End of an Era

Lupine and KD - two of the best shop dogs, gone but never forgotten.

Through tears I must report that we lost our shop dog, Lupine, yesterday. Her health had been failing - no reason other than old age - and we were enjoying every day that we got to spend with our little canine clown. For the past sixteen years, this fuzzy-faced Griffon has been a fixture in the fly shop and my constant companion. She was very much loved by many of you during your visits to the shop - and she kept our employees entertained with her silly antics. This morning is the first that I have awakened without a set of big brown eyes showering love upon me. The house is very quiet. John and I wrapped our girl in a beautiful Pendleton blanket yesterday and buried her next to other great shop dogs, Winston, Otter, Cloudy, and KD in our dog cemetery. 

It was hot yesterday and will be again today - temps will be near 80 degrees and it will be windy. The winds typically don’t get too strong until about the mid-day and they are going to be less intense on Saturday and quite calm on Sunday - though the air temps are dropping down about 20 degrees into the high 50s-low 60s. With the warmer weather, we are starting to see more bug activity on the river with caddis, skwala stones, and mayflies coming on strong. Our March Brown mayfly hatch (which primarily happens in April on most years) should start a little earlier this year - I will be out on Sunday doing a bit of recon and will report back on the number of bugs that I see. 

Since things have warmed up significantly out there, I must give you all a warning that the rattlesnakes will be out. They can be fairly grumpy when they first emerge from the dens, so make sure that you watch where you are walking, don’t put your hand on a rock ledge unless you can see what is there, and be careful about bringing your dogs to the river. I know that everyone wants a good furry fishing companion, but the Deschutes can be a very dangerous place for a dog. First off, the ticks can be quite intense in the spring (right now) and you may spend your evening picking them off your dog and yourself. Secondly, when your dog spends the day walking through the forests of poison oak along the river you are bound to have oils transferred to your hands as you pet your dog. Thirdly, there are a lot of rattlesnakes on the Deschutes - most of which you wouldn’t find, but your dog will before you can even tie on your first fly. Having watched a dog get bitten in the face by a rattlesnake, I can tell you that it is scary and very painful for the dog. Bring children’s Benedryl with you and know the dosage to give your dog (check online). Fourth, and often overlooked, the trains along the Deschutes can be quite a danger to your dog - I have met several people in the shop over the years whose dogs were tragically hit by trains while they were busy fishing the river. 

So, back to the fishing - you should have a bit of dry fly opportunity each day on the Deschutes. As we get deeper into spring, these opportunities should get better and better with new bug hatches coming on each week. BWO mayflies are a staple throughout the year and continue to hatch daily - much more intensely on cloudy, rainy days.  Large (size 14) caddis are out and about and can provide action on the surface in the afternoons as well as in the mornings if you fish a dead caddis pattern. The key to finding good dry fly fishing on the Deschutes is to find the foam lines. Foam is home. No foam, no fish. The best trout on the river will hold in places where they can easily access a foam line. The other key is to move quickly and efficiently. When you come to a good-looking piece of water, take the time to study it before sloshing into the river. Watch for 3-5 minutes to see if any noses poke through the foam to sip flies. Make your approach a careful one and let each fly you cast into the foam line drift all the way back to you before picking it up. Deschutes fish are very wary and will spook if you rip your fly out of the foam line early. Your first cast is your best opportunity. After about 5-6 casts in a foam line, you need to move upriver and get your fly into a new zone. Your window of opportunity to hook a trout on a dry fly gets small quickly, which is why covering lots of water is important. 

Nymph fishing is always productive on the Deschutes - Euro nymphing is the most productive method because it allows you to keep your fly in a drag-free state for the longest period of time. We have an insane selection of all kinds of nymphs and are happy to point out the ones that have been working best on the river. 

Trout Spey enthusiasts are finding trout on streamers, especially when stripped. Flies like the mini or micro dungeon, sculpzillas, meat sweats, pocket rocket, and others will search well on a sink tip and a short leader. 

Please be aware that many fish are spawning right now and targeting spawning fish on their redds is not sporting, not cool, and if wild steelhead are on the redds - it is actually illegal to harass a ESA listed fish while it is spawning. Just stay away from the shallow gravelly areas to be safe. Walking on gravel crushes eggs and endangers the future of our fishery. 

Have a great weekend. We are closed on Sunday through the month of March.