Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 4.2.2022

Trout - Deschutes River:

Lower Deschutes River 

The Lower Deschutes around the Maupin area has been fishing pretty good as of late. The Deschutes is currently still closed up at Warm Springs, Mecca Flats and Trout Creek for another few weeks. The 2022 opener is right around the corner and should be fantastic fishing as those fish haven’t seen any artificial flies in months. There are some decent blue wing olive hatches going on right now around the Maupin area, and the March Brown mayflies should be making an appearance throughout the rest of this month, particularly on cloudier days. Standard euro nymph and traditional indicator rigs are getting it done. Deschutes redsides will start to really key in on salmon and golden stonefly nymphs right now leading up to the big hatch next month. Don’t be afraid to run big flies, #4 and #6 rubber legs in black and brown will be a great fly choice for the next month. 

Middle Deschutes River 

The middle D is fishing okay right now. Water temps are still fairly cold up there but the fish are there and will eat a well presented nymph or streamer. There are plenty of good access points to fish this section of the river around Redmond and even lower as it heads towards Lake Billy Chinook. Standard double nymph rigs are working as well as swinging or stripping small sculpin streamers. The fishing should really start to pick up as we get closer to May. 

Metolius River 

The mighty Met has been producing good results recently for me. And by good results, I mean a few good fish a day. This is one of the most challenging rivers to fish anywhere, the water is crystal clear and fish are smart and won’t be fooled easily. Euro nymphing or indicator nymphing are going to be your most productive methods right now. I like running a larger golden stonefly nymph or mega prince nymph, followed by a small mayfly or caddis imitation. 2 bit hookers, skinny nelsons, ju ju baetis, or zebra midges all make for good droppers. The famous green drake hatch is around the corner and is an excellent time to fish the Metolius as it’s nearly the only time all year where the trout get a little stupid. Some of the biggest rainbows are caught during this hatch. 

The bull trout fishing has been solid. Stripping large black, olive, or white streamers around log jams and undercut banks will yield the best results. Nymphing is also productive for bulls. I use a large size #4 rubber legs when I nymph for them but they’ll eat just about any nymph you would use for rainbow fishing. 7 and 8 weight rods with heavy tippet are necessary as your chance of hooking a 15 lb fish are pretty good if you know where to find them.

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Mount Hood Lakes:

Going to be awhile before we see any mountain lake action. Stay tuned...

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Steelhead - 

For the latest on fishing regulations in your angling zone visit https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/

Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Pre spawn fishing is beginning to happen right now in the Columbia River Gorge. Water is still a little cold, so focus on slowing your presentation down to allow them to eat it. Slow stripping streamers, baitfish, and crayfish patterns is producing the best results. Look for back eddies and side sloughs as well as certain shallow flats on the main river. Plenty of access all up and down the Gorge off of I-84.

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 10/8/2021

Travis with Artic Char

Trout - Deschutes River:

Trout fishing on the Lower Deschutes River has been very productive. With the recent steelhead closures, many people are switching gears to fish trout this fall. Lots of people, myself included, don’t want to give up fishing two handers this fall just because steelhead fishing is closed. The trout spey fishing on the Lower Deschutes in the fall can be epic. 

Water is cooling, days are getting shorter, and the trout are looking for big meals to fill them up before the winter ahead. I primarily utilize my trout spey to fish small streamers with a little skagit scout head and 10 feet of T-8 sink tip. The tight line grab is very similar to that of a steelhead grab but it happens a lot more often. Give it a try this fall if you plan to be fishing the Deschutes. 

With some cold water still coming out the dam, and some cool night time temperatures, the trout are eating aggressively trying to fatten up before winter. All the standard nymphs are working great as well as October caddis pupae as your lead fly. There is some dry fly opportunity still with caddis and some small pmd mayfly hatches going off in the afternoons.

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We have great stock of Airflo Fly Lines and Airflo Spey Lines

Mount Hood Lakes:

The lakes are a great place to beat the heat and cool off and catch a mess of fish. Stripping nymphs and small leeches/buggers on an intermediate line is a great method up there. You can use a floating line as well, but I would make a really long leader and some weighted flies to get down in the column. Nymphing with chironomids and balanced leeches under an indicator is another productive lake technique. Have fun up there!

