Deschutes Steelhead
September is here and it's full-on steelhead time. It's been up, it's been down, it's been...well, normal steelhead fishing! There was a wave of fish in the lower Deschutes a couple weeks ago that yielded some pretty unbelievable fishing for a while. That faded after a bit and settled in to a pretty standard good bite. Anglers putting in shade sessions in the morning and evening have been rewarded with approximately 1-3 opportunities per day. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Call it standard steelhead fishing. It's been great! Particularly the dry line fishing. The high sun sink tip bite will improve here shortly as the water temps come down.
Angler etiquette is certainly worth mentioning at this point in the season. The reality of the Lower Deschutes, especially the lower 10 miles, is that if there are a good number of fish going over the Dalles Dam, it's going to be busy. Hikers, bikers, rafts, drift boats, float tubes, gear and fly...anglers abound down there. With this in mind, everyone needs to be attuned to fishing with and around others. You hear the term "Low Holing" thrown around a lot, but it's important to know what the definition of low holing actually is. If you are fishing a distinct pool with a defined start and finish, that's your spot. If someone jumps in below you within that defined piece, that is low holing. Plan A is always to fish a run above the first angler, but that's not always possible. The gray area is if there is another run below the first one that is technically a separate and unique spot. Some people will be totally fine with you jumping into the second spot below and some will not be! Good courtesy is to simply talk to the other angler and hash out a mutually agreeable plan if possible. If that's not possible, party on. It's not worth getting into a confrontation over. Along these same lines, it's also important to recognize that you can't expect to have a gigantic stretch of water all to yourself for an extended period of time. Sometimes people don't show up and you might get a few back-to-back runs, but that's not the norm. Furthermore, do not under any circumstances be afraid to fish behind people. Maybe you're casting a little further, swinging at a different speed or using a different fly. All these factors and some others contribute to you hooking one.
Deschutes Trout
The trout have been noticeably active in spite of the recent heat. You do not want to be a hapless caddis on the water at first or last light! The trout have been on them like glue. Most of the surface activity has disappeared during the high sun, but you'd likely do well nymphing faster water during the day. We're just a few days away from a major cooldown that will make the trout fishing much better through the entire day instead of it being a first and last light deal. Steelhead steal the show in the early fall, but the trout fishing is not to be ignored. It can be just excellent!
Mount Hood Lakes
Well, we're coming out of the longest spell of heat we've had the entire summer. Surface temps on the local lakes have been a bit on the warm side. A lot of the active trout will be at or below the thermocline until things cool a bit. This means it's time to go deep. Heavier sinking lines and extra long leaders with slip strike indicators will be the ticket to get you in the zone. The impending cooler weather along with the shorter period of daylight should drop water temps here shortly. There is still plenty of good lake fishing to be had this season. With schools back in session and most summer vacations wrapped up, the traffic on the lakes should be on the slide. The remainder of the stillwater season will present some excellent opportunities with relatively low fishing pressure. Pretty fun!
"The Gorge"
Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977
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