Mount Hood Lakes
The stillwater season is off to a great start! The fishing has been very good....the weather has not been. Strong winds and below average temperatures have been keeping the insect activity to a minimum, but that hasn't slowed the bite down. Trolling leeches on intermediate lines has been fast and furious. Though there haven't been a ton of bugs around, chironomid droppers are getting quite a bit of attention. Nobody loves the high winds on a lake, but this can be used to your advantage. Anchor up on the wind-swept end of the lake. The wave action will push food that direction. Rig up a slip-strike indicator with a balaced leech/chironomid dropper and cast it up wind. This will get you a nice wind drift and provide plenty of action on your flies. Keep a close eye on your indicator. Sometimes the bite on a small chironomid just makes the indicator wiggle a bit as opposed to going all the way under. If anything looks funny, set the hook. You'll be surprised at how many of those "maybes" turn into fish.
Deschutes Trout
Most of the local fishing buzz has been out on the Deschutes. The stonefly fishing kicked off a couple weeks ago when the warmer weather was here. Bug activity slowed a bit in the past week, but the fish have still been very interested in big dry flies. They definitely have stoneflies on the brain. Make sure you're fishing a dropper nymph below your dry, especially early in the day when it's cool. This can really pad the numbers in the morning. Aside from the stones, be prepared to see a smattering of mayfly activity. This could come in the form of olives, pmd's, ped's or even Green Drakes if you get really lucky. Also worth mentioning, the caddis will continue to become increasingly important as we work into early summer. Once the big bugs fade, caddis become a daily staple on the menu.
Summer Steelhead
It seems a bit early, but there are already some summer fish on the move. It's going to be a bit before the Deschutes becomes a viable option, but many of the Columbia River tribs further west already have fishable numbers of summers prestent. If you find yourself in the greater Portland area, it would definitely be worth a shot. These early fish tend to be super hot. Certainly worth the effort!
"The Gorge"
Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977
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I imagine you wonder if anyone ever reads the beta you provide on fishing destinations and methods. Great info on the stillwater scene and very accurate. Thanks for the great tips and tricks. Success!!
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