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Steelhead - 

Effective on September 28th, 2021

Deschutes River (Central Zone)

Mouth to Moody Rapids - Includes the Deschutes River mouth at the westbound Interstate 84 Bridge upstream to the marker at the lower end of Moody Rapids.

• All angling is closed through December 31.

Moody Rapids to Sherars Falls - Includes the Deschutes River from the marker at the lower end of Moody Rapids upstream to Sherars falls.  

• September 1 – October 31: Closed to angling for and retention of steelhead.
• November 1 – December 31: Closed to angling for and retention of steelhead and coho.

Sherars Falls to Pelton Dam - From the Deschutes River at Sherars Falls upstream to Pelton Reregulating Dam.

• October 1 - December 31: Closed to angling for and retention of steelhead and coho.

For the latest on fishing regulations in your angling zone visit https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/

Oregon Coast Rockfish

Oregon Coast Rockfishing bite has been stellar and is loads of fun. Folks who are lucky enough to be in a dory style boat hovering over shallow reefs with heavy sinking lines are having no problem getting limits of black rockfish and the occasional keeper lingcod. I’ve also seen some people getting coho trolling pink flies which looks like a riot! Something I need to try. 

If you don’t have a boat, no problem. The jetties fish well year around when the conditions allow. Go on a calm day when the swell is reported below 5 feet and no rain. Stay safe out there and avoid going alone.

Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Warm water species continue to fish well. Carp fishing will remain good through the next couple weeks before it will start cooling off and the true PNW fall weather rolls in. Bass fishing remains strong on the Columbia as well as the Willamette.

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-Zach Parker

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 5.16.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

The big bug hatch is officially ON! 

With this hot weather we’ve had the past 3 days, it has really got the salmonflies and golden stones active and flying which get the trout keyed in on the surface. The weekend weather looks hot, so the fishing should be fantastic. 

The past two days I had great success on a #8 purple chubby chernobyl with a #8 black rubber legs dropped four feet off the back. I was fishing higher up on the Deschutes where they weren’t on the dries hard enough for me to cut the dropper off and fish just dry. Lots of good action though on the nymph during the day, then when the sun went behind the canyon walls got some dry fly eats on the big bug. 

There are also yellow sallies and lots of caddis hatching right now too and I did find a few fish tucked up on the bank sipping caddis in the evening. Dry fly angler’s paradise! The fish have been waiting all year to gorge on these big insects and now's the time to go!

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Lake Fishing:

Coming soon!

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Steelhead - 

Coming soon!

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

 Smallmouth fishing has remained steady this spring. As weather and water temps continue to increase, the fish will become more responsive and less lethargic. Early spring, slow your presentation down significantly as the fish aren’t as aggressive. There are still some great smallies being caught now around the Columbia basin and should only get better. Slow stripping baitfish and small streamer patterns is an excellent strategy as is fishing a jig style fly under an indicator.

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-Zach Parker

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 4.28.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

The lower D is a good option right now pre salmon fly hatch. The nymphs are getting active as we are only about a week or two out from the hatch to start down low around the confluence with the Columbia. Hot weather is generally what triggers these bugs to crawl out onto the banks of the Deschutes and take flight, so keep an eye on the weather reports in the coming weeks. The hatch will start down low and slowly progress its way upriver towards Warm Springs as water and air temps increase. 

The streamer bite was getting it done for me this past weekend, as were the standard nymphs that I always talk about. I was running a two stonefly nymph setup with a large size 4-6 rubber legs as top fly and dropped down to a little jig style stonefly nymph in a #10.

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Lake Fishing:

Coming soon...

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Winter Steelhead - 

Winter steelhead fishing is pretty much done. Soon, July and chrome summer steelhead is right around the corner. That’s what I love about Oregon, when one season winds down, another one is not far off. 

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Talked to a buddy who made his first trip of the year out on the Big C where it was a quality over quantity game. He brought to hand 3 very large pre spawn female smallies fishing small baitfish patterns on a sinking line. This fishing should only pick up as water temperatures increase and the bass get ready to spawn in May/June.

While Greg is always probing with float and fly for big smallmouths he has been pushing his flies a little deeper and found some toothy critters to take interest. 

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 4.15.2021

Trout - Deschutes River:

The Deschutes fished good for me this past weekend. Fish were eating swung sculpins really well. Water temps are hovering in the high 40s right now and fish were still receptive to swung flies. The further into spring/summer we go the more aggressive the trout will get to these bigger meals. It’s often best to fish this technique in the mornings before the hatches get going. I fished a sculpin on my 4 weight trout spey with 10 feet of T-8 and had some awesome grabs and super healthy looking trout brought to hand. 

