Big Flows and Bright Flies

Well, the Deschutes is definitely swollen—and really has been for much of the winter. This is much to the chagrin of myself and the other guides who get out to fish for ourselves in the off season. Flows usually start to drop this time of year, but this spring has been a wet one. Fish can still be caught for those who are comfortable wading chest-deep and bushwhacking.

River Conditions -

Flows coming out of the dam today are currently 6,190 cfs. With the tributaries all running a bit high as well, the gauge at the mouth is currently 8,030 cfs. The Warm Spring River is slowly dropping as well as the White River, which should help bring our overall flow down throughout the week. Clarity is currently about 2.5 to 3 feet and improving each day.

What’s Happening With Trout -

Nymphing and dry dropper are the two best options right now with some potential to find fish on streamers as well. I had a die-hard angler who wanted to get on the water regardless of the flows last weekend and we did surprisingly well, all things considered. Our biggest challenge was finding areas that we could fish from the bank or stay close enough to the bank to not fill our waders. Places that are typically mid-calf-deep are now going to be closer to waist or chest deep. Luckily it was just him, so we were able to take advantage of the smaller zones that work well with a single angler.

There is a direct correlation in the number of spots that you can fish and the height of the flows here. When you do find an area that has a soft edge for the trout to find reprieve, you will most likely find some fish living there. Once you have found the right habitat it will be about showing multiple presentations with brightly colored flies to entice an eat.

If you have been on the water with me then there is a high likelihood that we have talked about waiting for surge of the flows to subside before making your cast. The Deschutes is a big river, surging and beating like a heart. This becomes even more evident when the flows come up and drive those surges closer to the banks. Timing your cast in between the surges will greatly improve your odds of finding fish. When a surge pushes more current into the soft water it will suppress fish to the bottom or closer to the bank as well as lift your flies up and tumble them around erratically. By waiting for the surge to pass you’re allowing your flies to get deeper and the fish to move out from their hiding spot to see the flies you’re presenting. Patience is the name of this game!

Hatches I saw while fishing for myself and guiding this week were some small clusters of Blue Wing Olives, Lesser March Browns, and our large early season Grannom Caddis. These hatches happened below Sherars Falls and generally happened mid-day. I saw some smolt feeding on dries and had a couple fish take swipes at the dry on the dry dropper setup but failed to see a consistent pod of fish feeding. This can all change with the right weather conditions and a drop in flows.

Flies That Are Working -

Blue Glo-Brite Perdigon - Size 16

Green Glo-Brite Perdigon - Size 16

Pink Bead Hares Ear - Size 16

Pink Bead Green Collar Pheasant Tail - Size 16

Egg Taco - Size 16

Neon Tungsten San Juan Worm - Size 14

Firestarter Jig - Size 16

Sculpzilla Black - Size 4

Sculpzilla Olive - Size 4

Tungsten Jigged Leech Olive - Size 6

Tungsten Jigged Leech Black - Size 6

CDC Comparadun March Brown - Size 14 and 16

CDC Bullet Head Caddis in Tan and Olive - Size 14 and 16

CDC Comparadun BWO - Size 16 and 18

Smaller Stonefly Nymphs (These did not produce fish for me this week. However, this is the time of year that they start to work well, so don’t hesitate to try them intermittently.)

Thanks for tuning into my fishing report! I’ll post an update later this month if/when we see the flows come down into a more manageable state. If you decide to get out and go fishing then stay safe and remember to use some caution when wading. A wading staff can be really helpful for probing to see how deep it is when fishing these high flows. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you want an updated report in the meantime. Tight lines and happy fishing to all! I’ll see you on the water!