Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (06/12/2016)

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 06/12/2016

What a gorgeous weekend we have had here, I hope everyone got out to enjoy the cooler weather and great fishing across the area.  Trout fishing is still fantastic in most of the usual spots, summer steelhead are slowly trickling in and bass fishing is as good as it gets.

I know that many of our Deschutes River rainbow trout anglers are not very familiar with hatch cycles and tactics for trout after the stoneflies have waned, but it is not as difficult as one would imagine.  Throw small mayfly nymphs in the morning, look for a hatch around mid-day into the afternoon (it may or may not bring fish to the surface near riffles), start throwing caddis pupae in the late afternoon or early evening (some people fish them all day) and then move onto caddis dries when the sun is no longer on the water.  You can always fish a general attractor dry like a Royal Wulff or a Madam X, and fish are still looking for yellow sallies opportunistically throughout the day, so that is an option if you are not into changing flies all that much.  It is likely not as productive as nymphing, but it is sure a lot easier to plan for.  Another productive strategy is to toss a dead caddis dry early in the morning before the sun is on the water.

Early season on the Klickitat...

Summer steelhead are starting to trickle into the Gorge tributaries.  Still no word on any action on the Deschutes.  The water temps on the Deschutes already reached 72 degrees last week, but they have dropped back down with the cooler weather this week.  

The White River likely caused the lower Deschutes to muddy up too, but again, no one has told us if that happened, it is just typical when it is hot in the area.  The Klickitat was in poor shape last week after all of the hot weather caused the river to muddy up, but it looks decent today (Sunday).  Not a lot of action reported on the Klick, but there are a few fish around and all I need is one.

While we haven't heard of much happening on the Washougal, it is a favorite June steelhead stream for local anglers.

Jim reported to us from the North Umpqua last week.  He fished a dry all day, all week and had one fish come to his dry in four days; but he was super excited about it even though it didn't stick to the hook.  That is the proper attitude of a dedicated steelhead fisherman.  Thanks for the report Jim.

Smallmouth Bass fishing is nothing short of incredible on the John Day.  Poppers all day long...  The Columbia River has been windy and cold most of last week, so we have heard few reports from the usual anglers, but the fish are still in shallow water from the few guys we have talked with.

High mountain lakes are the only places to find a brownie here

My favorite fishing this time of year is to hit the small mountain lakes as soon as the roads are open to get into them.  There are hundreds in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and dozens in the Mt Hood National Forest that hold nice trout.  While you are unlikely to find ten pound monster rainbows, you will find solitude, beauty and great fishing at any number of out-of-the-way places.

Lost Lake, Laurance Lake, Goose Lake, Clear Lake and Timothy Lake are all bigger lakes in the forest that have good camping and great fishing.  The rest of them shall remain unnamed on this report, but will be there when you find them.

Small streams are fishing well for trout too!  Eagle Creek has been very good, as well as the upper Clackamas, and Trout Lake Creek.  The East Fork Hood was very muddy last week when I went by, but it has cleared up with this cool weather.

Carpin' is another good option, especially when it is sunny, warm and calm.  With carp, it is more about the presentation than the actual fly as long as the fly is in the right ballpark.  They are in every pond and in the main river all throughout the Gorge. Also, we now have a good selection of carp flies...

Flows:  The USGS sites give us real-time flows, while the NOAA site shows us predictions based on weather patterns.  Both are invaluable tools.

Hood River:

USGS

NOAA

Klickitat
USGS
NOAA

Deschutes near Madras:

USGS

Deschutes at the mouth:

USGS

NOAA

Columbia River

Bonneville Dam Water Temps
Columbia @ Hood River (The mouth of the Hood backs up at 75 feet)

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  541.386.6977

Andrew Perrault
Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (October 19th)

Fishing Report

Last week was a bit tough early as water conditions were not ideal, but the fishing was great as it cleared up and fresh fish were moving around and on the bite.  Great reports from both the Deschutes and the Klickitat have us looking forward to fishing this week. 

