Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Columbia Gorge Fishing Report

Deschutes Steelhead

As many have heard, the Deschutes Steelhead and Salmon fishery will officially be closed starting August 15th. Wild steelhead over Bonneville did not meet the minimum number to keep the season going under the current framework. There is a chance that the season could re-open September 15th if the numbers eclipse the next numerical threshold. Here's to hoping, but we're going to need to see some big numbers soon for that dream to come true.

If you try to get a last outing in before the closure, be kind to your neighbor. The early ending of the season has significantly increased the angling pressure. To put it mildly, you're not going to be alone out there. Be respectful of other people's water, and that respect goes both ways. The best rule of thumb is, "just ask" if you even question where you're jumping in around other folks already fishing. The flip side of that coin is do not assume you can hold multiple runs to yourself if it's busy.

Deschutes Trout

The great news on the Deschutes is that the trout fishery will remain open. And the trout have been snappy! Caddis and aquatic moths are making up the bulk of the insect activity these days. Water temps this summer have definitely been helping the trout activity. It would be a looooong stretch to call the water temps good, but they have been notably better than in the last few years. Moody is not routinely hitting 70 degrees late in the day. We've had some heat, but the nights have been cooling off enough. All good things!

As for approach, first and last light have been very good. There's definitely been some solid surface activity right away in the morning. Whatever dead caddis that happen to be on the water are getting gobbled immediately. As soon as the sun starts poking over the canyon wall, the adult caddis start bouncing around. Prospecting pocket water with a trusty Elk Hair Caddis has been a lot of fun. Evenings have been great, too, with big clouds of caddis doing their thing.

The subsurface fishing has been pretty good, too. If you're nymph fishing, just make sure you have some type of caddis larva in the mix. As for streamer folks, the trout spey bite has been periodically spectacular! It can be a little hot/cold on all these days without a cloud in sight, but when it's good, it's REALLY good! The bites twitching scuplins and leeches are so good! Hard to believe, but the violent grabs from bigger trout make a lot of the steelhead grabs seem very gentle.