Nymphing was good too, fish were eating rubber legs and small red copper john droppers and soft hackle pheasant tail nymphs throughout the day. On Saturday, it was cloudy and stormy which had the mayflies out and about, saw both blue wings and a few march browns. Got a few decent trout to eat on top, but the sub surface fishing was more effective. There were also some caddis flying around on Sunday which was a warmer and sunnier day. Get out and go fishing! The big bugs will be here before we know it.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Coming soon...

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Winter Steelhead - 

Winter steelhead fishing is pretty much done. Soon, July and chrome summer steelhead is right around the corner. That’s what I love about Oregon, when one season winds down, another one is not far off. 

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Smallmouth Bass / Carp:

Start searching the river points and gravel bars. Fish Clouser Minnows and RIO's Meat Sweats flies. If fish don't come up for streamers go deep with craw patterns in the rocks. On windy days fish a float and fly rig with a Solitude Dead Drop Minnow on drops offs and main river points. Always watch the flats for mudding carp and if you find them don't forget to look behind them. You might find a smallmouth hanging close to snatch up with ole Mr. carp could get a grip on. 

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 4/9/2021

Please take a minute to read this important message from Travis regarding the state of product inventory availability problems

Trout - Deschutes River:

Lots of quality trout to be had on the Lower as of late. Similar to the last report, stonefly nymphs are getting more and more active with warming temperatures and the start of the annual hatch on the near horizon. Going to be in the low 70s next week! Spring has finally arrived and the trout are responding well. Both euro and traditional nymphing techniques work great, whatever you prefer, but the trout are eating a size 4-8 black or brown rubber legs super well right now. There are some giant nymphs in the Deschutes so don’t be afraid to run the big # 4’s. 

March browns in a #12-14 and blue winged olives in a #18 are bugs that should be on your radar for dry fly activity this time of year. I like a film critic or sparkle dun to imitate a blue wing olive and a standard parachute adams for a march brown. The big hatch is only a few weeks away so make sure you’re salmonfly and golden stone patterns are dialed! 

We have a good selection of patterns for this hatch. Norm woods special, clarks stone, stimulators or a good ole fashion chubby chernobyl. Stop in the shop to get loaded up for some great dry fly fishing in the coming months! 

The hatch will begin at the mouth of the Deschutes and slowly progress its way upstream towards mecca flats and warm springs. That area of the Deschutes opens on April 22nd as well, and will be fishing great as those fish haven’t seen our flies all winter.

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Lake Fishing:

Pretty snowy and cold up at the lakes. Coming soon...

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Winter Steelhead - North Oregon Coast + Portland Metro area 

Winter steelhead fishing is pretty much done. There actually was a surprising number of bright fish that have been showing up in the past few weeks, but it’s time to let those fish do their thing and spawn in peace. Besides, July and chrome summer steelhead is right around the corner. That’s what I love about Oregon, when one season winds down, another one is not far off. 

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 the bronzebacks up from the depths to the shallows in search of a meal. As conditions warm fish lightweight streamer patterns slowly. If fish don't come up for streamers go deep with craw patterns in the rocks. On windy days fish a float and fly rig on drops offs and main river points. 

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-Zach Parker

"The Gorge"

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Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports - 07/01/2016

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report - 07/01/2016

We have been very busy in the shop here with great weather, lots of tourists and fisherpeople coming through, we haven't been able to get a report up the past few weeks.  Fishing is pretty darn good throughout the area, so go get a line wet.

SAGE SALE

The famous Hexagenia mayfly hatch has arrived.  I had a bunch of them on the back of my house last night that came out of the Columbia.  The giant yellow mayflies drive Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brook Trout absolutely bonkers.  Merrill Lake in Washington is the most famous lake with a hex hatch, but many other lakes get a hatch too.  Some lakes like Timothy Lake get a hatch, but it can be very short, just a couple of days sometimes.  Merrill's hatch can last well into late July, while others will be done by the 4th.  The Columbia gets a decent hatch too and it is a fun time to go strip hex nymphs for carp in the shallows.

