Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports

Deschutes Steelhead

It's that magical time of year again. Summer Steelhead season is here! We're all cautiously optimistic, but the early numbers are looking quite good. Local steelhead anglers always hope for a late shot of fish when things start off slow, but a better indicator of the overall run tends to be a strong early portion of the return. And that seems to be exactly what we have going on thus far. The daily count over Bonneville Dam has not been below the ten year average since June 7th. Writing that makes me giddy!

As for the fishing, this is premium dry line time. Pick a wet fly or skater that you have confidence in and cover some water. They are definitely out there, but combing water is the key to finding one. You're going to have your best shot from first light until mid-day when the water starts to warm. Do pay attention to water temps. Especially on the lower river. I wouldn't put much stake on fishing the evenings until we get into a cooling trend. Water temps are peaking late in the day and don't begin to drop until after dark. Check out Fishpond's great new tool for checking water temperature.

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Deschutes Trout

Many anglers start shifting gears toward steelhead by the end of July, but the trout fishing sure is good right now. The trout crowd has thinned and the hatches are thick. Caddis are the most important bugs going these days. They are very active in the morning and evening and there are lots of great pursue caddis eaters. Fishing back eddies in the morning can be important. These recirculating currents gather spent bugs from the night before creating somewhat of a stationary buffet. Once the sun is on the water, focus your dry fly attack in the shade. Deep water under trees or along grassy banks will produce. If you're nymph fishing, make sure one of your flies is a caddis. If you want to see some explosive takes, skate an Elk Hair in rocky riffles during the evening. Those eats are as good as it gets!

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Mount Hood Lakes

Lake fishing on the mountain remains strong. What a great way to cool off! There are still Callibaetis and the ever-present chironomids. Damsel flies are also a sure bet. The recent heat wave has warmed surface temps on a lot of the lower elevation lakes. This has caused many of the active fish to stay deep in the cooler water. Leeches on heavy sinking lines or slip strike indicators on extra long leaders will be critical in reaching the biters down deep.

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