CRANE PRAIRIE –Crane has been fishing well with Chroni-bobbers remaining one of the most effective tactics for hooking one of the resident crane-bows.

DESCHUTES RIVER BELOW WICKIUP- Opens May 25. Resident browns can be measured in pounds rather than inches, but are difficult to coax from debris covered lies and deep holes. Sinking lines and large streamers are the most effective tactics for these predatory piscivores.

MIDDLE DESCHUTES: Several weeks of productive fishing came to a half this week when flows jumped up to 300+ cfs below Bend. It may take the fish a few days to adjust to higher flows, or time your outing with a decrease in water to take advantage of the veritable bug buffet that includes adult stones, caddis and PMDs.

DESCHUTES AT WARM SPRINGS: Angler have been reporting good fishing during the recent warm weather spell, however stonefly surface action could slow as the cool wet weather moves in this week. If fish are rising to the big bugs, target areas with heavy brush particularly grasses and overhanging trees where adults are likely to tumble into the water, making an easy meal. Recommended patterns: Orange Stimulator, Foam Stones, Chubby Chernobyl.

EAST LAKE: Early season catch rates have been good with brown and rainbows responding to a variety of tactics including wind drifting, streamers, and suspended chronomids.

FALL RIVER: Fishing in the upper river has remained consistent with mayfly and caddis patterns producing. The river opens below the falls on Saturday, May 25.

LAKE BILLY CHINOOK: Opportunities remain for bull trout in the Metolious Arm. large streamers on sinking lines can be productive any time of day.

LAVE AND LITTLE LAVA- Reports have been good to great from the high lakes with a variety of tactics producing fish.

METOLIUS RIVER: Green Drakes have started to appear in the lower stretches of the river and PMD’s are hatching consistently along with caddis. Streamer fishing for resident bull trout has been consistent. As usual pack a mixed bag of dry flies and nymphs, including caddis pupae, pheasant tails, hare’s ear and small stones to match the Metolius’s prolific bug output.

CHICKAHOMINY RESERVOIR: The reservoir is completely ice free. ODFW reports that catch rates are down, however most fish landed are in the 16 inch-plus range.

CROOKED RIVER BELOW BOWMAN DAM: Recent high flows marking the start of irrigation season set fishing back significantly, however the river has dropped back into shape this week with flows reaching nearly ideal 280 cfs as of Tuesday. Given the variability of dam releases it’s a good idea to check before tossing your gear into the back of your rig.

CRANE PRAIRIE – Season opens April 27.

DESCHUTES RIVER ABOVE BEND: There have been recent reports of good brown trout fishing on streamer patterns.

MIDDLE DESCHUTES: With all of the canals now running, flows have dropped into shape below Bend. Conditions have been nearly idea on the Middle River out of Terrebonne with a mix of March Browns and BWOs providing solid dry fly fishing for resident brown and rainbow trout– at least before the recent storm system moved. It’s also not too early to start dead drifting large stonefly nymphs in anticipation of the upcoming big bug buffet.

DESCHUTES AT WARM SPRINGS: Season opens April 27.

EAST LAKE: Season opens April 27, access permitting.

FALL RIVER: Dry fly fishing with small mayflies and midge patterns has reportedly remained consistent on the Fall. Streamers are also a good bet when the surface action is off.

LAKE BILLY CHINOOK: ODFW reports that bull trout catch rates are good, exceeding last year’s numbers. Big streamers on sinking lines can be productive any time of day.

METOLIUS RIVER: Trout fishing has been good with the best fishing on dead drifted nymphs, however the Met can erupt in a mixed bag of mayfly hatches on any given afternoon so come prepared with size 14-16 sparkle duns and baetis patterns to imitate the cinygmula and BWO hatches. You may also find some March Browns on the water so pack some dark and cream colored dun imitations.

CHICKAHOMINY RESERVOIR: The reservoir is increasing from half-full and receiving good runoff from the Potato Hills.

CROOKED RIVER BELOW BOWMAN DAM: Fishing has been excellent as of late with good numbers of fish throughout the canyon below Bowman. Water levels have been consistent however keep your eye on the gauge as irrigation season begins this month and will dramatically affect flows and fishing. In the meantime, trout may be spawning throughout the river. Please watch for and avoid redds as you’re wading.