The bugs hatch at night, so fishing a nymph in the evening is a good idea.  Throwing a dry right at sunset in the shallow, muddy area will also produce some nice fish.  There are some monster fish that only eat insects during this one hatch every year and then are never seen again.  This is the lake equivalent of the salmonfly hatch, so plan a day or two of lake fishing in the next couple of weeks and you might just be transformed into a lake fisherman.

Steelhead fishing is still slowly moving along.  The Clackamas has reportedly been fairly good.  The Klickitat has mostly remained in good shape, although the fishing hasn't been too great.  It is more of a late summer show there.  The Deschutes has been very slow for steelhead for the few guys that have gone out.  The river has punched above 70 degrees every day this week, so please limit your fishing to the morning hours as the chances of a steelhead surviving a battle and release in 70+ degree water is low.  There has been no announcement of afternoon closures on the Deschutes yet from ODFW, but it happened last year when the river was over 70 every day.

Trout fishing on the Deschutes has been good lately, especially upstream from Maupin.  Caddis hatches have been thick and there have been days lately when the fish want to eat dries all day.  Be prepared with the nymph rod, but hope that they are on surface flies...

Carp fishing should be great with the Hex hatch going on in the Columbia. Throw a hex nymph and pull it slowly through carpy areas...

Smallmouth Bass fishing has been absolutely fantastic on the John Day River.  Poppers all day...  The Columbia has been good, but they haven't been as apt to eat poppers.

SAGE SALE

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 Reports (05/29/2016)

Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports (05/29/2016)

Hood River from the Washington side

Fishing is still great throughout the area.  Oregon trout streams are mostly open now as the general trout season started on Saturday, May 28.  This opens the East Fork of the Hood for trout only (it's never open for salmon or steelhead).  Eagle Creek near Bonneville Dam is another nice trout stream that is open near here now.  The West Fork of the Hood is always closed above punchbowl falls...

May and June are the best months to catch a nice brookie!

The Washington small streams are opening either June 1 or the first Saturday in June.  Check the WA regulations.  The Klickitat opens June 1 for trout and steelhead.  Trout Lake Creek is a small trout stream in Washington that is fun to fish and is absolutely gorgeous.  It opens Saturday June 4.


Most area lakes are open now.  Goose Lake, Lost Lake, Laurence Lake, Timothy Lake, Clear Lake and Trillium Lake are some of our local favorites and all are fishing very well right now for rainbow, brown and brook trout (and the occasional cutthroat trout)  There are countless other lakes in the area that are all fishing well now too but not as popular.  Get a map, do some research and get a rod in the water.  A lot of the lakes are inundated with flying ants right now and the fish are gorging on them.  An olive woolly bugger will produce fish all day, as well as Callibaetis nymphs & dries, and some lakes may be holding damselfly nymphs already.

The Deschutes River is still fishing very well for Redband Rainbow Trout.  Just because the salmonflies are done doesnt mean that fishing is any worse than it was when the salmonflies were thick.  It can be very, very good right now.  Anglers just have to change flies, locations and strategies a little more often and they can have just as productive of a day as any.  The strategy starts basically with PMD nymphs in the morning (often doubled with a caddis nymph or stonefly nymph), and the possibility of a hatch late morning in shallow riffles.  Trout are also eating stoneflies, both goldens and yellow sallies opportunistically throughout the day.  They are also eating caddis pupae in the afternoon through evening with a chance at catching fish on caddis dries in the late evening.

Bass fishing is phenomenal right now!

Steelhead fishing is fair to good on the Sandy and the Clackamas, as well as the Kalama.  The Washougal opens June 4 too, and it can be very productive in June.  The Klickitat opens June 1, but is typically not productive until later in the summer.  There are always early fish in all the local rivers, including the Deschutes, but the best strategy for steelhead is to go where the most fish are and right now, the bulk of the summer steelhead are in the lower Columbia tributaries for now.

Smallmouth Bass are biting topwater flies on the Columbia.  Many of the fish in the river spawned recently and are looking for food more than they normally are.  Big fish are still more likely to be caught near the bottom, but fishing is great nonetheless.  The John Day River is fishing well for bass too.  Topwater poppers all day long...

Spring Chinook fishing continues in the area.  The Klickitat, Wind and Hood Rivers are great places to go soak some roe for a fish or two.  Ryan Davey and I spent an hour fishing the other day and got one nice buck that went straight onto the bbq and it was much appreciated by all my neighbors and friends that came over that night.  I fish for salmon for food as it is far, far more productive to use roe than a fly, although fly anglers occasionally catch salmon on the fly around here.