I had a nice time this week chatting with a father and son from California that were in town.  Bill and Quentin Cooper were supposed to fish with Travis Wallace of Western Waters Guides, but were rescheduled after the river muddied up last weekend.  They came in a couple of times to shoot the breeze.  Luckily, they ended up getting on the Klickitat with Travis on Friday.  My buddy Jon was swinging “Canoe in a Tree Run” when I saw Travis’ boat come around the corner above us.  Travis rowed over to say hello when Bill hooked a fish right in front of me while Travis was holding the boat chatting!  Jon had just put a half dozen casts through that spot…  It’s the power of the bead.

Western Water Guides: BIll and Travis

Here is Bill and Travis with their “Hollywood Steelhead”.  Travis has some openings for Late October and November.  The fishing is great in November and there are few guys on the river.  Give him a call if you want to get into some nice late steelhead on the Klickitat.  You can find him on our website under “guides” or at www.westernwatersguides.com

Chinook Salmon are now mostly dark and just start to get up on their redds.  The spawn seems to be a little later than it was last year.  Last fall we had more rain early on.  This helped to get fish up to their spawning areas, as they prefer to move during high water events.  They will wait until the tributaries fill with water after rains if they have to.  Last year on October 20, I fished a run on the Klickitat that was absolutely stuffed full of spawning fish.  This year on October 16, there were zero fish on beds in that run.  It will fill up, but we will likely need some more rain, or they will eventually hit a point where they have to make a move in low water.  Let’s hope for the former.   

In the meantime, please be aware of spawning fish and look for redds.  Please do not walk across, over or through them. 

Coho Salmon are still not showing up as predicted.  It looks like it’ll be one of the worst returns for Coho in many years after the run had been predicted to be outstanding.  There are some fish around, but nowhere near what they should be.  Look for them low in the systems in slow water.  They will eat a fly stripped slowly and steadily. 

Summer Steelhead are still the main attraction in the Columbia Basin.  The Grande Ronde, Clearwater, Salmon, Deschutes and Klickitat are all fishing really well right now.  Rivers were in mediocre condition most of last week.  On Wednesday clarity on the Klickitat was 16-18” and Fishboy Gabe had one of his most epic mornings swinging flies on a sink tip.  I went out on Thursday morning.  The clarity was about 2’.  I fished an unweighted fly on a light sink tip and landed one fish early and went home as is typical for me fishing from the road.  Friday we floated with about 2.5’ of visibility. We did not hook up any fish, but I did have quite a few plucks and grabs.  This shows how fish are hot right after (even a minor) high water and they start to settle down as the flow evens out and clears up. 

The Hood River has been off color again.  There are not really any fish in there anyways.  It is typically an early and late summer run.  We will get fish once we get some steady rains and high flows.  One little spike of 500 cfs didn’t do much.  We need a week of rain and flows well over 1000 cfs to get fish into the river.  There is not much of a summer run historically, but we do get fish just like any other river in the Columbia Basin.   Steelheading is a game of numbers, as in you need to fish where the most fish are in order to have a shot at catching them.  It’s always worth a couple of hours to poke around if you’re in town and have limited time, but I personally would invest my little fishing time going to where there are more fish.

Trout fishing on the Hood closes on Oct 31.  This includes the East Fork of the Hood, which is not open for steelhead or salmon, so it closes completely on Halloween.  There have been reports of nice, small trout caught on the East Fork up off the campgrounds on HWY 35.  Get it in while you can. 

Targeting Chinook in the Hood River is prohibited after June 15.

Lost Lake and Laurence Lake are still fishing really well right now.  We do get very few reports from the lakes in the fall because most people are fishing for salmon or steelhead, but it can be wicked awesome this time of year with very little (no) pressure.  Laurence Lake closes on October 31, so get out while you can. 

"It's all good!"

