Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - August 10, 2026

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.          

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - June 15, 2026

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!

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - May 28, 2026

Deschutes Trout

The fishing pressure will be on the fade as we head into June.  It can be downright amazing how many anglers give up on Deschutes trout when the stonefly hatch fades.  Truthfully, some of the best dry fly fishing with stonefly patterns is at the end of the hatch.  The selectivity you often see when there is an abundance of bugs goes away to some degree.  They know that food source is fading fast and they're happy to gobble up what few bigger bugs remain.  Scaling down the size of your dry is a great move at this point in the season.  Smaller chubbies can draw a ton of attention.  Could be a small golden.  Could be a Sally.  Could be a big caddis. Could be a terrestrial.  Definitely works!

Beyond the stones, caddis are present in great numbers.  Though there will be some mayfly activity under the right conditions, caddis will be the daily staple from here on out.  Not to be missed, the evening caddis fishing can be just spectacular at this time of year.  And it's a pretty angler-friendly program.  The bulk of the activity happens when the sun dips below the canyon walls.  Focus your efforts on the last couple hours of light.  Bring plenty of Elk Hairs, floatant and dry shake.  It usually doesn't have to be much more complicated than that.  The fish are so tuned in to caddis in the evening that you should not be discouraged if there aren't piles of fish rising.  Poke your way up a deeper grass bank and fire away.  They'll be looking for it!

Mt. Hood Lakes

Things have changed for the better on the local lakes around the mountain.  Many people reported slower-than-normal fishing the first few weeks after the opener, but that's improved.  Callibaetis and Chironomids are starting to crank along yielding some great dry fly opportunities.  Slip-strike indicator rigs with a Chironomid as the point fly and a Balance Leech below have been extremely productive, especially on the windier days.  The lake fishing should be great for the foreseeable future.  

Early Summer Steelhead

There have been a few folks out looking for a shot at the title in the last week.  And there are a few around!  Options are fairly limited this early on with some of the bigger Portland Metro rivers and the Klickitat being the best bets.  Notable factor thus far is that water levels remain very low/clear for this time of year.  The good  news is that this makes the fish incredibly receptive to a floating line.  Early summers tend to be great biters as is, and coaxing a fish to grab a skater or wet fly is not a big ask in the generally shallow water.  Morning and evening shade will present the best opportunities with fish feeling a little more comfortable under the cover of darkness.  In high sun, focus your efforts on water with some depth and chop.  Try to fish as many spots as you can in the time you have.  There aren't a ton of fish around yet, and getting one to bite isn't the hard part.  The challenge at hand is finding one.  Don't worry about baby-stepping down a likely run.  Fish it fast and move on to the next to up your odds.          

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - May 11, 2026

Deschutes Trout

Well, the gang's all here....Salmonflies, Golden Stones and Yellow Sallies are all present.  The stoneflies, per usual, are offering some excellent windows of opportunity.  The trout's willingness to eat bigger dries certainly has some variability to it from day to day.  Sometimes they'll happily come up and grab it in high sun out in the open.  Sometimes you can't get one to commit on the huge surface fly anywhere other than in the full-on Rambo water....the tough wades and tiny spots with good flow, structure and shade.  It's fairly safe to assume that a good shaded spot with the right characteristics will have a bigger trout that's willing to eat the dry.  Needless to say, it's been really fun!

With the ebb and flow of the big dry fly bite, it's important to mention all the other insect activity going on out there.  Golden Stones and Salmonflies get most of the attention, but there are tons of Yellow Sallies around, too.  Sometimes they really key in on Sallies and that can make for some outstanding dry fly fishing.  There are also a ton of different caddis around making for some great dry fly fishing in shallower water.

The really pleasant surprise has been all the different mayfly activity.  There have still been some March Browns out and about.  PMD's are starting to come on strong.  There are also some stray Mahoganies and B.W.O.'s.  There's been a shocking amount of mayfly activity on all these beautiful sunny days.  That often doesn't equate to mayfly surface fishing, but the nymphs are extremely important to mix into your dropper program.  Heavy jigged PMD and March Brown droppers have been working well along with more standard Perdigon-style bugs.  

