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.    

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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!  

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 1/27/25

Deschutes Trout

The above photo pretty much sums up the weather pattern we've been stuck with for a while.  Bright days with clear skies.....and cold!  "Cold" is a bit relative considering the weather a large swath of the country has been dealing with, but it's been chilly for the Gorge.  Good news on the Deschutes is that the river is in great shape.  The high water has receded and flows are somewhere in the normal range for this time of year.  

With a lengthy string of nights in the 20's or less, the water is definitely on the cold side.  Temps are starting out in the 30's and peaking just a little above 40 briefly in the afternoon.  There is definitely a bite window, but it's been narrow.  Expect to pick off a fish here and there earlier in the day with a notably better period sometime in the 1:00-3:00 pm zone.  

Call the fishing program a nymphing show for the time being.  Though there may be quite a few b.w.o's on the surface, the fish don't love to rise in the cold water and high sun.  There is finally some moisture (and cloud cover!) on the horizon.  This will increase the odds of afternoon dry fly fishing and also help out the streamer bite.  

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Winter Steelhead

Steelhead anglers, it's time for us all to start praying for rain!  After a lengthy period of winter storms, it has been very dry.  Rivers throughout Northwest Oregon are on the low/clear/cold side.  There are fish on the move and a few being caught, but we need rain pretty badly right now.  Keep your eyes peeled for the next bump in flow.  Most rivers have gone quite a while without a spike and the next one should draw in a good wad of fish.  If the early reports are an indication, it's going to get really good again here soon! 

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 3.26.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

Trout fishing has really been picking up over the last few weeks. Supposed to reach 70 degrees this weekend out in the Maupin area which is a welcomed sight after a long, cold and rainy winter. This warmth should really get the trout and insects active and feeding throughout the day. Nymphing is still going to be your most productive method right now. This is the time of year where Deschutes redsides really start keying in and feeding heavily on the stonefly nymphs that are beginning to get more active as we move into April and the famed salmonfly hatch that begins in early May. 

I’d be running a size 6-8 black or brown rubber legs stonefly nymph with a 16-18 caddis pupae or mayfly nymph behind the big bug. Some of my go to Deschutes droppers that work year round are red lightning bugs, jig style pheasant tail nymph/soft hackle pheasant tail nymph, rainbow warriors, and red or purple psycho prince nymphs. 

 The trout spey bite has been superb. With water temps beginning to warm slightly, fish are getting more aggressive and willing to chase a large meal. 10 feet of T-8, 2x RIO fluoroflex, and a box of sculpin patterns and you’re ready to rock n roll.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

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Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

Winter steelhead season is winding down to close. There are some systems that fish well into early April but for the most part, it’s coming to an end. This weekend could fish decent as the rain last week bumped the rivers up and put some color into them. Again, I’d be fishing pretty low in the rivers to hopefully intercept a late chromer, versus fishing up high and targeting spawning fish. Please be aware of redds this time of year and do not consciously fish to fish that are actively on spawning beds. There is a good chance if you spot a few fish sitting deep in a tailout this time of year, that they are trying to do their thing.

Winter Steelhead - Hood River: 

While this has been a slow steelhead year all around, look for a few more fish showing up in the Hood. We generally see the peak numbers of fish around now in this system and it will fish well into April. Both swung flies and nymph techniques are working for folks.

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Warm, calm, sunny days will bring mr.smallie up from the depths to the shallows in search of a meal. With these conditions fish lightweight streamer patterns slowly. On windy days fish a float and fly rig on drops offs and main river points. 

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-Zach Parker

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 3.19.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

The trout fishing continues to be pretty good. Jig style nymphs on euro rigs have been productive as well as fishing rubber legs under an indicator. Fish are starting to really key on size 6-8 black stonefly nymphs as they are getting more and more active in preparation for their spring emergence. Blue wings and march browns will be the predominant mayfly hatches for the next month or so. Look for the warmest part of the day for these insects to start hatching and focus fishing riffles and back eddies.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

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Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

This time of year focus on the larger watersheds and river systems as most everything else is pretty low and clear and not very “fishy” though there are steelhead in most all coastal rivers at this time. Rivers will continue to fish till the end of the month before most of the closures take place on March 31st.