Rosie and Sarah May went fishing up at Goose Lake a couple of times last week.  Rosie caught her first trout ever early in the week, and then proceeded to go back and put the smack down on them later on.  Sarah reportedly caught piles of them with Rosie Thursday as well.  It’s a great place to spend the day fishing this time of year.

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been good, I guess… Not one report in the last month?  Everyone forgets about bass once the steelhead show up, but this is a great time to get out if you have the chance.  They should be crushing big poppers if you can find them. 

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

Andrew Perrault
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (August 31st)

August 31st, 2015

Well, I have never heard so many anglers say so many different things about the clarity of the Deschutes.  As soon as I got off the river last Friday, I heard that it was everything from “completely blown” to “ehh, two to three feet”.  My most reliable sources were all saying something about a couple of feet of visibility all week, which is what I saw when I left it last.  Fishing sink tips and larger, dark flies was the ticket, and those that did were rewarded.  Those that looked at the river and went home did about as well as those guys using a floating line and a #8 coachman… not good. 

As the rain starts to come down for the first time in six months or so, I doubt that the early part of the week will provide us with any better clarity on the lower Deschutes or the Klickitat…  It will be a “wait and see game” as we see how much rain hit any certain river basin and how much the rivers are affected.   We will update as the rains progress.  . 

I fished the Klickitat this last Friday.  The water was 18” of clarity at the beginning of the day, slowly but steadily decreasing until we took off in the evening.  At the takeout, the clarity was less than a foot.  In less than a foot of visibility I was watching many, many trout rise to size 18 black flies with no concern for the apparent lack of visibility that kept everyone else at home.  If a (many) ten inch trout can see a size #18 dry fly from the bottom of the river, then a steelhead will absolutely have no problem seeing a three inch black bunny leech.  We did not get any hookups, but we did get a few solid grabs and felt good about the water we fished.  Talking with several guides that day, fishing was off that day.  Most attributed it with the front moving in instead of the clarity.  Travis Wallace of Western Waters Guides said he had been doing well last week with clarity fluctuating between a foot and 18”. 

The Deschutes above the White River confluence should remain in great shape despite potentially heavy rains this week.  There are definitely steelhead up above the White, although the bulk of the fish typically do not make it up that far until October.  The Klickitat will probably be unfishable for the first part of the week.  Unfishable is whatever you make of it, but I don’t usually spend a full day fishing in less than eight inches of visibility. 

The correct way to test visibility (turbidity) is to use a Secchi Disk (google it).  I do not have one, so the way I test visibility is to stick my rod/reel in the water and carefully watch for when I lose track of the reel or line.  I then measure the distance from where the rod entered the water to the top of the reel.  8” is where my cork enters the water, so if I can’t see my reel when the cork is at the water’s surface, I will likely not put in a full day’s effort.  I will still fish hard because I am on the river and I love fishing.  I have never driven to the river and then turned around and driven home.  I could only see doing that if the river was approaching flood stage…

The chances of catching a steelhead in perfect conditions are not that great, but the chances of catching one in less than ideal conditions are not that bad, so get out and fish if you feel like fishing as long as it is safe to be in the water because the chances of catching one from your couch are zero. 

Drano Lake:  A love/hate relationship…  If you want to catch a steelhead out of a float tube in a lake, now is the time.  The love part is that I love fishing in a float tube and I love catching steelhead within 30 minutes of my house.  The hate part is the very drunk bait fishermen (I’m no bait hater, but I am observant) that will troll their boats right over you and your line despite all reasonable attempts to avoid them.  I witnessed several near fights last year; constant yelling, bickering and overall bad sportsmanship while I was out there.  But… the fishing can be really good, especially because it’s the only local spot that is not suffering from bad clarity this week.  My advice is to go very early, before people start getting too drunk there.  An intermediate line with an olive bugger works fine.  The key is to get the fly right to their face.  They will not move much if at all to take a fly, but a fish will eat it if it is in front of them while they are moving.  A variety of drab, soft hackle style flies seem to work just fine, but there haven’t been a ton of guys out there and there is no magic formula for this place. 

