Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports

Deschutes Trout

The excitement of the big bugs has come and gone, but you don't necessarily need to put away your giant dries. Once the fish have stoneflies on the brain, it sticks with them for a long time. Fishing a chubby with a dropper will remain a solid tactic for weeks to come. As we slip into a more normal summer weather pattern, focus your efforts on the low light periods of the day. And, if you have the opportunity to drop everything on a rare cloudy day, do it! Most of the mayfly activity will occur on the occasional cloudy day, so bank on caddis being the star most of the time. Indicator fishing will be a great bet anytime. Look for fish feeding in fast choppy water all the way up to the tip top of the run.

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Mount Hood Lakes

The Stillwater fishing has been excellent. Water temps on most of the lakes are perfect for active bugs and happy fish. Callibaetis have been coming off in big numbers. Make sure you have a good selection of the various lifecycle stages of this mayfly. It's not uncommon to have some combination of spinners on the water and actively emerging flies. Having plenty of options that imitate duns, spinners, emergers and cripples can save the day if the fish get picky.

When the wind is up, it's been pretty hard to beat the leech fishing. Slow-stripping leeches on an intermediate line has been exceptionally good. If they want something a little slower, suspending a balanced leech under a slip strike indicator and giving it a little twitch will get their attention.

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Deschutes Steelhead

It's hard to believe, but Summer Steelhead time is very near! Some of the Columbia tribs downstream from Bonneville have already been producing some early summers. As they tend to do at this time in June, the number of fish going over the dam is starting to increase. With a little luck, these numbers will start to bump significantly as we head into the first week of July. If you're looking for a shot at an early fish on the Deschutes, first thing in the morning will present the best opportunity with low light and the coolest water temps of the day. Be prepared for the possibility of a supercharged chrome fish. Beef up your leader material and avoid lighter wire hooks. These fish can be hard to handle!

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