Early Mornings For The Win
Fishing crowds have definitely mellowed out on the Lower Deschutes, but the fishing remains excellent. This time of the year, by the time the rafters are hitting the water, us anglers are heading home after a killer morning caddis session or a quiet morning of swinging steelhead flies. Keep reading for a breakdown of steelhead regulations for this season and my current approaches to trout fishing.
River Conditions-
Flows out of the dam are currently pumping at 3,600 cfs and flows down at the mouth are currently pumping at 4,200 cfs. Water temps coming out of the dam are ranging between 54-57 degrees and temps down at the mouth of the river are ranging between 63-70 degrees. These temps down at the mouth mean that anyone fishing close to the mouth of the river should refrain from fishing in the late afternoon, as this will put potentially fatal stress on the trout. Even in the Maupin area I have been starting my trout trips earlier and finishing earlier in order to help keep our finned friends safe. With these hotter summer water temperatures I encourage all anglers out there to take a break from the fish photos this July and August in the name of not adding more undue stress to an already exhausted fish.
What’s Happening-
The caddis hatches haven’t been happening every day, but on the days they hatch they are out in great numbers. The average size of the caddis are 16 and 18 with a mix of Olive, Tan, and Brown bodies. Early mornings are quickly becoming the best time of the day to target trout since the water temps in the afternoons have been fairly high, which make our trout lethargic in the Maupin area. If you are fishing the Warm Springs to Trout Creek float, the water temps have been a bit better in the afternoons due to the colder water closer to the dam. Caddis are still fairly active early in the mornings, making your favorite caddis dries a great option. Once the temps start to climb around 11:00 a.m. you will start to see caddis dying off and your non-hackled lower profile caddis patterns will start to work a bit better. I love to fish a CDC wing caddis with no hackle for this time frame.
If fishing dries isn’t doing it for you, or you find yourself on the water on one of the days that the caddis are lacking in numbers, then dry dropper or European nymphing are two great alternatives. If you are fishing dry dropper focus your efforts on the fast oxygenated water for the best results. I have been fishing micro-chubbies with heavily weighted tungsten droppers so they drop down quickly below my dry and stay down. For European nymphing the world is your oyster on what water type you would like to fish. I have been finding a lot more whitefish down deep, so if your’e not a fan you may want to fish faster mid-depth water with the euro rig to avoid them.
For the trout spey connoisseur, the sculpin and leech game has been good during the early morning session from sunrise on for a few hours. If the water temps aren’t too high in the afternoon the soft hackle game during evening caddis emergences has been great. During the summer we will be offering half day trips for those of you who want to take advantage of the early morning caddis bite. On these trips we fish hard without a break for lunch and call it quits when it feels like its time for a cold drink and a swim. Give us a call to snag your spot!
State of the Union on Steelhead-
It’s getting to be that time that we start to dust off our spey rods, sort through the Scandi heads, and tie our favorite flies in anticipation of summer steelhead. The Lower Deschutes is currently open for steelhead angling. ODFW has implemented benchmarks of returning wild steelhead over Bonneville Dam for the river to remain open. Those benchmarks are 9,900 wild fish over Bonneville dam during the month of July (excluding the numbers of fish that have passed prior the July 1) and 23,100 wild fish by the end of August. If we meet the quota of 9,900 wild steelhead over Bonneville Dam during the month of July then we will remain open. If we do not meet that quota then we will be closed to steelhead angling on August 15. There will be another evaluation of returning fish numbers over the month of August. If we meet the quota of 23,100 wild steelhead over Bonneville dam during the month of August then we will remain open through the end of the year. If we do not meet that quota during the month of August we will be closed to steelhead angling on September 15.
As of right now we have seen 1,180 wild fish in five days. I am cautiously optimistic that we will be opening, but only time will tell what our summer and fall have in store. Keep your fingers crossed and don’t hesitate to tie some of your best steelhead flies in preparation for the best. As my wife would say, you’ve got to manifest it and I can’t help but think if we all tie enough flies the river gods will shine upon us and give us the fish needed to open! In the meantime if you are like me and don’t need a bunch of fish to get you on the water then you should definitely get out at the break of dawn while the river is open and try to get an early run steelhead. There definitely aren’t a ton of fish in the river at this time, but speaking from experience some of the early fish can be the most fiery critters this river has to offer. These fish will leave you laughing at your reel watching a 100 yards of backing disappear in an explosive run.
Flies that are working-
Henry’s Fork Foam Stone Size 10, 14, and 16
Hi Vis Micro Chubby in assorted colors Size 12, 14 and 16
Demoes Mill Creek Golden Size 8 and 10
Chubby Chernobyl in assorted colors Size 8, 10, and 12
CDC Bullet Head Caddis in Olive or Brown, Size 16 and 18
Finfetcher Caddis in Olive or Tan, Size 16 and 18
Elk Hair Caddis in Olive, Tan, or Brown Size 16 and 18
Galloup’s Tilt Wing PMD in Size 14, 16, and 18
CDC Comparadun PED in Size 12 and 14
Silver Bead Green Glo Brite Perdigon in Size 16 and 18
Silver Bead Blue Glo Brite Perdigon in Size 16 and 18
Silver Bead Roza’s Green Tag Jig Size 16
Pink Bead Tasmanian Devil Size 16
Pink Bead Pheasant Tail Size 16 and 18
Pink Bead Hares Ear Size 16 and 18
Copper Bead Olive Hares Ear Size 16 and 18
Copper Bead Quilldigon Size 16
Egan’s Frenchie Size 16 and 18
Olive and Partridge Soft Hackle Size 14 and 16
Peacock and Partridge Soft Hackle Size 14 and 16
Tan and Partridge Soft Hackle Size 14 and 16
Sculpzilla in Natural and Olive Size 4 and 6
Kreelex Minnow in Gold and Silver Size 4 and 6
Olive Bugger Size 10
Mayers Mini Leech Size 12
Turkey Wing Orange Muddler Size 6 and 8
Fly Du Jour Size 6 and 8
Silvey’s Snow Cone Pink and Purple Size 6 and 8
Any of your favorite Hair-wing or Skater Steelhead flies in smaller sizes
Thanks for tuning in to my fishing report. I hope everyone is staying cool on these hot summer days. Not to sound like my mom, but don’t forget to drink lots of water and wear your sunscreen! Remember that our trout are currently dealing with high water temps below the falls and need to be fought quickly and handled with care. Keep them wet this summer and dig out some early spring fish photos for Instagram or dating profile pics. Tight lines and happy fishing to all. I’ll see you on the water!