Trout fishing has been good.  The Crooked has been a little off, but producing fish nonetheless.  The Metolius has been good, as fish seem to be more willing to take a good, sneaky presentation than usual.  The upper part of the Deschutes (above Lake Billy Chinook) has been really good with terrestrials.  The upper part of the Lower Deschutes (below Pelton Dam) has been fishing less consistently; it has definitely been more hit and miss this last week for trout.  One guy comes in and says he had a great day while another comes in and says it was terrible.  It just goes to show that a “good” day of fishing is what you make of it.  The McKenzie River has slowed down a bit in the past week or two.

Lost Lake is still fishing very well, and trout have been coming up to the surface early and late to eat Callibaetis, Grasshoppers and Carpenter Ants, as well as just about anything else including beetles, damselflies and maybe some early caddis.  Pull a woolly bugger deep and slow on a sinking line during the day for your best shot at good numbers of fish. 

                                          

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (August 24th)

photo credit: Greg Darling

Fishing Report
Let’s get out and fish!  The Deschutes finally came into great shape this week.  While the visibility is poor right at the confluence of the White and the D, it is very fishable on the lower river.  It was 2-3’ and a nice olive color on Friday.  We fished Airflo T-10 FLO tips and Skagit lines and had a great couple of days Thursday and Friday.  It was quite windy, but that didn’t stop the fish from grabbing an articulated bunny leech.  The color at the confluence with the Columbia is also worse than a few miles upstream as the Columbia backs up the flow and gets sediment mixing more than upstream.

I talked with several anglers that saw the visibility, called it blown out and went home.  The thing is that fishing was killer and there was no one up there.  You just have to change your tactics a little.  If that same angler was on the Klickitat, he would have claimed visibility to be great and fished with sink tips with no problem.  That is because anglers are used to a certain level of expectation with the Deschutes.  Fish bite there in a few feet of visibility just like they do everywhere else.  The clarity of the river reminded me of the Kenai the other day.  Kenai fish eat tiny little beads all summer long in poor clarity, so the steelhead in the Deschutes have no problem seeing your fly.  Visibility on the Deschutes is unlikely to get much better soon, so get your sink tips out and get to the river. 

Summer Steelhead are most definitely around right now in the local rivers big time.  The Deschutes River is great.  Get out there and fish!  Use light sink tips and bigger flies as long as visibility is on the lower end.  We left the river Friday evening to nearly three feet of visibility, but of course on Saturday morning, people are coming in claiming that it is blown out again.  I do not know what, if anything caused a blowout, but I would assume that the river is in the same condition as when I left it Friday, as no rain has come through since last night…  Until further notice, assume that the conditions are good on the lower.

The Klickitat River has been a bit worse than the Deschutes, but it is still completely fishable.  Hovering about 2-3 feet lately with a little grey color to it. It is improving and we have heard good reports over the past few days.   Both the Klick and the Deschutes should be money this week; just be prepared to fish a sink tip…

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been excellent on the John Day River and fair in the local haunts here.  Bass on the Columbia River have been hiding out in plain sight.  Suspending off of ledges and dropoffs and scattered all around, they are there, but harder to find in good numbers than in the spring and fall.  A good day fishing will just require lots of moving around and changing tactics to find the numbers.  The John Day remains a solid choice for an easy day of good fishing with big numbers of fish.  A small popper or grasshopper pattern will produce fish from first light to last. 

Carp fishing has been decent, but not stellar.  I have heard fish are eating bigger flies right now with less picky fish, but there are not tons of fish being aggressive.  The aggressive fish are really aggressive, so that is the bonus. 

