work, but if you can spot or know where some fish like to hold, a well presented dead drifted fly has been the trick. Some days the fish are more active and the streamers are attacked in every hole, but when it gets tougher, try the dead drift. The trout will respond to some decent BWO hatches as well. Look around 1-2pm for this hatch. The fish wise up to your fly quickly, so change it up if they lose interest. Often the next good cast with the “new” fly gets eaten.
Crooked River: The river has seen some decent fishing this season, but it has also been fairly busy, especially on weekends. The BWO’s are about here and there, but midge anglers have seen the best success. Small size 20-22 dark flies fished in the film are the best, but hard to see. If you are lazy, try a griffths gnat and keep fishing. The nymph fishing can be good but you can get sick of catching Whitefish and cleaning your nymphs off.
Fall River: The Fall is a great place to spend a day sight fishing and tossing flies. Stalking banks and throwing streamers is a great way to play here. If this isn’t in the cards watch closely for hatches and fish sparse bugs and light tippet. The river is gin clear and lacks significant bottom structure, so stalk the banks carefully and toss flies around down trees, and undercut banks. Baetis and small winter stoneflies are the hatches to look for this winter. Below the falls is closed.
Cascade Lakes:
East Lake:
Snows have fallen. Done for the season.
Wickiup Reservoir
Closed.
Crane Prairie
Closed.
Davis Lake: IF you can get there, you might have a chance to catch a slow moving warm water predator, but that seems like a lot of effort for a Bass. The trout might be as active as they will ever be with some welcomed colder water temps, but we really don’t know if that is all that feasible. Let us know if any of you have ventured out there, that would be hardcore!!
Diamond Lake: Have not heard, but likely snow and soon ice!
Hosmer Lake:
Snowmobile needed!!
The Lava Lakes
See Hosmer!!!
Summer Steelhead Fishing:
Summer Steelhead season is winding down, but what a great year it was for the Columbia River systems. The Grande Rhonde, John Day, Clearwater systems and Snake will all continue to fish over the next couple of months, but it will be cold. The water temps will have fish more sluggish and bright fish will be hard to come by. By December we are seeking chrome bright Winter Steelhead and look forward to what Summer Steelhead are all about, fishing in warm weather, swinging flies, wet wading our favorite runs the following summer. Fishing for Summer Steelhead in January just doesn’t compare. If you must seek summer fish this late, look to Hatchery Rivers and please stay away from Wild Summer Steelhead Spawning grounds.
Winter Steelhead Fishing:
The rains this week should bring in some great numbers of Winter Steelhead. All the rivers on the coast have been low and clear for over a week. This will be a welcome change from the frigid temps and ice filled rivers. Knowing how much rain and which rivers clear first will be keys to success early this week and by weeks end most rivers should come into shape. Of course things change fast and the 10 day weather forecast is only a prediction! Look to rivers that have early hatchery runs to produce the best numbers, but some wild fish will come in as well. As a general rule, the farther you are away from a hatchery, the less crowded the water. Take advantage of each rain to explore some new water. Get out there and explore or if you want us to worry about all that, book a guided trip.
If you have any questions please give us a call at:
541-388-3330. We love to talk fishing!!
Guide report continued.....updated December 7, 2009
click images to enlarge
Latest Guide Report:
Deschutes River gauge and flow information:
The challenges presented by angling for Atlantic salmon and Steelhead with the fly have influenced the evolution of the two-handed rod. The early pioneers of “Spey” casting built long rods with heavy lines to cast great distances and cover water efficiently on the river Spey in Scotland. Covering big rivers with limited back cast space is where the long rods shined. The casts used to redirect flies from down stream to across current were fluid and efficient. Once the fly began to “swing” mending and controlling its speed was much easier with the two-handed rods. The success that these rods brought was enjoyed for years in Europe and later in the northeastern part of North America. Although the early two-handed rods were built by Atlantic salmon anglers, the benefits were quickly realized by steelhead anglers in the Pacific Northwest.
The Steelhead is a worthy adversary for even the most hardened anglers. Steelhead anglers pursue these fish in challenging conditions. Covering water and identifying likely holding water are key components to hooking more steelhead. It is critical that you are able to present your flies in these “lies”. Casting and presenting your fly become the most important factors once known holding water is identified. On large western rivers like the Deschutes, long casts in windy conditions may be required to get your fly in front of a holding steelhead. Once out there your fly speed needs to be controlled and mending may be required. Using long rods makes these choirs much more manageable.
Tips and Technique:
What’s With The Long Rod???
by: The Riffle Staff
Comments or Questions?
Use the form below to send questions and comments directly to the staff at The Riffle Fly Shop. We are always looking for ways to improve, so your comments are very valuable. Thanks.
The challenges that the Lower Deschutes River presents can be quickly overcome with a little direction. Taking a guided fishing trip on such a large river quickly increases ones success rate. Most guides on this river have spent years learning the “secrets” that consistently get clients into fish. Knowing what, when, where and how is very important, especially on such a vast river. Maximizing ones time in “productive” water becomes advantageous to success. For many, finding the most productive water is the hardest part of the game. When hiring a guide, you can guarantee that they will be putting you in the right spot. The confidence this builds alone is worth the price of your trip. Confident anglers fish hard and long and will always present their flies to more fish in a day. By fishing hard more fish will come to hand in the long run.
