Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports

Deschutes Trout

Cooler fall water temps are always welcome to Deschutes trout. River conditions have been a bit variable in the last couple weeks, but there have been some great cloudy and rainy days. This type of weather typically spurs good mayfly activity, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Nymph fishing remains strong, and the streamer bite will continue to pick up as the water cools. The relatively unstable weather as of late has made for some tricky fishing on certain days. If you find yourself striking out, start playing the fly changing game....especially if you're nymphing. The Deschutes is notorious for having one particular pattern on a specific day that is working exponentially better than others. Keep mixing up your flies until something good happens.

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Mount Hood Lakes

There is a little time left to enjoy the stillwater fishing of 2023. Check the regulations as many of the mountain lakes close at the end of the month. The snow level on Mount Hood got pretty low the last couple days. Cold evenings will slow down the insect activity, particularly at higher elevations. Look for the bulk of hatches to be in the afternoon. Chironomids will likely be the main bug of interest, but there may also be some sporadic mayfly activity. Beyond the bugs, slow-stripping a leech pattern will be very effective.

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Deschutes Steelhead

We still have a lot of good steelhead fishing yet to come. The great thing about the middle of October and beyond is that a lot of the traffic starts to disappear. When the conditions line up, the late season can be pretty spectacular! The White River has been an issue the last couple weeks with a few blowout days below the confluence. This should be less of a factor now that the mountain is starting to freeze up with more regularity. Water temperatures have been great topping out most days in the mid-to-upper fifties. We are still in prime time for dry line fishing. The real exciting news from the Deschutes has been the size of fish being caught. The next few weeks are a perfect time to bump into a two salt Deschutes fish or a Clearwater stray. The long and short is go if you can!

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