Trout fishing has been good.  The Crooked is still pushing out some weeds and bio-debris, but fishing was good.  A hopper/dropper is the ticket right now.  The Metolius has been good, as fish seem to be more willing to take a good, sneaky presentation than usual.  The upper part of the Deschutes (above Lake Billy Chinook) has been really good with terrestrials.  The upper part of the Lower Deschutes (below Pelton Dam) has been better this last week with a hopper/dropper producing good fish.  The McKenzie River has also been good with a hopper/dropper setup.  Any small, #18 mayfly nymph works well as the dropper.  A #18 Flashback Pheasant Tail (beadhead) is a personal favorite, but copper johns, hare’s ears, lightning bugs and prince nymphs work just fine too. 

Lost Lake is still fishing very well, and trout have been coming up to the surface early and late to eat Callibaetis, Grasshoppers and Carpenter Ants, as well as just about anything else including beetles, damselflies and maybe some early caddis.  Pull a woolly bugger deep and slow on a sinking line during the day for your best shot at good numbers of fish. 

                                          

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  541.386.6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (July 26th)

photo credit: Greg Darling (Bass Pro Greg)

Fishing Report

There is still some cold water out there to fish, but the warmwater fishing has been fabulous and this summer really provides anglers with a great opportunity to expand their horizons. Exploring new fisheries and catching different fish will really help one to become a better angler. 

A great article appeared in the Seattle Times this weekend about the warm water in the Columbia and the fate of the Sockeye Salmon in the river.  Worth the read to keep informed about what is happening here.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/snowpack-drought-has-salmon-dying-in-overheated-rivers/

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been excellent on the John Day River and Columbia River along with many of the impoundments along the freeway on both the WA and OR side of the Gorge.  The bass have been fairly deep in the Columbia, but they have been eating top-water poppers early in the morning.  If you are looking for a guilt-free day of fishing where you are nearly guaranteed to catch a couple dozen fish, head out to the John Day with a 4wt or 5wt rod and a grasshopper pattern and go to town on those fish.  Cottonwood Canyon State Park is the best, easiest access (there are many miles of private property on the JD). 

Tiger Muskie fishing is a great option right now.  They are found in several lakes in Washington and were planted to keep nuisance species in check.  Mayfield Reservoir is always full, or close to it, and it is full of fish.  This sterile cross between a Northern Pike and a Muskellenge grows large and is a real challenge to catch.  Merwin Lake is an hour closer to us and also has them, along with Lake Tapps near Sumner, WA, Green Lake in Seattle, and Evergreen Reservoir near Ephrata, WA.  Mayfield is the lake with the best structure and generally best conditions to catch them, but any of these lakes will kick out a fish to a lucky angler.  A 10wt or 11wt rod with a Rio Outbound Short, a steel leader and small baitfish patterns will give you a shot at this crazy fish. 

Carp fishing has been a bit spotty, but any angler that puts in the time will find them.  Sometimes they are stacked in the shallow areas of the Columbia River and the impoundments next to the highways, but sometimes they are nowhere to be found.  Putting a few miles on the car to find them should be rewarded eventually with a pod of tailing fish. 

For Summer Steelhead, the Klickitat River still has a bit of flow to it, along with decently cold water temps.  While there is no USGS or NOAA temperature gauge on the river, several dedicated anglers keep us up-to-date with water temps.  It has been between 52 and 54 in the mornings lately, but again; expect that to change as we see 100+ degree temps within the next week.  The clarity of the river was good as of Saturday morning, but it should start muddying up with this heat wave, but the next few days should be good.    