Winter Steelhead - Hood River: 

While this has been a slow steelhead year all around, look for a few more fish showing up in the Hood. We generally see the peak numbers of fish around now in this system and it will fish well into April. Both swung flies and nymph techniques are working for folks.

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Look for smallmouth to show up in shallow areas, midday on sunny days. In calm conditions fish lightweight streamer patterns slowly. On windy days fish a float and fly rig on drops offs and shallow points. For more info check out Predator Hunt - Pre-Spring Bass

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 3.12.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

The trout are getting happier and happier with the warmer weather we are starting to see across much of Oregon. Some baetis activity is still happening in the middle of the day. Some days the hatch is coming off stronger than others and lasting longer than others. Just depends mainly on weather and water temps. 

Another prominent spring mayfly throughout the lower D, is the famous March Brown. This is a slightly larger, brownish gray colored mayfly that typically hatches in a size 14-16. Little early yet for these, they usually don’t start coming off hard until later this month and into April. Definitely a fun hatch to fish and is usually the hatch that kicks off consistent dry fly fishing for the rest of the season with stoneflies in May/June (salmonflies, golden stones, and yellow sallies), green drakes in May/June, and caddis caddis caddis all summer. Nymphing is getting it done, both Euro and traditional. Best of luck out out there!

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

Shop Stillwater Flies

Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

Dry and sunny out on the coast and in the valley as of late. The long range forecast doesn’t show any large rain events in the future besides a few days of showers, which likely won’t do anything to the flows except maybe at a tint of color, which is a good thing! 

Fishing remains fairly slow and inconsistent. Fish are being caught no doubt, but man are we having to work for them this year. Discouraging to see for sure, but there are still enough fish to make it worth the efforts. 

Focus on larger river systems this time of year when the water starts getting low and clear. The smaller tribs are generally too low and far too clear to be productive, so the mainstems and larger rivers are where you should be focusing your time. There will still be chrome fish moving into these systems through the end of the month. Usually the closer to April we get the lower I fish in the systems to intercept late chromers. Versus fishing high and catching spawning or already spawned out fish.

Winter Steelhead - Hood River: 

While this has been a slow steelhead year all around, look for a few more fish showing up in the Hood. We generally see the peak numbers of fish around now in this system and it will fish well into April. Both swung flies and nymph techniques are working for folks.

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Smallmouth fishing has remained pretty tough recently. Fish are still fairly spread out making them tough to find. Sinking lines with streamers and crayfish patterns are getting it done down there. People gear fishing have a better advantage of getting their presentation down in their face quicker.

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 3-2-2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

Starting to feel like spring out there recently! A warm welcome after what felt like a long yet short winter, if that makes any sense. Trout fishing has been picking up with warmer weather and some fish looking up for BWO’s more consistently. Nymph fishing has been fantastic though! I fished the Deschutes about a week ago, and had some great nymph action throughout the day. Fish ate a size 8 brown rubber legs good as well as a soft hackle pheasant tail nymph in a size 18. Water is still a little bit on the high side, but great clarity and hungry trout. Had a small window where bwo’s were coming off and managed to fool a few decent trout on the surface, but more recently (last day or two) have gotten reports from friends of better and longer dry fly windows. These winter bwo mayflies typically hatch in a size 16-20. 

The salmon fly hatch is right around the corner and March-April the fish really start keying in on the stonefly nymphs, before those nymphs start to crawl onto the shore and hatch in May. If you’d like to book a jet boat salmonfly hatch trip with Sam Sickles, visit his website at steelheadoutfitters.com. Far less pressure accessing from the mouth of the Deschutes, and plenty of great water and nice trout looking up.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

Shop Stillwater Flies

Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

Fishing remains fair to good if you are putting in the time and covering water. Certain systems seem to be producing far better than others this year, whereas last year it seemed like there were fish in all systems more consistently. Rivers on the north coast are on the drop this week and will be fishable through the weekend. There is a rain event predicted for Thursday night, so we will see how much accumulates but my guess is that it might cause a small bump in flows. 