Mt. Hood Lakes

The lake fishing around Hood has been a little on the slow side thus far.  It's seemed like the early dose of extreme heat spurred some early algae blooms, and the hatches have been a bit sporadic thus far.  Looks like we're in for a more standard weather pattern for this time of year, which will definitely help get things going.  Leech fishing with intermediate lines or indicators has been most productive thus far with a little dry fly fishing in the mix.  Things should heat up soon with good Callibaetis right around the corner.  

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - April 20, 2026

Deschutes Trout

Spring is happening on the Deschutes.  There's green in the canyon, and you have to get that while you can!  After a handful of cold nights, the current extend forecast is showing nothing but beautiful spring weather.  Now to answer seemingly everyone's current question....what's going on with the stoneflies!?

With all the early heat we've had, that's a very valid question.  Yes, we've heard some rumors of a stray golden stone or salmonfly, but not too much to report on the big bugs just yet.  That said, it's certainly time to be ready for it.  If the current forecast holds, things will likely be ahead of schedule by a bit this time around.  Be sure to re-stock your flies, terminal tackle, floatant and dry shake.  Luck favors the moderately prepared and some of these small but crucial items can become scarce in a hurry during the peak of the hatch.  

Stones aside, the fishing is coming on rather strongly right now.  All standard sub-surface techniques are working well.  There are still some March Browns and BWO's.  Caddis are making a daily appearance to some degree or another.  The river is really coming to life and things are happening!

One approach worth mentioning is prospecting with a dry fly.  Especially on some of these warm afternoons.  You can go dry/dropper with a small chubby (or something along those lines), but it can be even easier than that.  Try fishing shallow pocket water with a well-greased Elk Hair Caddis in 14 or 16.  You'll be amazed at what you find!

Mt. Hood Lakes

Stillwater season is upon us.  Be sure to check the regulations to verify the opening day of your favorite lake, but some of the best ones on Hood open 4/22.  We have excellent conditions on the lakes for this time of year with water temps that should be a bit above average.  Expect to have excellent leech fishing with intermediate lines or balance leeches under indicators.  The chironomid fishing should also be very good with great opportunities to fish on the surface in the later half of the day.  Best of luck to all the anglers trying the lakes this week!

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 3/16/26

Winter Steelhead

The second major "Atmospheric River" passed recently passed through the Pacific Northwest, and it was a dandy.  Most rivers that see winter fish were at or approaching flood stage.  It seems like we've received about 70% of our winter precipitation in two different rain events this time around.  Things are going to be on the high side for a few more days but we have a fairly dry extended forecast. 

The good news about all the water is that it is sure to move a ton of fish around.  We have approximately one month left of the season and these last few weeks can be the best of the year. The stage is set for a great finale!

From a tactical standpoint, focus your efforts on doing whatever needs to be done to get below the fast surface currents, hold your fly at depth and swing it slowly.  High water is one of the situations where multi-density Skagits truly shine.  Sinking your head below the surface chop dramatically slows your swing.  Some of our favorite options for this are the RIO Pickpocket in F/I/S3, S3/S5/S7, OPST Commando Groove, and on longer rods, the Airflo F.I.S.T.  There are fish to be caught in the high water.  You just need to get your fly down to them and hang it in their face long enough to convince a grab.      

Deschutes Trout

The weather did have an impact on the lower Deschutes, as well.  The White River went from ~370 cfs to ~3700 cfs.  The water from the confluence down to the mouth will definitely be some shade of off-color for a bit.  That said, the Deschutes above the confluence of the White is looking much better.  

A few different things happening in the bug department out there right now.  BWO's, caddis and midges are the most abundant, but be prepared for some "others".  There are a few skwalas and early March Browns out and about, too.  Hope to get lucky and see a little surface activity, but it's predominantly going to be a nymph and streamer program until the flows go down a bit more.  The elevated water is a great time to nymph fish with large/dark stonefly patterns!  Dark leeches work great, too.    

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 2/13/26

Winter Steelhead

Well, it finally rained!  Not enough to blow out many systems, but plenty to motivate some fish movement.  We're back in a little dry spell, but there is more precipitation coming in the near future.  The forecast looks a little more normal for the next couple weeks which will certainly help the fishing.  

Lots of rivers will be trending toward low/clear here for a few days, but that's not the end of the world.  You can always go fishing when the water is low, and it can certainly make the fish a lot easier to find.  They don't mind holding in shallow water when the river is steelhead green, but they definitely don't love to do that when the water is clear.  Deeper buckets show up like a beacon and that's where you can expect to find the biters.  In theoretically ideal conditions, they could be just about anywhere.  Sometimes to the point that it gets in your head!  That is a great thing about low/clear.  The holding water is greatly reduced and it allows the angler to focus primarily on what deeper water with color is out there.  It also reveals the details of spots you've caught fish before in higher water.  