DESCHUTES RIVER ABOVE BEND: The river trail offers excellent access from Bend to Benham falls with a multitude of opportunities for native redband and resident browns.

DESCHUTES BELOW BEND: Keep your eye on the gauge and watch for dropping flows marking the start of irrigation season. If you hit it right, there’s a great window of fishing around the reduced flows as fish keg up in pockets and seams. Anglers should see March Browns hatching, so come prepared.

FALL RIVER: The river above the falls remains open, including the area around the Fall River fish hatchery with anglers reporting consistent catching.

LAKE BILLY CHINOOK: Fishing for bull trout has been fair. Anglers are reminded there are small numbers of spring chinook and summer steelhead in Lake Billy Chinook as part of the reintroduction effort. Please release these fish unharmed. The Metolius Arm is open to fishing again and there are good numbers of legal-sized bull trout. A tribal angling permit is required in the Metolius Arm. Please check the special regulations for this area.

METOLIUS RIVER: Trout fishing has been good. BWO and PMD patterns should produce during mid-day hatches. Bull trout fishing remains productive. Large streamer flies fished in the deeper pools and slots are the best bet. Meanwhile, early onset of spring temps could mean the arrival of the much anticipated March Browns. If you see these bugs on the water or in the air try a size 10-14 soft hackle on the subsurface swing or dead drift a comparadun to coax a surface strike.

 While some of us are praying for a little more snow and others are pining for the spring sunshine, most steelheaders are begging for a little rain. Yes, you heard it right, rain. We need some serious water to move fish around in rivers like the Rogue, Umpqua and North Fork Santiam and create a few opportunities for us fanatical and foolhearty chrome addicts.

Still that hasn’t stopped anglers like myself from getting out when time allows in search of that elusive tug. By my count, and I try not to, I’ve logged three days on the Sandy and another three and half on the North Umpqua with not so much as a pluck. But that’s nothing new. The latest pilgrimage happened last Friday when a few midweek showers and a fresh push of water seemed to set the table for prime conditions. Alas, the fish seemed unimpressed.
We did see one fish landed at Camp Water where longtime North Umpqua guide Tony Wratney had a couple of clients swinging flies in water temps that were just within the range of bearable, depending on how long you remained in the run. Wratney and I were discussing the relatively unproductive season and the proposed new “take” regs when we spotted the big bend in the rod of his client who was fishing a piece of water that I typically would have overlooked. (Score one for the guides) The young sport from Cincinnati pulled in a nice winter hen, a feat that my partner and were unable to replicate over another eight hours of fishing.
We did cover a ton of water in a place that earned its position in the pantheon of steelhead lore. Perhaps most interesting was the incredible range of weather that we encountered in just a few hours, which my partner dubbed the “tale of two days.” A freezing morning gave way to midday winds then yielded to T-shirt sunshine in the early afternoon before making a 180 and morphing into lashing late afternoon hail storm that drove us back to the truck and nearly into submission. In other words, it was an average day of winter steelhead fishing.
--EF.

Hey All,
Who says you shouldn’t go fishing in 8 degree weather? Well, whom ever did say that….is a freakin genius!!! Van and I went out on Sunday morning to fish the Crooked River to see if fish could be caught in this kind of cold. As we dropped in to the canyon, the temp on Van’s truck registered a balmy 8 degrees. I looked at Van and said, “Man, we are IDIOTS!!!”. He agreed. We kept on moving down the road though. I told him of a spot we had some success at about a week prior and told him to head to that spot. I knew the spot would eventually get some sun, but not at the time we got there. Van parked, and we got to work putting on our gear and setting up our rods. By the time I got my rod strung, I couldn’t feel my thumbs and fingers. We looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking…lets get to some sun, NOW. We hadn’t felt cold like that in a while and the small breeze that morning didn’t help much. We fished in the sun for about an hour or so with no success, but we were warming up. We decided to go try another spot and listen to the football game for a while. Damn the Seahawks. We decided to hit the place we first started and see if it had warmed up there. It did!!! It was now 18 degrees. When we got down to the river, the sun had come and gone for this section of water. It was going to be cold here. It was. Even so, not 15mins later, fish started to rise and the water came alive. It was surprising to both of us. We switched to dry midges with a midge emerger hanging off the back. That was the ticket for the rest of the day. We ended up catching quite a few fish that way. We did deal with cold hands and freezing guides all day, but we hardly saw another crazy fly fisherman on the water that day. So, was it worth going? Hell Yeah!!!

