Trout Like Steelhead

Deschutes Fishing Report, June 12

I don't mean that trout are "friends" with steelhead, what I am talking about are top conditioned, bully of the school, 20" range trout that fight and battle it out like a steelhead.  Hang on to that five weight!  Right now that type of fish is in his element feeding on his favorite gut stretching morsel of the year- Salmon flies and Golden Stones.  With the hatch full swing and soon to be waning in the upper section of the lower 100 miles of the emerald green waters of the Deschutes these big bullies are packing it on and are in full stuff it mode. 

Check out this fish caught June 12th. 

Deschutes Salmonflies May 25

The salmon fly hatch has progressed all the way to Warm Springs on the Deschutes river and trout are taking them off the surface.  Our guides are fishing from Warm Springs to Maupin.  The weather has been rainy and cool keeping the bugs hunkered down on the shoreline foliage.  When the sun comes out and warms things up the bugs get active and are on the water.  The river level has been high, yesterday near Madras the level was at 6240 cfs. 

Yesterday between the rain showers fishing was good along the edges.  We saw salmon flies and golden stones on the water, pmd's hatching, blue wing olives and a few green drakes hatching.  In the morning a mass of hovering midges were on the menu.  Our mid-morning midge pattern worked for a few fish that didn't want anything else. 

We are on for another 3 day trip today.  Stay tuned for more river reports. http://www.watertimeoutfitters.com/

Spring Time in Oregon

It's that time of year here in Oregon where there is so much to do.  Trout fishing opportunities are really starting to ramp up and steelhead fishing has some interesting things going on as well.  Living in Oregon sure has its perks and its this time of year that I am reminded how fortunate we are to live in such a great part of the world.

Trout fishing opportunities are vast this time of year.  One of the big ones that comes to mind is the Salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes river.  This is a world class river that has some truly great fly fishing opportunities.  Add to that equation a bug almost 3" long and you've got a great combo.  Salmon flies are like "Big Mac's" for trout.  As the hatch gains momentum expect rainbows to greedily gorge on these big bugs.  Add in the many opportunities of lakes and small streams around the state and you've got some good stuff going on.

One of my favorite fisheries for this time of year is the spring steelhead we get on the Willamette Valley streams.  Better known as summer steelhead these silvery rockets come into our rivers in the spring and stay in the river for nearly a year.  These fish are a Skamania strain fish of hatchery origin.  The Clackamas river has these fish returning every year around this time.  This years run are identified by a clipped adipose fin and a maxilary fin clipping.  Once hooked they are ballistic rockets and some fish are simply unlandable!

I hope you are getting out on the water and experiencing some of the fantastic opportunities we have here in Oregon.

Good fishin!

Rob