One other thing to keep in mind about winter fishing is that the window isn't that long compared to that of summer fish.  Winters are on a rapid mission to get upriver and spawn.  There isn't a long holding period.  Hard to believe, but we only have a couple months left, give or take, of prime time.  Go when you can and put the advantage of time with fly in the water in your favor.  As things drop and clear, try some brighter flies.  Pinks, reds and oranges can draw some pretty violent grabs in these conditions! 

Deschutes Trout

There's some wintery weather coming soon.  In the trout world, that means B.W.O.'s!  Not sure why those bugs like crummy weather so much, but they really do.  Some of the best B.W.O. fishing happens in the nastiest weather.  Look for them to be rather active this coming week.  Be prepared to imitate all stages of their life cycle.  Nymph fishing will be the best option in the morning.  Try a larger point fly with a small trailing fly to imitate the olive nymph.  Tiny Pheasant Tails are a great choice.  As you slide into the middle of the day, keep your eyes peeled for fish targeting bugs as they emerge.  A few favorite patterns to match this stage are the Film Critic, Sparkle Flag and Sprout B.W.O.  Look for the duns to be on the water sometime between noon and 2:00.  Try a Double Vision or Parachute Extended Body B.W.O for this stage.   

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 2/1/26

Winter Steelhead

Well, we need some water.   No way to sugar-coat the situation.  It's been extremely dry for quite some time.  It's definitely go time as we slide into February and there are some fish around, but you're going to have to either get pretty lucky or put in a fair amount of time for a fish.  Coastal rivers will be a solid bet.  Even when conditions are challenging with a relative lack of water, there are always some fish coming in off of the high tides.  Fish movement is definitely slower further up the Columbia.  With as dry as it's been, if we get a little rain and rivers go up even just a little, go fishing!  One important thing to keep in mind with winter fish is that they are on a much more abbreviated timeline than summers.  A little bit of rain can go a long way.  Even if the bump only brings your river to the low side of good.  

Be sure to be well-supplied with lighter sink tips and unweighted flies.  Try some pinks, oranges and reds in the low clear water.  Go before, during and after the next rain.  Just go a lot if you can!  The most successful winter steelheaders go as often as possible and find success through attrition.

Deschutes Trout

It's very abnormal, but you'd be hard-pressed to have more enjoyable weather on the Deschutes at this time of year.  It's not getting very cold overnight, and the daytime highs in the extended forecast are in the 50's.  It's just really nice in the desert country right now.  If you're not a steelhead person or are tired of swinging your heart out with minimal activity, head east and go trout fishing.  Pretty much any technique could be on the table throughout the course of a day.  Look for nymphing and streamer fishing to be the most productive options.  Kind of strange to say, but consider bringing sunscreen!  

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 1/16/25

Winter Steelhead

Winter season is always a rollercoaster.  The first part of this "winter", if you can even call it that, brought a tremendous amount of water and moved a bunch of fish.  The bite area wide was pretty encouraging leading up to all the flooding and continued for a while when things dropped back in.  This situation seems to come up often in the winter, but it's time to start hoping for rain again.   Rivers from the coast through the Gorge have been on a long steady drop and it looks like that's going to continue for another week-ish.  There are fish to be had, but they seem to be getting a little sparse for the time being in a lot of places.  Look for the next bump to be productive.  In the mean time, try some brighter sink tip flies on these beautiful sunny days!  

Deschutes Trout

The Lower Deschutes is in great shape.  Easy level to wade and the water temps are notably warmer than they could be at this time of year.  That means there's some great trout fishing to be had!  Nymphing with whatever method you prefer will be the most consistent way to go, but there are other options on the table.  Hatches of BWO's and midges will be fairly consistent.  Especially on cloudy days.  You could even encounter some other bugs on these extra warm days.  

If there is cloud cover, be sure to work a streamer into the program.  Whether you're a Trout Spey person or prefer the single-hander, the streamer bite is not to be overlooked.  It can be just outstanding and produce some of the larger fish in the river.  The fly itself doesn't have to be that big, but your terminal tackle does!  Call this a 1 or 2x fluorocarbon deal.  The initial bite and surge from a big one can easily break lighter tippet.