Dead drifting beads is highly effective. I usually run orange and pink 10-12mm trout beads on a size 4 trout bead hook under a large thingamabobber with a few split shots pegged on the leader 8-12 inches above the bead. You can either peg your bead to the leader using a toothpick or trout bead pegs, or you can tie a blood knot an inch above the hook so your beads slides down to the knot and stops. Regardless, you want your bead an inch above the hook. 

Swung fly tactics are producing as well. A piece of advice for this method would be to not get stuck fishing the same setup all day if it is not producing. Switching up fly colors/sizes, changing to a heavier or lighter sink tip, or even changing out shooting heads is important. Take the time to make the necessary changes for the kind of water you’re fishing rather than just trying to make one setup “work” all day.

Winter Steelhead - Hood River: 

There are some fish around for sure on the Hood. Just like the valley rivers and the coast, both beads and swung flies will work. Cover as much water as you can throughout the day and you might have an encounter.

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Smallmouth fishing has remained pretty tough recently. Fish are still fairly spread out making them tough to find. Sinking lines with streamers and crayfish patterns are getting it done down there. People gear fishing have a better advantage of getting their presentation down in their face quicker.

Shop Carp Flies

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 2.19.2021

Yesterday on the coast with Harris Anglers

Like so much of Oregon, the North Coast experienced substantial precipitation in the last week. Most rivers are currently high, but on the drop. A couple became fishable in the last few days. The good news is that peak fish numbers are yet to come. Another bright light of the season thus far is that the fish have been running on the larger side. It’s shaping up to be a great winter to catch the steelhead of a lifetime! 

If you’d like to spend some time on the coast this winter, reach out to Charlie Piette of Harris Anglers. Current available dates are: March 2-4, 29-31, April 1-3 

Charlie Piette 

Harrisanglers.com 

920-379-8517

Trout - Deschutes River:

Trout fishing has remained pretty decent all winter long. As long as the clarity is good, the trout are responding to well presented flies. The river is a little high from the snowstorm but is fishable. Around Maupin the fishing has been fair to good the past week. Trout are stacked in their normal winter holding water and will feed on nymphs throughout the day. Their metabolism slows down in the winter so they may not be gorging like they do during the summer, but they will take advantage of a nicely presented rubber legs that floats by them. 

Standard two fly nymph rigs are working for folks, as well as European style nymphing techniques. I’ve had some of my best trout days on the Deschutes in February believe it or not. Way less crowded and fish that are not as heavily pressured can make for some good days with lots of hookups. I generally run 4x fluorocarbon tippet to my lead fly and 5x fluro to my smaller dropper fly and that seems to work great.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

Shop Stillwater Flies

Summer Steelhead - Deschutes River:

Deschutes steelhead will be going into spawning mode here pretty soon. You should not be targeting them now even though it is not technically illegal to. Leave them alone now so they can spawn and make future generations of steelhead. Besides, chrome winter fish are swimming to their home tribs on the coast and valley area as I write this report.

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Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one in terms of river levels. Fish are consistently being caught throughout many systems on the coast as well as inland rivers that get a winter run. This year, fish numbers do not seem to be as high as they were last year. We are really having to work for them this year, so enjoy them a little more if you are lucky enough to bring one to hand. 

Both swung fly techniques as well as dead drifting beads are working well. The key to swinging winter steelhead is to be persistent and keep going to the spots you know they like to hold in and keep that fly in the zone swinging as much as you can throughout the day. It will happen eventually. People fishing under indicators will hook more fish but the thrill of getting a winter on the swing is unbeatable. 

Good luck out there!

Winter Steelhead - Hood River: 

Slow start, but I have heard of a handful of winter fish caught. The Hood River generally see’s the bulk of its winter steelhead arriving a bit later than other rivers with the peak arriving in late Feb through the whole month of March and into April.

