Happy Fourth of July from all of us at the Gorge Fly Shop.
We couldn't ask for better conditions on local lakes and small streams. The temps are nice and mild, the fish have been cooperative and the water levels are just right.
The bad news comes from the Hood and the Klickitat if chasing summer steelhead is your thing. The Hood has been coloring up and looks something like wet concrete this morning. The turbidity in the Klickitat has also been increasing over the past few weeks and is borderline fishable this morning.
The Deschutes is in decent shape, although effort and catch rates have been sparse. Water temperatures have been high, but not as high as last year. They popped above 70 for a few days last week, but have stayed under 70 for the most part this week. We are still a month or more away from decent numbers of fish showing up in the river, but it is a nice place to be, especially when it is not scorching hot outside.
Lake fishing for trout has been excellent across the region. High lakes like Lost, Timothy, Goose and Laurance have all been fishing extremely well. There has been good dry fly action early and late in the days with woolly buggers or damsel nymphs on sinking lines being a productive technique in the heat of the day. The hexagenia mayfly hatch has been happening on many of our local lakes, and a few guys have come in with wide grins as they quietly pick up a handful of hex dry flies without spilling the beans on which lake they have been fishing.
Trout fishing on the Deschutes has been great too. Caddis hatches have been described to us as "epic" and "overwhelming". Fish have been eating the dries during the day too, but the best action is as the sun leaves the water in the evening.
Carp fishing has been great. Old Rubber Lips loves the hex hatch too, and the hatch on the Columbia has been excellent. Carp will actively chase nymphs like a trout and can even let their normally cautious guard down. The hexes hatch in the same areas that carp normally hang out too, so get on out there!
Flows: The USGS sites give us real-time flows, while the NOAA site shows us predictions based on weather patterns. Both are invaluable tools. You can also check water temps here too...
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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