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - January 5, 2026

Winter Steelhead

Is there anything better than hooking the first winter fish of the season!?  Even just hearing about a few being caught is enough to pump up the crowd around here.  The back-to-back Atmospheric Rivers certainly did a lot of re-arranging throughout the Pacific Northwest.  New channels formed.  Some shallow spots became deep....and some deep spots shallow.  Lots of trees and rocks moved. It was a real series of events!

On to the point....are there fish around?  There sure are!  Consider it go time from here on out.  Go early and go often.  There's rain in the forecast, but not the catastrophic amounts that we've already seen.  One huge positive has been the temps.  It's been on the warmer side which definitely helps keep the water temps up.  This always helps in the winter.  Get your sink tips and flies in order if you haven't already.  This is going to be a great week to give it a try. 

Deschutes Trout

This is such a wonderful time of year to trout fish on the Deschutes.  Keep your eyes on the gauges and try to avoid and big flow spikes or drops.  The trout prefer things to be steady in those two departments, and changes either way can put them off the bite.  Water temps have been in the low-to-mid 40's, which should have fish sitting in softer winter lies.  Call it predominately a nymph and streamer game with the possibility of some afternoon BWO fishing.  The bugs should be present to some degree every day, but surface activity will be variable.  The huge bonus of fishing the Deschutes at this time of year is the solitude.  You can have large stretches of the river all to yourself.....and some really good trout fishing!   

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - December 16, 2025

Winter Steelhead

Well, this pretty much sums up the current situation!  The die-hards are super itchy to hunt for the first winter fish of the season, but aside from a few very brief windows, rivers have been out.  Locally, we're predicted to see another 1-2" of rain tonight and more on the way later in the week.  It's going to be pretty difficult to find any fishable water from the coast out to the eastern edge of the range of winter fish.  All the high water will definitely move some fish around and it should be good when things finally drop.....but it may be a bit!  It's going to be a good week to prep gear for the season ahead.  Check your backing, sink tips, hooks, etc.  Patch up your leaky waders.  Replace your warm socks with the heels blown out.   It's hard for steeheaders to sit on their hands at this time of year, but the prep work is never regretted when it's go time.    

Deschutes Trout

Wish I could say there was a sunnier outlook on the Deschutes for this coming week, but if the predictions hold, it's going to get pretty big.  Sometimes these giant systems coming in off the ocean lose most of their moisture before getting to the east side of the Cascades, but this one is giant.  It's going to rain quite a bit out east, too.  It takes a lot of water to make the Deschutes go up 5k+ in a short period of time, and it looks like we're going to get it.  Look for the river to drop back down toward average flows before you give it a try again.  

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - December 1, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

Call it about a wrap on a great season.  You can certainly still find a fish or two out there, but the majority will have been around for a while....or a long while!  Can't say that the water temp has taken a huge nose dive yet, but that could happen any time soon.  If you try it again, focus on getting the fly down a bit and slowing your swing speed.  Unless we see an unlikely rise in water temp, call it a sink tip game.  

Deschutes Trout

Ideal conditions for trout fishing with a great extended forecast.  Lots of cloudy days = good BWO hatches and awesome streamer fishing!  Conditions couldn't be much better.  The water just hasn't gotten that cold yet.  Not nearly as cold as it could be, anyway.  You could catch fish on just about any preferred technique at some point during the day.  It would be wise to take advantage of the awesome fishing weather while it's still here.  It can be great in the wind and snow, too, but the travel is easy for the time being.    

Winter Steelhead

How quickly the steelheader's mind shifts gears!  We've already heard whispers of a couple winter fish on the coast.  That tends to be a fun factoid about a lot of the winter rivers with decent wild returns.  Their arrival times are highly varied.  This allows different batches of fish to successfully make a go of it throughout the extreme variation of water levels we see in the nest few months.  The begining of the season is a great time to get one on the swing.  The number of fish present isn't typically very high, but the water is on the warmer side for winter.  That always increases the odds.

This is an annual statement on our blog, but it's definitely "make your own report" season with regards to winters.  At this point, it's safe to say that every flow spike on the coast (and some other places) from now on will draw some fish.  Just like summer season, the first fish to hand is always one of the best!  If nothing else, it gets your head in the game.    