The Deschutes River has been fishing well in the lower part of the river.  Temps have stayed below 70 for the most part and there are definitely fish being caught on the swing.  Keep an eye on the temps during the next week or two and get off the river if it is approaching 70.  The river does close at 2:00 pm every day downstream of Mack’s Canyon.  Everyone should pick up a thermometer if they plan on fishing the D in the next few weeks; and we do sell them…

http://www.gorgeflyshop.com/store/pc/Fishpond-Swift-Current-Thermometer-103p2857.htm

While water is low and warm, there are still some good places to go trout fishing.  The Deschutes River near Warm Springs/Madras has been good right before dark as trout really get active on caddis.  While nice trout can be caught during the day on small nymphs like #20 pheasant tails, hare’s ears and copper johns, the best action is the last half hour before dark.  The Metolious River is always cold and a great place to spend a day stalking trout in a spooky spring creek.  The Crooked River near Prineville can be very productive if the fish are in the right mood.  It takes stable outflow from the dam for the fish to get really active, but a good day there is unrivalled in the area.  I would work small nymphs under a hopper pattern on the Crooked River. Eagle Creek near Bonneville Dam has been kicking out some beautiful trout.  Although it is under “hoot-owl” regulations (closes at 2:00 daily), the water is cold and the trout are generally eager to eat a dry fly. 

Lost Lake is still fishing very well, although the trout are deeper than most guys want to fish.  A type V sinking line with a weighted Thin Mint trolled very slowly will produce fish consistently all day long. 

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office. 

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Fishing Report: May 10th, 2014 (+ Special Deschutes Report)

The weather last week was the biggest factor that affected the fishing last week. It was warm, then it rained, then it was warm, then it got really, really windy, then it rained again and then it got crappy…. If the weather can stay consistent for a few days, it will really help out the fishing. 

Chris Scott of Portland with a beautiful redside from the Deschutes May 7, 2014

Hood River: The Hood has been kicking out a few Steelhead and Chinook Salmon. Same problem as always… very little access available.

The Columbia is very high and has backed up the lower runs on the Hood River, leaving a lake where the most productive water is. A shot of rain on Thursday and Friday brought the Hood up to over 2500 cfs and should bring some fish in if anglers are willing to do a little exploring and walking. It drops quick this time of year and should be low and clear again within a day or two. Typically, 1200-1800 cfs at the Tucker Park gauge is a good level. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/uv?site_no=14120000

Fishing should be fair for early summer and late winter steelhead through May. Fishing for Chinook should continue to improve as water temps rise in the Hood and more fish show up. As always, catching Spring Chinook on the fly is not an easy task. If you are ever down for breaking out the spawn sacks, casting rods and bobbers, now is the time.

Other Lower Columbia Tributaries: The Wind, Drano Lake and the Lower Klickitat: The hatchery on the Wind River saw its first couple of fish last week, the hatchery on Drano had 242 fish as of May 6, and is expecting over 13,000, so get out there. Catching has been inconsistent. I trolled some plugs around Drano Lake for three hours and didn’t even see a hook up between the 20-30 boats circling around that evening; however, several people said that fishing had been really good in the morning. (You should have been here earlier!!!)

The Klickitat has been slow, hearing about a few caught in the Pine Tree Hole, fishing should really pick up this week. Another friendly reminder that it is only open on selected days below Lyle Falls, so DO NOT fish the upper river. There have been several reports of people fishing upstream. Please read the regulations and follow the rules so that everyone has the chance to enjoy. The rest of the river (up to the Yakama Nation Boundary) opens June 1 and should have a few steelhead and springers around when it does. The bulk of the steelhead won’t show up until August or September, and the run is predicted to be good this year.

Deschutes: Reports have been good. Salmonflies all the way up to Trout Creek. Fish were on dries down low. From Buckhollow to Beavertail on Friday, a single M’s Fluttering Salmonfly was all that was needed to consistently catch fish. Golden Stones were out too, along with some PMDs, Drakes, and Caddis, depending on the weather that hour…

Fish were not quite on the big dries up high, but its about to happen any second…. A friend of mine caught a bright steelhead way up high on a Jimmy Legs last week which made for a nice surprise. Fishing should be great for the next two weeks or so, although the crowds can get bad up above Maupin.