 

Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Smallmouth fishing has remained pretty tough recently. Fish are still fairly spread out making them tough to find. Sinking lines with streamers and crayfish patterns are getting it done down there. People gear fishing have a better advantage of getting their presentation down in their face quicker.

Shop Carp Flies

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 1/29/2021

Trout

Deschutes River:

The Deschutes still remains a bit on the high side but the clarity is okay. Since the Deschutes is a tailwater, the flows usually remain pretty consistent throughout the year, so I generally don’t check flows prior to my trips out east. More importantly I’m checking the water temps when targeting steelhead in the summer months. But this time of year is when it is a good idea to check flows at both madras and moody down by the mouth to gain a sense of how fishable it will be. http://levels.wkcc.org/?P=Oregon.html this website also shows water temps and is updated hourly and is my go to river flows in Oregon resource. 

 Trout fishing is fair out there. I would be nymphing most of the day with a whacky worm or stonefly nymph, and a bead head mayfly nymph as my dropper. A euro jig style pheasant tail nymph always produces well, as do red psycho princes or red copper johns as droppers. Blue wing olives, the predominant winter mayfly on the Deschutes, will hatch generally during the warmest part of the day, late afternoon and is generally a short window. Look for rising fish during this hatch in back eddies and softer runs and seams.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

Shop Stillwater Flies

Summer Steelhead

Deschutes River:

Deschutes steelhead will be going into spawning mode here pretty soon. You should not be targeting them now even though it is not technically illegal to. Leave them alone now so they can spawn and make future generations of steelhead. Besides, chrome winter fish are swimming to their home tribs on the coast and valley area as I write this report.

Shop Steelhead Flies

Winter Steelhead 

North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

This year has had a slow start for the most part. The oceans have been really rough with some king tides occurring in the second half of January. Steelhead generally don’t like swimming into their home river when the oceans are rough. The ocean is flattening out and another rain event predicted this weekend should really get it going. Low water conditions on most coastal and valley systems right now but weekend rains should get the flows up and fish moving. Look for good fishing on the drop mid next week. There are definitely fish around though so don’t be discouraged and not go. Can’t get em sitting on the couch. 

For swinging, I usually run a floating skagit head with 10 feet of either t-11 or t-14. In heavier and deeper runs, I will switch to a sinking skagit head to get me down quicker and run the same t-11 tip mostly. Black and blue is my favorite winter steelhead fly color combo, but have done well on bright orange and reds as well. For nymphing, I usually run a single 12 mm orange or pink mottled bead under a large thingamabobber. I like using the thingamabobbers over the airlocks for steelhead nymphing because they make a larger size than the biggest air locks. I also use two bobber stops to sandwich my thingamabobber and slide the leader line through the hole, instead of looping it as you are supposed to do. I have lost some big fish with the loop method because it kinks and weakens your leader and when a big fish takes off on a hard run, it can snap pretty easily.

Hood River: 

Slow start, but I have heard of a handful of winter fish caught. The Hood River generally see’s the bulk of its winter steelhead arriving a bit later than other rivers with the peak arriving in late Feb through the whole month of March and into April.

Smallmouth Bass/Carp:

Smallmouth fishing has remained pretty tough recently. Fish are still fairly spread out making them tough to find. Sinking lines with streamers and crayfish patterns are getting it done down there. People gear fishing have a better advantage of getting their presentation down in their face quicker.

Shop Carp Flies

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977

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"The Gorge"

Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977

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"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 1/16/2021

Trout

Deschutes River:

The lower Deschutes has remained pretty high and unfishable recently but from reports I’ve heard from some friends who fished yesterday down around Maupin, the river is in better shape and better visibility. A couple feet is what I heard in terms of vis down there right now. The water is a little higher than normal too with all the rain we got last week, it has blown out a bunch of tributaries including the White River, causing the Deschutes to rise and dirty up a bit. 

It is fishable to some degree now. In higher and slightly off color water you can get away with running larger presentations and your skill presenting your flies doesn’t need to be as on point. You can get away with running 3x fluorocarbon tippet to your lead fly and 4-5x fluoro to your second dropper fly. In off color water a great fly choice is a san juan worm or beadhead wiggly worm with a pheasant tail or red lightning bug as a dropper. 