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - November 15, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

We've been pretty darn lucky with the late fall weather.  It could be flat out cold by now and it's not.  We've had some rain but it hasn't been enough to do anything crazy to the Lower Deschutes.  Conditions for the tail end of the season couldn't be much better.  Flows have been fairly steady and water temps have held up well.  Pretty ideal situation to round out the season!        

The fishing has changed a bit in the last couple weeks.  It seems like a lot of the strays that were piled up down low have dropped out.  There are certainly plenty of fish around down there, but noticeably fewer than there were a few weeks ago.  It's a great time to spend a day higher up in the system.

As for the fishing, think about getting down a bit.  You could definitely still get one on a floating line if you push the issue, but their willingness to move up in the water column and chase has definitely gone way down.  Sink tip fishing will be the most effective method from here on out with smaller tip flies being the most productive.  Best of luck to everyone out there trying for another fish, or two!

Deschutes Trout

For those of us that have put in a long season chasing steelhead, it's been pretty hard not to notice the increase in trout activity as of late!  Things are pretty much perfect for that.  All the dark and warmish weather has been kicking mid-day BWO activity into high gear.  If you try for trout out there, be fully prepared to represent all stages of that bug.  Nymph fishing will be effective right out of the gate in the morning.  Be sure to have something imitating a BWO nymph going.  A great two-fly combo is a stonefly or bigger Hare's Ear with a size 18-20 Pheasant Tail trailed behind.  The bugs have been actively hatching sometime between noon and 2:00 spurring some good surface activity.  

The streamer bite cannot be ignored, either.  Dark weather is very conducive and the trout love bigger meals in the fall.  It's not a particularly common practice on the Deschutes, but don't be afraid to mix in a bigger streamer if the standard smaller sculpins and leeches aren't working.  You may not move as many fish, but you will see some real bruisers if you commit to if for a while.   

   

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - November 1st, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

Fall is setting in in full force out on the Deschutes.  Not much in the line of extreme cold or icy morning commutes yet, but that could certainly be the case any day now.  There has yet to be any kind of major fall shake-up on the river as far as flow is concerned.  There can be a pretty significant bump in flow associated with the end of the irrigation season in mid-October, but that never materialized.  The White River never really blew out the Deschutes this time around either, and it should be pretty well locked up for the duration.  The return of Fall Chinook was certainly noticeable, but it seemed to be a bit smaller than the last few years.  At least it didn't seem to throw off the steelhead bite as badly as it can some years.      

The only notable change to conditions has been the falling water temps.  Even that has been steady and fairly mild to this point.  We're probably just a few days away from the Moody gauge going below 50 degrees for the first time this fall.  All things considered, conditions have been great.

With water temps nearing sub-50, it is high time for some tactical changes.  Lots of anglers have recently been asking if there is still a dry line bite to be had.  There is, but it's becoming pretty situational and much better in the afternoon when the water temps are peaking.  Look for dry line biters to be in shallower spots with structure and softer current.  The best opportunities will be in places that you can present a fly on a broadside swing at a slow pace. Switching over to a slow sink Polyleader also helps the cause.  It will get your fly down just a little more and also helps to slow the swing speed a hair.  

Other than that, it's a sink tip game from here on out.  A cold steelhead is much more apt to move up a foot in the column to grab a fly than it is to move up three feet.  The fly doesn't have to be big and gaudy.  It just has to be down a little deeper.  As for sink tips, it's pretty hard to beat the versatility of 10' of T-11.  You can fish it through most shallower water with an unweighted fly and little or no mend.  Conversely, you can adjust your angle slightly upstream and get deep with a weighted fly if you need to.  Beyond that one, a 2.5' Intermediate/7.5' T-11 tip comes in very handy in spots with structure.  Great options from RIO and Airflo there.   These tips tend to weave there way through rocks and ledges much better than longer level tips.

Deschutes Trout

The fall feedbag is a real event in the trout world and it's particularly evident on the Deschutes.  The fish have packed on so much weight in the last month!  The Redsides don't miss any opportunities to eat salmon eggs.  The fall hatches have also been strong with ample BWOs, October Caddis and a daily smattering of other bugs.  All methods apply at some point during the day.  You could easily go from indicator to trout spey to dry and back again in the same day!  The trout fishing is just flat-out good right now however you prefer to do it.  Even on the lowest reaches of the river, big trout have been gobbling BWOs.  This is an ideal time to target trout as they have been largely unbothered while everyone looks for a steelhead.   

