May 22, 2016
It has been a great spring for fishing in the Gorge so far and the fishing outlook improves even more in the next week or two. The Oregon general season trout opener for rivers and streams is next Saturday, so our favorite small streams like the East Fork Hood and Eagle Creek will be open on May 29.
Other streams in Washington open in the next few weeks too. The Klickitat opens June 1, while other streams in WA like Trout Lake Creek open on the first Saturday in June (June 4).
Rainbow Trout fishing on the Deschutes continues to be good. The best fishing has been around the Trout Creek area and upstream to Warm Springs, but good trout fishing can be found anywhere along the river now. While fish are still eating bigger stonefly imitations, refusals are common with the big bugs. Try smaller stoneflies like a Yellow Sallie on the surface. Trout are certainly eating PMD nymphs during the day, as well as caddis pupa in the evenings while snacking on the occasional stonefly and maybe even some caddis surface action before dark.
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| Lost Lake is the closest place to catch a nice brown trout. |
Trout fishing in the local lakes has been really good too. The flying ant hatch is in full swing at Lost Lake among others, and the fish are happy. Have some black ants, woolly buggers and parachute adams and you will be a happy fisherman too.
Early summer steelhead fishing has been occurring, but reports are spotty. The Clackamas seems to be kicking out some fish as well as the Kalama, but there has been very little action reported in the Gorge as is typical for our area. Summer steelhead wont arrive in numbers for a couple of months, but there are always a few hanging around if you can find them. The Klickitat opens next Wednesday (June 1), so that will at least provide more options for local anglers looking to swing into an early chromer.
Spring Chinook fishing has been good throughout the area. Many locals put down the spey rod and pick up a baitcaster this time of year, but it is possible to swing a fish or two. The locals that hang around the mouth of the Hood River have been catching the occasional Springer lately.
Smallmouth bass fishing has been fantastic lately, although Ryan's trolling motor has been broken, so we haven't been getting on the bass this week. Other anglers have been crushing 'em though. The full moon really gets bass riled up. There are a few spots along the Columbia that someone could get them from shore, but having a boat helps tremendously.
Flows: The USGS sites give us real-time flows, while the NOAA site shows us predictions based on weather patterns. Both are invaluable tools.
Clackamas:
Deschutes near Madras :
As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time. Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office. 541.386.6977
Andrew Perrault
Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your nice sharing. This is such a nice post about fishing. I got a lot of information about different type of fish. Trout Lake Creek is one of the best lake for fishing in WA.