Sam Sickles Reports from the Deschutes

CFS 4350, water temps 54F...weather, well let's just say if you dont' like the water in Central Oregon then wait five minutes.  Rain, Sleet, hail, gail force winds, and yes calm and sunny, that's what yesterday was like.  This was my first trip on the upper Deschutes this season.  Got to the boat ramp early, put my rods together, double checked everything, loaded my boat and was so bored I asked Johnny Law for a safety inspection so I could get my sticker.

My guys showed up about fifteen minutes early, wadered up and after a brief lisence check by John Law we were off.  Did I mention we were the only boat launching from Warm Springs, crazy, I know!  Being that I hadn't been on the day stretch this year I figure it'd be a bit before we got dialed in on what the fish were eating.  First stop, nodda, second spot nodda...see where I'm going with this?  Well not so fast!

Three sticks fishing six bugs in the water we finally got our first fish about 11:AM.  This fish was extraordinary in it's proportions and skipped my first anglers set up and then crushed angler number two's jimmy legs nymph.  This is how it went most of the day, wide open river, slow fishing and all fish coming on the big rubber legged jimmy legs.  All told I think we landed ten or twelve really nice redsides, all on the big bug.  Did not hook a single whitefish which is odd givven the small beadheads we trailed behind Jimmy all day.

Salmonfly 5-9-14 (photo credit: Andrew Perrault - Gorge Fly Shop)

Here's what I know.  The adult Salmonflies and Golden Stones are present all the way up river to Warm Springs.  The fish are not keyed in on the adults yet.  Every fish we caught ate a stone immitation and every fish was gorged beyond belief.

Golden Stone 5-9-14 (photo credit: Andrew Perrault - Gorge Fly Shop)

Here's what I think.  As soon as there are more adults around than nymphs this thing is gonna bust wide open, probably next week when it warms up again.

My guys were fishing 590 and 690 Winston B3X's, Airflow Exceed lines, Sage Click reels.  I took the leaders down to 7.5 3x for the chuck and duck we were doing, definately easier to pitch than the standard 9 footers.

On a side note the access road down to TC boat ramp is in great shape!  Next report...next week.

Sam Sickles
Steelhead Outfitters

Lakes:

Fishing has been good on Laurence, Rowland, Horsethief and Kingsley Lakes. Trolling/stripping a woolly bugger or hare’s ear nymphs, or throwing a parachute adams when a callibaetis hatch goes off in the evening has been productive. Chironomid fishing should be successful on lakes.

Lost Lake was stocked on Thursday the 8th and catching has been good according to a quick call to Lost Lake Resort.

Goose Lake should be accessible within the next week or so as snow has been melting rapidly with this warmer weather. Expect good fishing when it becomes accessible.

Big Black Carpenter Ants should be flying with the first good heat of the year. Make sure you get a handful of patterns if you plan on hitting the higher elevation lakes like Lost, Laurence or Goose. Fish can go nuts on them when they are around. It’s a good option for an angler that may want to avoid the crowds on the Deschutes.

Bass fishing: Smallmouth fishing has been fair in the area although the Columbia River has been really high. Late May into Mid-June is the best time for a guy with a fly rod to catch some nice smallies from the shore of the Columbia. Reports of big smallies (is that an oxymoron?) on topwater in the John Day…. Big fish are around now, and fishing will get better. Average size will decline, but numbers will increase.

Give us a shout if you have any questions, need some fly recommendations or want more specific details about any of our local waters. 

Gorge Fly Shop Team

541 386-6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Fishing Report: May 5, 2014

"Get out and Fish ~ Make your own report"

Fishing in the Gorge has been good. There are a lot of options open for anglers around here. For the most part, fishing will continue to improve for Chinook, bass and trout, and decline for steelhead as the spring run comes to an end this month.