Mt. Hood Lakes

Stillwater season is winding down locally.  Many of the lakes close today and it's gotten rather cold at higher elevations.  That said, a few of the stillwaters in the greater Hood River area remain open.  If you're looking to get a little more lake fishing in, pick a warmer day if you can.  That will spur some chironomid activity and give you a shot at some dry fly fishing. Aside from that, think low and slow.  Creeping a leech along with a sinking line or suspending flies under an indicator will work well.  The bite can still be very good, but the willingness to aggressively chase things is on the fade.    

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 12, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

The weather is changing out in the desert.  It's even been periodically rainy as of late!  Look for stable weather patterns to produce the best fishing.  One thing Deschutes steelhead hate is change.  Even theoretically positive weather changes.  Dark and rainy for several days in a row is good.  So is bright and sunny.  The day when the weather changes drastically from one to the other tends to be tougher.  We get that a lot later into the fall and it's just a part of the program. 

On the plus side, water temps on the lower river couldn't be much better.  Temps have been hovering in the 56-59 degree range down at the mouth and it doesn't get any better than that!  All methods are viable, but it's hard to deny how good the dry line fishing has been.  Be ready with some smaller comeback flies.  If you find a biter and can't seal the deal with your go-to searching pattern, show the fish something small and buggy, like a Steelhead Coachman or Undertaker.  And don't be afraid to go really small.  Sometimes it seems like the only limitation to how small of a fly they'll grab is having a hook stout enough to hold a fish!

Deschutes Trout

It's an awfully sporty time to be trout fishing out there right now!  The cool and rainy weather has spurred some BWO activity.  Caddis are still present to some degree.  There have been a bunch of October Caddis around, too.  Though the adult is sadly not a huge part of the game, the trout definitely love the pupa.  If you do some indicator fishing out there, mix a big October Caddis pupa into the program.  They love 'em!  

Fall is also a great time to streamer fish.  With much colder weather impending, some of the bigger trout are looking for more of a mouthful.  Smaller sculpins and a variety of leech patterns will do the trick

Mount Hood Lakes

The local stillwater season is winding down.  Check the regulations as many of the alpine lakes close to fishing at the end of the month.  With colder weather up high, expect many of the lakes to be in the process of turning over if they haven't done so already.  This tends to mean there will be some color in the water.  If that's the case, stick with darker leech patterns.  Slowly strip them along on an intermediate line, or fish them below an indicator.  

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 25, 2025

 

Deschutes Steelhead

Fishing remains strong on the Deschutes.  By this point in the season, there are fish spread throughout the lower river.  Things should be picking up nicely up high.  Down low, the recent blast of heat (now gone) had significantly warmed the Columbia.  This created a perfect situation to drive in tons of strays destined for rivers further east.  The moral of the story is, if you want to get a fall trip in out there, pick your favorite zone and go!  The weather forecast is absolutely beautiful.  It's all lining up for some great times out there.

As for the fishing, wow, has the dry line bite been good!  It always is, but it's been exceptional this time around.  Many anglers that are not intimately familiar with the river assume that getting down deeper is more productive, but that's really not the case until the water temps get much colder.  Common practice is to fish a dry line in the shade and switch over to a sink tip in the high sun.  This is a very effective approach, but there are ways to get them near the surface in high sun.  A big part of that is spot selection.  If you are not a sink tip person, think a lot about sun angles with your floating line.  If you can, pick a spot where the fish will be chasing your fly away from the sun and/or toward a dark background.  It doesn't hurt to go with a bigger/darker hair wing or muddler, either.  They don't quit grabbing flies near the surface in the sunlight, but fishing something that they can see and track easily dramatically ups the odds. 

Deschutes Trout

It's sure starting to feel pretty trouty out there!  Water temps are cooling and all methods are working.  In the bug world, there have been some massive hatches of smaller BWO's as of late along with the caddis.  With cooler nights, look for the best caddis fishing to be in the evening on warmer days.  It seems like the they have been on the fade a little compared to a few weeks ago.  There have also been some sightings of Golden Stones, of all things.  Though I wouldn't expect to see much in the line of a surface bite on these, there must be plenty of active stonefly nymphs out there.  For all of you streamer junkies, this is a great time to get going with your favorite Trout Spey.  This is the perfect time to streamer fish.  