Another good high water tactic is running two big flies, a worm and a stonefly is a good combination. I’ve also done well using a small streamer like a size 8 sculpzilla as my lead fly and dead drift it under an indicator and allowing it to swing at the end of my drift. I’ve hooked some truly large Deschutes trout doing this. 

Keep an eye out for the late afternoon winter blue wing olive hatch and focus efforts fishing this hatch in the back eddies with a small size 16-18 bwo sparkle dun or film critic pattern.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Until the spring...

Shop Stillwater Flies

Summer Steelhead

Deschutes River:

Deschutes steelhead will be going into spawning mode here pretty soon. You should not be targeting them now even though it is not technically illegal to. Leave them alone now so they can spawn and make future generations of steelhead. Besides, chrome winter fish are swimming to their home tribs on the coast and valley area as I write this report.

Shop Steelhead Flies

Winter Steelhead 

See the New RIO Elite Skagit's and Shooting Line

North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

Most steelhead rivers around the central and north Oregon coast as well as the valley remain pretty high at the moment, but are dropping fast and should be fishable by this weekend and into next week should be prime. General rule of thumb, if the waters high fish high. If the waters low fish low. The higher up you go in a rivers system, the less tributaries there are feeding it, and the more fishable conditions you will find. Often in low water, fish will stage up in the meat of the runs down lower in the system. 

This last big rain event caused some major flooding on many north coast rivers, so I have to imagine it will bring in a nice fresh pile of fish. Fishing the drop this weekend and into next week should be really good. 

Swinging big black and blue flies with 7-8 weight spey rods, skagit heads and t11 is the name of the game this time of year as these early Jan and Feb fish are generally pretty grabby. I’ll occasionally run a bead rig after swinging as that can be very productive as well. Covering as much water as you can is super important in the winter. I see guy’s all the time staking out a hole and fishing it all day long. This can sometimes work if the water is high enough where you have new fish recycling in and moving throughout the day. But once the river starts dropping and clearing, fish will not be busting up tailouts and moving until the safety of night comes.

Hood River: 

Slow start, but I have heard of a handful of winter fish caught. The Hood River generally see’s the bulk of its winter steelhead arriving a bit later than other rivers with the peak arriving in late Feb through the whole month of March and into April.

Smallmouth Bass/Carp:

Smallmouth fishing has remained pretty tough recently. Fish are still fairly spread out making them tough to find. Sinking lines with streamers and crayfish patterns are getting it done down there. People gear fishing have a better advantage of getting their presentation down in their face quicker.

Shop Carp Flies

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977

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North Coast Steelhead with Charlie Piette of Harris Anglers

It’s that time of year again, folks. Winter steelhead season is here! The heavy January rains have settled

in and fish are on the move. With the peak of the run yet to come, now is a great time to book a guide

trip and secure some prime dates.

Many of you have met Charlie Piette at the shop, or talked to him on the phone. He is a traveling fishing guide from Wisconsin and joined the Gorge Fly Shop Team this past fall. His steelhead affliction lured him to the Northwest in his early twenties, which eventually transpired into an additional guide season. Charlie now spends his winters working with longtime friend, Todd Harris, of Harris Anglers, out on the Oregon’s North Coast. Here’s what he has to say about the fishery:

“Steelhead fishing on the coast is one of the greatest fishing opportunities the Northwest has to offer.

Thanks to the diversity of river systems, there’s a little something for everyone. Though the coast is

known as the place to be for dedicated swing anglers, it’s also ideal for those just getting into the sport

and interested in learning a variety of techniques. Whether you are an experienced steelheader, or

hoping to catch a glimpse of one for the first time, I will plan our day accordingly to put you in position

for success.”

If you’d like to get in a boat this winter, reach out to Charlie at email or phone listed below.

Email: charliepiette@gmail.com

Mobile: 920-379-8517

Web: www.harrisanglers.com

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Gorge Fly Shop Weekly Fishing Report (January 12th)

Gorge Fly Shop Weekly Fishing Report

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