Jay & Van

Hi all.  I was able to get out and go fishing this weekend at a couple of different places.   On Friday, my first attempt to fish was on the Deschutes around Warm Springs.  I got up early and got down to Mecca Flat around 5:30am.  I hit the trail in the dark with my head lamp lighting the way.  I had my back pack loaded up for a whole day of fishing.  Once I got to the spot after hiking for about an hour, I set up my gear.  As the sun started to shed some light on the situation, the river revealed a nasty picture.  The Deschutes was totally off color.   There was only about a foot and a half of visibility and had a glacial green tone to it.  Boy was I surprised…no, I was pissed.  I did all that hiking just to get pack up and turn around?  Well, no I fished for half the day with not a grab.  Then I took the long trek back to the rig.  What happened to the D?  Long story short: glacial run-off from Mt. Jefferson blew out the Metolius which flowed into Round Butte then into Simtustus then into the Deschutes.  This run-off from Jefferson took almost 2 weeks to hit the Deschutes which means it may take a while to clear up.  We will keep our ears open for reports on how the river is doing.

The next day Brett and I decided to head out for a couple of hours on a spur of the moment trip to the Middle Deschutes around Dillin Falls.  It was perfect weather and the baetis were out.  We nymphed up a couple of nice trout and quite a few white fish.  The water level is down now and easier to fish.  We used size 18 and 20 Baetis and Caddis nymphs and big stonefly nymphs.  All work well up there.  It was a fun quick trip.

On Sunday, John and I hit the Crooked River.  It was all about the BWO hatch all day long.  Lets just say, we were catching that day…not fishing.  Mostly dries is what we used, and at one point, we tried to pick a fly that wouldn’t work.  Couldn’t find one.  Now the skinny.  The largest trout was a whopping 11 inches.  So if you want to fish the Crooked, I suggest taking a 1 or 0 weight rod.  If you don’t have a 1 or 0 weight rod, I know where you can get one.

If you want more details on what flies we used, come on by the shop and have a chat.

Cheers,

Jay 

Hey all you trout bums.  Here's a report on the Middle Deschutes down at Steelhead Falls.  My wife Cathy and I were able to go out and fish together for the first time in a long time.  While the our boy, Rowan, was in daycare, we went and played for a few hours.  We got down there around 10am and were the only visible fishermen down there.  The clouds moved in quick and created perfect conditions for a hatch to emerge.  I set up Cat with a dry Parachute Adams and dropped a Trina's Angel Case Emerger off it.  On her second cast a trout hammered the dry and she missed it. She was a little rusty on the set, but that didn't matter.  She had plenty of other opportunities that day and took full advantage of those.  I fished a lot of dries from Para Adams, Caddis and Hackle Stackers with success on all.  MAN WE HAD FUN!!!  Cathy even took a nap mid afternoon, being content with her catching for the day.  I never stopped and neither did the fish.  What a great day!

The next day they shut off the canals and the river tripled in size.  Boy did we time that trip right.  Time to go steelheading.
Cheers,Jay

Hit Davis Lake at O-Dark-Thirty on Friday with Jay, Joe, Jesse, and Cougar. Yes, I know, a very motley crew! We started throwing poppers along the North edge of the lake right into the tullies with minimal success. We had very sporadic rises and chases, but nothing that got us too excited. As the sun came up, and the temperature rose, we switched from top water tactics to subsurface, leech patterns. This was the ticket! With the sun on the water, we were able to sight fish to bass. All up and down the west side of the lake right up against, and into, the grass was the ticket. A twitch retrieve with 3" to 6" olive or black bass leechs with dumb bell eyes and weed guards were the ticket.  Some bass attacked readily while others had to be teased into biting. Other than meeting everyone at 3:30 in the morning, it was a great day!  As a group, we caught at least 30 Large Mouth that averaged at least 2 pounds. We did see trout working the surface, but were incredibly spooky and laid down when we came with 75' of them. If you did get a cast to them, it was one and done. Stop by the shop and we'll set you up with the goods!
Reed