Spring Chinook: Numbers have been good going through Bonneville Dam. 109,000 total for the year so far (as of 5/5). http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/HistFishTwo_7day-ytd_Adults.htm

These are well above last year’s numbers (45,000) and the ten year average (69,000). Options are fairly limited for the fly angler, as most known holding runs are pretty busy, and there is not a ton of great access. The Wind River, Drano Lake and the Klickitat River have been kicking out some fish on the Washington side. Drano has been particularly good for the plug-pullers, however a guy with a small boat, sinking line and some bright flies can have a good chance at catching a “Springer” or two if they can stay out of the way of the big boats. The Wind and the “Klick” are only open in the lower few miles, and the Klick is only open a few days a week (Drano is also closed on Wednesdays), so be sure to check the regulations before you go as emergency closures are common. The Hood River is currently open for Spring Chinook, but effort has been light and reports have been limited. Mid-May is typically when catch rates increase in the tributaries.

Trout: There are rumors that Salmonflies have been spotted below Sherar’s Falls on the Deschutes River. This is just a little bit early than normal. We have heard that releases from Pelton Dam apparently have been keeping water temps up enough, along with the nearly 90 degree days we had last week, to get the bugs moving. Get ready, get geared up, they will be here soon. We have a good selection of Salmonfly dries and nymphs for you.

Lost Lake, Kingsley Reservoir and Laurence Lake have been fishing well. We heard of a few big trout and steelhead caught at Kingsley last week (I heard of a few 26” and a 31”). Stripping Woolly Buggers on a full sinking line off the edges of drop-offs has been productive. The Callibaetis hatch can be good if the weather cooperates. A Hare’s Ear Nymphs or a Parachute Adams should produce. Damsels should start popping if the weather is warm for a few days. Dragging a Carey Special around should start taking fish soon on the smaller, lower elevation lakes in the area (that warm up quickly), and later in the month for Lost Lake and other higher elevation lakes. Goose Lake is still inaccessible (snow) along with most of the lakes around Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Steelhead: The Hood River is still producing a few steelhead, both late winter and early summer fish. The run is traditionally late here and fishing should be fair to good through May, especially after some rain. Access is always the main problem with the Hood River, but fishing the mouth of the river for a few hours is always a good way to spend an afternoon. No reports from the Sandy or the Clackamas. The Klickitat is closed until June 1 and normally has a few early fish around for the opener. The Deschutes won’t see any steel until August or September.

Cowlitz: Just throwing this out there, because I went up there last weekend. Numbers of steelhead have been excellent through Barrier Dam and at the Blue Creek Hatchery, and the “Springers” are just starting to show up. Also quite a good number of decent sized cutthroat around (saw a nice fat 21” fish). Worth a go if you want to try something new. The floats from Barrier to Blue Creek, or from Blue Creek to Spencer/Massey both have great fly water. Look for flows under 10,000 cfs below Mayfield Dam.

Bass: Haven’t had too many (any) reports, but we saw a convoy of bass boats heading up the gorge last weekend, so assuming there was a tournament of some kind. It’s a good time of year for smallmouth. The impoundments on the sides of the Columbia can be good, as well as the main river if you have a bigger boat. Fish should be looking up and fairly aggressive with the warmer weather. Poppers, Woolly Buggers, Clousers, and Chernobyl Ants should work just fine if you can find the fish. Hopefully, a floating line would be all you need, as they should be in shallow this month. Icehouse Lake, Little Ashes Lake, Rowland Lake, and Horsethief Lakes are good bets on the Washington side of the river. Look for structure near the shore. No reports on the John Day, but I would think that has to do with people keeping their mouths shut instead of a lack of effort.

Shad: We are about a month away from a really fun, underrated fishery. The annual shad run in the Columbia can be really fun, and the action can be non-stop. Small bright flies fished deep and slow near the mouths of the tributaries can make for a really good day if you get the chance.

Give us a shout if you have any questions, need some fly recommendations or want more specific details about any of our local waters. 

Gorge Fly Shop Team

541 386-6977

"Fly Fish the World with Us"