Caddis Galore! Also, a new HUGE fire.

Whew, it is hot out here! You know what hot weather brings? Caddis, caddis, and more caddis. The hatches have been strong in the evenings on the river and trout are certainly looking up once the intense sun is off the water. Until the sun comes off the water, your best bet for hooking trout on dries is to find the shady pockets under trees, or to go deep using a dry-dropper rig or to go deeper yet using a nymph rig. Streamers on a sink tip cast up river and stripped downstream can really trigger some of the big bows to grab. Morning fishing sessions should start at the crack of dawn - get out there as early as you can. 

The water temps are climbing with the hot weather, so it is time to start checking those temps before fishing in the evenings. If temps are close to 70 degrees (they are getting up there near the mouth of the Deschutes) it is best to give the fish a break. Fighting fish, landing fish, and handling fish in those extreme temperatures can be harmful and even deadly to them. Water is coming out of the Dam in Madras between 52 and 56 degrees. In Maupin, the water temperature is 61 -62 degrees in the middle of the day. Down at the Moody Rapid near the confluence of the Deschutes and the Columbia, the water temperatures are quite a bit warmer - reaching 70.5 degrees in the evening (around 7:00 PM) and only getting as low as 64.5 at the coldest. 

You may have heard about the fire that broke out yesterday morning/early afternoon on a field near the town of Friend. This is a small farming community about 3.5 miles north of Tygh Valley with rolling wheat fields all around. We don't know how it started, but it grew quickly to over 7000 acres this morning and is threatening the town of Tygh Valley and surrounding farms. The air crews have closed off the boating on Pine Hollow Reservoir in order to suck water from the lake and to dip their bags into the lake to fill them up. We also read that they have just closed the section of Highway 197 from Shadybrook Road north to about the top of Tygh Grade (the big long hill that climbs out of Tygh as you head north to The Dalles). 

The fire is serious and we are experiencing some smoky skies right now. We are hoping that they will get that fire under control in the next day or so - if the weather cooperates. Smoke can be a nuisance but it can also be VERY beneficial to anglers targeting trout. Why?

Smoke acts as a filter for the sun - reducing its intensity and allowing the trout to be more relaxed. If the smoke is really heavy (we have had that situation with bigger fires in years past - this is nothing compared to that) then the trout actually think that the sun is setting and they go NUTS all day long. We aren't quite THAT smoky, but the little bit of smoke that we do have should relax the fish.

Enough about the smoke, because that SHOULD be VERY short-lived. With any luck they will have the fire out or mostly out or at least somewhat contained by Friday. If it goes East through the wheat fields, the fire will certainly reach the Deschutes River. Check on the Oregon Department of Transportation website www.tripcheck.com to see if any roads are closed - Highway 197 has the fire on both sides and is the most likely to have delays - like a pilot car that guides you through.

It is that time of year when many anglers start thinking about steelhead, and we are no exception! Steelhead are always on our minds once the calendar hits July - though the steelhead are hesitant to enter the Deschutes when its waters are warmer than those in the Columbia River. We used to have great runs in July, but PGE is now warming the Deschutes and creating a thermal block. With any luck, however, steelhead will be surging into the Deschutes in the wee hours of the night in an effort to return to their spawning grounds. Once in the Deschutes, they will boogie to get upstream to the cooler water. They can swim easily 4-5 miles per night which puts them above Macks Canyon in 4-5 days. 

 A lot of people call us to ask, "Are the steelhead above Mack's Canyon yet?" My answer to this question beginning on July 1 is a resounding "YES"  Most people want to know "HOW MANY" or "WHAT ARE THE COUNTS" and (my least favorite question) IS IT WORTH COMING OUT TO FISH FOR STEELHEAD?  There are no reliable counts - period. There is a counter on some nights at Sherar's Falls counting the fish that come up the fish ladder, but not all the steelhead utilize the fish ladder which runs parallel to the falls. Many steelhead jump right up the waterfall and have no problem doing so because they have been doing it that way for thousands of years before man came along to build that ladder. 

IS IT WORTH IT? How do I possibly answer this question? Is it worth it to you to spend a day in a beautiful environment surrounded by sparkling blue water? Is it worth it to watch a heron soar past you ten feet away with its wingtips touching the water with each flap? Is it worth it to lose yourself in the zen of casting a fly, stepping down a run, cool water hugging you from the waist down? Is it worth it to stand in a place that makes you feel so lucky to live in the pacific northwest? Do you like seeing bighorn sheep and mule deer grazing the hillsides on steep canyon walls that rise 2000 feet from the river's edge? Do you like getting out of the rat race and completely leaving cell towers and computers behind? Is it worth it to swing a fly through the riffle water with a surge of fresh hope welling up in your heart with each cast you make? Is it worth standing in a river for hours on end thinking about friends and family you have fished with, loved, and lost? I think any opportunity to escape to a river is a WORTHWHILE endeavor. 

This steelhead season looks like it will be a good one. Maybe one of the better steelhead seasons that we have seen in several years. The numbers are looking promising, but only time will tell. We will be out there fishing no matter what the return, but we do hope that the return continues to look good (looking at the counts of steelhead coming over Bonneville Dam).

We hope to see a few more anglers out here enjoying the river as things are expected to cool down somewhat over the coming weeks. There are few to NO anglers out here. Caddis galore, Aquatic Moths galore (they look like white-bodied caddis), and a few PMDs will make up the menu for the trout. We have the flies to keep you happy on the water as well as any other gear you might need. 

Pictures for this fishing report were provided by our wonderful intern, Chloe!!! Come on into the shop to meet Chloe, Gabor, Gwynn, and Ruby. We have a cheerful staff to make you feel welcome. 

See you on the water!