Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia Gorge Fishing Report

Deschutes Trout

What a great time to trout fish the Deschutes! June can be so good.....and so quiet on the lower river. The stonefly chasers are long gone. Not that the fish won't occasionally still gobble a big dry. They definitely do. Generally speaking, their minds have started to fixate on other bugs. For the most part, this means caddis, caddis and more caddis. And be prepared to imitate all stages of the caddis life cycle from larva to dead adult.

If you're running nymphs, make sure you have something caddis-esque going. It doesn't have to be particularly elaborate, either. Something along the lines of the old Green Rock Worm typically does the trick quite well. Try caddis pupae on the swing or dropped of a dry. Then there's all the fun surface fishing, and the evenings will provide plenty of opportunities. Mornings, too. You may see a smattering of mayflies if you luck into some clouds, but be prepared for lots of caddis for the foreseeable future.

Bugs aside, there has been some pretty sporty Trout Spey fishing going on, as well. Lots of traditional steelhead spots have been fishing well. Some of the most productive spots have been the faster heads of runs that have a very abrupt/distinct drop off. Streamers jigged across that transition seem to cause very aggressive reaction bites. Hang on tight!

Mt. Hood Lakes

The lake fishing around Hood has been solid. Lots of good reports of Callibaetis and chironomid bites happening. June is just a darn good month to stillwater fish around the neighborhood. All methods apply and just about anything could happen! Something to keep an eye on is an increase in damsel and dragon activity. We have some warmer on the horizon and this should get the various Odonates hatching in good numbers. Though there can be some dry fly fishing with damsels and dragons, it's mostly a nymph show. Slow crawling a nymph on a Midge Tip line can be extremely productive. Especially if you can fish the fly over the top of weed beds. Combing banks with the same rig can also work well. Damsel and dragon nymphs swim to shore and crawl out before the adults break through the nymphal shuck. If you happen to be lucky enough to experience a substantial migration of nymphs, you're going to be in for a dynamite day!