Mount Hood Lakes

Early fall is a wonderful time to sneak in some stillwater fishing.  The weather is lovely and the crowds of summer have faded.  Be ready for the few remaining Callibaetis to be going on warmer days.  Beyond that, chironomids should make some sporadic showings.  Smaller terrestrials will also get fish looking up on a sunny afternoon.  Aside from that, the subsurface fishing should really get cranking.  The high alpine trout become keenly aware of the fact that cold weather is around the corner.  They take the opportunity to pack on some weight before the deep freeze sets in.  Yet another excellent fall fishing opportunity here in the PNW!  

     

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - September 5, 2025

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"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - August 19th, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

Well, it's been off to a great start!  Numbers have been strong and fishing has been good.  We recently made it through three extremely hot days out in the desert....like over 100 degrees hot.  That has been the one upside of the extreme heat we've had so far this summer.  It's only been sticking around for a few days at a time.  It looks like we are out of the high heat for the time being and there are some cooler nights in the forecast, which helps a ton.  

From a fishing standpoint, the dry line bite has been excellent....especially in the morning.  With a solid number of fish present, this is a great time try and raise one on a skater.  At the very least, a grabby fish will often show itself.  It may not bite, but it will give you a visual cue in the form of a flash, boil or charge.  If you can't get it to commit on the surface, put a wet fly or two past it.  No guarantees in steelhead fishing, but that usually seals the deal!

Deschutes Trout

It's pretty amazing how much trout activity you see when you're trying for a steelhead.  The Redside's bigger cousins are not the only ones that like first and last light.  Wherever you happen to step in on the lower river, you're very likely to see some noses in the morning.  Several anglers have recently commented on the bigger trout grabbing caddis or aquatic moths in the morning.  We've seen some bruisers rising in the last couple weeks! 

Aside from the morning and evening surface program, all the standard sub-surface techniques have been effective, too.  On the nymphing side of things, make sure you have something cased caddis-esque in the mix.  Streamer folks can rejoice, as well.  Deeper/faster runs with some surface bounce have been giving up some great fish with outstanding grabs.  Make sure you're fishing a heavy enough rig to get your fly ~1/2 way down in faster water and you'll be in business.  Olive, black and natural streamers have been working well.      

Mount Hood Lakes

The stillwaters around Hood continue to be productive.  Recent reports have been favorable with a mix of tactics producing fish.  The surface bite continues with Callibaetis, some occasional chironomids and sporadic damsel flies.  Prospecting with generic smaller terrestrials has been really fun lately, too.  Call it something that just looks like a bug....tiny chubby, various ants, beetles, bees...you name it!  If you look closely on any given day with wind, you'll find a rather diverse smattering of terrestrial insects. Cruising trout in stillwaters seem to love random terrestrials, and that style of generic dry fly can get them to rise when other patterns do not. 

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - July 30, 2025

Deschutes Steelhead

This graph is a pretty good summary of the early portion of the return so far.  Keep in mind that this is just unclipped steelhead, not total steelhead.  It's a relief and great to see!  Things on the lower river are about how they've been the last couple years.  Afternoon water temps are quite warm.  Your best bet is going to be from first light until noonish.  Keep in mind that the coolest water of the day is hitting Moody sometime right around 8:30 a.m. and trending up from there.  At this point, there should also be some fish higher up in the system.  Don't be afraid to fish the access road below Sherar's Falls.  You'd definitely have a shot at a fish and likely little company from other anglers. 

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Deschutes Trout

Not too much new to report there.  The trout fishing remains strong.  Especially in the mornings and evenings.  Caddis and aquatic moths are still the main bugs going.  Typical of the mid-summer, trout are parked in a lot of faster water.  This has made for some excellent Trout Spey fishing as of late!  Smaller sculpins and leeches in olive or black have been producing, per usual.  

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Mount Hood Lakes

The hot bite going lately has been in the evening.  We've had lots of reports of excellent Callibaetis fishing this week during the last few hours of daylight.  This is a good time to start carrying a broader assortment of Callibaetis dries.  Beyond standard duns and spinners, be sure to have some change-up bugs.  Cripples and emergers can save the day when the standbys are getting refused.  Many of the most productive lakes around Hood have been getting fished relentlessly for sometime now.  Something a little different can seal the deal when they get snooty.

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