Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia River Gorge Fishing Report 07.04.2020

I spotted these Carp tailing in a couple feet of water and both ate on the first cast.

My two favorite carp flies can be seen here:
John Montana's Hybrid Worm
Mr. P's Black Betty

Trout

Deschutes River

The Lower Deschutes continues to fish well as we move closer to July. With more recent consistent warm weather, it has gotten the bugs more active and more fish actively eating dry flies. I've still been consistently fishing the lower river and have been noticing few anglers and lots of Caddis in the late afternoon and well into the evening hours. A tan X-Caddis in a size 16-18 has been my most productive dry fly when fishing a Caddis hatch, but the trout care more about presentation than anything. Make sure you getting those drag free drifts and using appropriate size tippet when fishing smaller dry flies. I like using nylon tippet for dries as it is more buoyant than fluorocarbon and I'll use fluorocarbon when nymphing as fluoro doesn't reflect light like nylon does and is virtually invisible.

If you are getting refusals or simply no takes when you are seeing Caddis flying around and fish feeding, then downsize your pattern and sometimes even use your nippers to cut and mangle the fly a bit and make it look like something they haven't seen before. You also may see some pale morning and pale evening duns on cloudier days especially if there is precipitation, so be ready with a few PMD sparkle duns, film critics, or parachute PMDs in a size 16-18. Haven't been seeing as many yellow sallies or drakes anymore, so I'd primarily be focused on Caddis and PMD's. Nymphing both European style and traditional, is always a good bet if you aren't seeing any heads rising or if you just want to have a quantity day. 85% of a trout's diet is subsurface, eating the nymph form of different mayflies, caddis, stoneflies and midges, so throwing on the old indicator and double nymph setup will always produce. My most used trout nymph is a size 6 or 8 pat's rubber legs in charcoal, black or brown. I tell people this in the shop, and I get quite a few people who are in disbelief that this is the fly I am suggesting to them, when there are other stonefly nymph patterns that look a lot more like the real thing. They may look funny, but fish em. They work.

With the warmer air temps in the canyon, the Deschutes water temps are up especially later in the day, so make sure you keep those wild trout wet and get them back in the water as quick as possible. Also, be aware of rattlesnakes! I ran into one right next to the water and almost stepped on it. They don't always buzz you and give you a heads up they're there so be mindful. Good luck out there and stop by the shop for any flies, tippet, or leaders before heading out!

Lake Fishing:

The lakes have been fishing solid. With better weather, there have been lots more people getting out on the lakes and fishing, which we love to see. A productive lake method I like to use is running an intermediate full sinking line and a good size Wooley bugger in olive or black with a little prince or damsel nymph trailing behind it 18-20 inches. Indicator fishing is productive as well running a balanced leech or ice cream cone Chironomid fairly deep under a slip indicator. These indicators are different than the normal air locks or Thingamabobbers. They are designed for still water nymphing where you are fishing deep with long leaders. Be aware of the regulations and make sure you're only keeping hatchery stocked trout which have a healed adipose fin. There are some bull trout and native cutthroat trout in some of our mountain lakes that must be released unharmed which are distinguished by an intact adipose fin.

Summer Steelhead/Spring Chinook

Hood River:

The Springers in much of the Columbia basin tributaries were a little late this year.. however there decent opportunities right now to hook one on the lower Hood. Focus your efforts low in the system and if you're swinging flies, use something dark that stands out in the often off color Hood River water. Majority of the Springers are caught by gear guys using a glob of cured eggs so good on you if you can swing one up! There are most likely a couple summer steelhead showing up right now but I haven't heard of any being caught yet. Remember steelhead are an ocean going trout so they hold in the same kind of water a wild rainbow would hold in, so fish trouty looking water when targeting steelhead. Deeper pools for Springers.

Deschutes River:

There are definitely some steelhead starting to poke their noses into the lower Deschutes. I have heard some reports of some steelhead being caught down low, but haven't had the chance recently to go out and target them myself. Biggest key with these early scattered fish is to move until you find them. Fishing each run with your most confident setup and moving after working the water. The number of fish should only pick up as we move later in July and August. You can't hook steelhead from the couch, so get out and work at it hard, and it'll pay off.

Smallmouth Bass/Carp

Smallmouth fishing should be good with the warming temperatures in the Gorge as of late. Anywhere with rocky structure and a bit of depth is a good bet for Bronzebacks. Fishing an indicator setup with a balanced leech or Wooley bugger can be deadly on the Columbia fishing those flies right off the bottom. A full sinking line with a Wooley bugger or crayfish pattern is another productive method to use when fishing for smallies.

Say what you will about carp, but if you haven't done it before, you owe it to yourself to hike the endless flats of the Columbia River and sight fish to double digit pound common and mirror carp. It's not every day you get to fly to Ascension Bay or Belize to sight fish bones and permit (especially during these times), but carp fishing on the Columbia is the closest thing we have to that. Go on hot days with full sun so that you can spot the carp easier. Cloudy days it's tough to see them. Carp are VERY spooky and actually more intelligent than you might think. You must be stealthy and walk slowly when you spot one feeding on the flats. Often times you will see big "C" carp tailing, meaning their face is down in the mud feeding on freshwater clams and mussels, and their tail is up vertically sometimes even breaking the surface of the water. These ones are eaters. Creep up on that fish and take a shot from as close as you can get without spooking it and have your fly land pretty much right in that carps grill so it sinks and lands within a few inch radius from where the fish is feeding. Watch the fish itself and you will see it move ever so slightly toward the direction of your fly and eat it, then set the hook and be ready for multiple runs into your backing and a fish that will not give up easy. Bring the 7 or 8 weight for these fish, as getting them in the 20 pound class is common. Cruising carp are generally not eaters depending on how fast they are moving. The ones that are cruising at a slow pace with their face right down in the mud, might eat a fly. Here you have to lead the fish and have it drop right in front of its face and watch for the eat. Carp that are cruising faster generally will never eat. If you can find ones that are tailing that is the best because they will eat your fly 9 times out of 10 if you don't spook it and get a good cast on your first shot.