Once you are in the right spot the next challenge, knowing what to tie on the end of your line. The Deschutes River is blessed with intense insect hatches and knowing which bugs are “in season” is extremely important. Month to month hatches progress and various insects will be the focus of the trout’s diet. “Matching the hatch” is a term that gets thrown around the fly fishing community all the time, but there is some solid truth to this. Certain types, colors and sizes of flies will induce strikes from Deschutes trout and steelhead. Water conditions, weather and timing are also factors to think about when choosing a fly. The “locals” know that there are just certain flies that will work better than others on the Deschutes River and figuring this out can take years of trial and error. Having an experienced guide pick your fly and tie it on once again builds confidence that leads to more success.
You now are in the right spot, with the right fly and your confidence is soaring. Wait just a minute, there is another challenge before us. On the Lower Deschutes River it is illegal to fish out of a floating devise. This can be the greatest challenge to arriving anglers that are not accustomed to wading and casting. This is where your guide becomes your teacher as they explain the details of casting and presenting flies while standing in heavy current. Anglers that can achieve a “dead” drift with their fly and manage their line well will have great success and those that can’t just plain won’t. Casting and mending your line, presenting your fly in a natural fashion is just as important at choosing the right fly. Adding indicators, split shot and weighted flies all can be important tools on the Deschutes. Having a guide set up your rig, adding the right fly, weight and depth and now once casting, an experienced eye can quickly tell if your presentation is good enough to fool a fish. Wasting time with inadequate technique is a frustrating way to spend a day. As the adage goes, practice makes perfect, but perfect practice goes much further. The learning curve is shortened greatly with an experienced guide by your side politely teaching you the proper techniques for success.
The Lower Deschutes River is home to some of the hardest fighting rainbow trout and steelhead in the world. These fish may be harder to land than actually hook.
Your first Deschutes fish is rarely brought to hand and many anglers are left wondering what went wrong. Your guide is there to teach and explain just how to successfully bring these fish to hand. Good hook sets and just the right amount of pressure are needed. Many times the fish is lost due to poor technique. Even the most experienced of anglers will lose fish, but each hooked fish becomes a learning process and having a watchful eye helping out leads to a higher landing ratio.
The Deschutes River is a fantastic fishery and one should not miss the opportunity to wet a line in its historic waters. Taking a guided trip is the best way for anglers to shorten that learning curve and truly experience what this river has to offer. It is a large river and can intimidate some, but once some secrets are revealed, continued success can be had. It may take years of trial and error to reveal these secrets, but with an experienced guides help you can bet you’ll learn many years worth of knowledge in only days. Add to that the bonus of being catered to a great riverside barbequed meal, comfortable camps, quality gear, insight into the intricacies of the lower Deschutes canyon and you have yourself lasting memories and a bright future fishing this wonderful river. For many Oregon anglers the Deschutes holds a special in their heart and for good reason. Something about this river captivates you and within the first moments of setting your eyes on the beautiful canyon and clear crisp water, you realize why so many anglers call the Deschutes home.
Taking a guided fly fishing trip:
The Lower Deschutes
by: The Riffle Staff
Continued from HOME page...
The Riffle Fly Shop
7228 NW Hwy 26 Madras 97741 fishguys@theriffleflyshop.com (541) 553-1384
The Riffle Fly Shop on Facebook
Casting the two-handed rod can be a bit intimidating at the start. Welding around a fourteen foot rod is a new sensation and it takes time to feel comfortable. Hitting your tip on overhanging trees and overexerting ones muscles in attempt to pitch your fly 75ft are common problems for the beginner. Over time each achieves his or her own feel and the fluidity and ease of the “Spey” casts become apparent. Each will encounter that moment when the stars align and casts boom effortlessly across the current. On the first day you will get what I’m talking about. A perfect cast is an effortless movement of timing and acceleration. At the right moment a touch forward sends line ripping through your guides unfolding into a laser tight loop that touches down across the river current.
Becoming a proficient two-handed caster can take time. Choosing the adventuresome route and learning on your own is possible, but please have some patience. A good video can give you some tips, but taking those visual clues to the river can be challenging. The best way to learn is watch a good caster and let them watch you. They will be able to help and critique you, touching on points you never imagined. Taking a lesson from a professional is the quickest route to learning good technique. Learning the right technique can help avoid bad muscle memory. Once bad technique is learned it is hard to overcome.
The benefits of fishing the two-handed rod quickly become obvious. Two handed rods allow easy casting at distance, mending, pulling big flies up and out of the water, turning those big flies over and making better presentations to more fish. These benefits allow you to come tight to more fish and make you a more successful angler. The pleasure one gets from casting a two handed rod correctly and consistently is satisfying. Watching a good caster can leave you realizing what an art fly casting is.