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

Clackamas:

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

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (05/01/2016)

Spring is here and the fish are biting.  Whatever you like to fish for, it is likely swimming around our area looking to get caught. 

Salmonflies are hatching!!!!

Rainbow Trout fishing in the Deschutes River are getting all the attention right now.  Adult Salmonflies and Golden Stoneflies can be seen crawling in the brush and flying up through Maupin according to the recent reports.  Most trout have been focused on the nymphs, but the dry fly action should be getting better and better over the next few weeks.  Be prepared for fish to be on either the dries or the nymphs.  Trout can also be found eating caddis in the evenings and occasionally mayfly nymphs during the day.  The Green Drake hatch will be coming up soon, so it is a good idea to have a few patterns ready if you are going to be out on the Deschutes in May.  It can be very sporadic, anywhere between epic and nonexistent, but it sure sucks to be there when its happening with no matching flies.

Ryan is an addict, bass are his drug

Smallmouth Bass fishing has also been incredible lately.  Ryan and I snuck out last week and checked out a small impoundment on the side of the Columbia.  It was loaded with smallmouth bass, a few nice ones too.  The fish are not quite thick in the spawning shallows yet, they are moving through the infamous "transition zones". We caught plenty of bass on clousers and big woolly buggers and even a couple on poppers.  The big fish were still near the bottom in 5-6' of water and wanted the fly deep.

This spring salmon went
right onto the BBQ!

Steelhead fishing is poor to fair right now.  Anglers are reporting mostly "kelts" or post-spawn steelhead on their way back out towards the ocean on the Hood River.  There are a few fresh fish around, including a summer steelhead or two.  May can be pretty good for summer steelhead on the lower Columbia tributaries like the Cowlitz, Sandy, Clackamas and Kalama. Summer Steelhead don't move into the Gorge Tributaries like the Klickitat and Deschutes with any consistency until August.  Early season fish are more likely found lower in the system.  You can catch a fresh steelhead around here any day of the year, but there are definitely better times than others.

Spring Chinook are starting to move up the Columbia in decent numbers.  The mouth of the Wind River and Drano Lake (Little White Salmon) have had the best action so far.  This is mostly because the fish are staging in the colder water at the mouths of those rivers as they move up the Columbia.  The fish being caught are not moving upstream in those tributaries, just using the mouths as a staging area.

Our rivers in the Gorge typically don't see a big push of Chinook until mid-May, but there are definitely a few around.  Several of our regulars have reported hooking fresh springers in the Hood.  The Deschutes is now open from the mouth to Sherar's Falls as of today (May 1).  The Klickitat is only open to Lyle Falls (mile 1.4) and only three days a week.  (Monday, Wednesdays and Saturdays)  Springers are still not easy to catch on a fly rod, but I never underestimate a motivated angler with a big fly rod.

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.

Local Water Flow Reports

Hood River:

USGS

NOAA

Deschutes near Madras:

USGS

Deschutes at the mouth:

USGS

NOAA

Columbia River water temperatures going through Bonneville Dam:

FPC Water Temps

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

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (4/11/16)

Winter Steelhead fishing is winding down across the area.  The hardcore steelhead junkies are still hitting it like it's batting practice and catching fish too, but effort and catch rates are declining in general as many anglers are focusing on the spring trout fishing.

After months of swinging away, Ryan finally got his first Hood River steelhead on Sunday evening and it was a nice little piece of redemption after a winter of missed opportunities and empty swings.

**Update on the Hood and Deschutes River Spring Chinook Season:

Hood, Deschutes Rivers open for spring chinook in 2016
THE DALLES, Ore. - The popular spring chinook fisheries on the Deschutes and Hood rivers will open this spring.

Deschutes River
According to Jason Seals, ODFW fish biologist, managers are predicting over 4,000 adult hatchery fish will return to the Deschutes, which is well above management goals to obtain hatchery broodstock and other management needs.

"If the run comes back as predicted, chinook salmon fishing on the Deschutes should be excellent," he said.

"The Deschutes River fishery below Sherars Falls is extremely popular because it offers a great chance to catch a Columbia River spring chinook from the bank," he continued. "In recent years, as many as 10,000 anglers have participated in the fishery annually."

Here is a summary of the temporary rules for the Deschutes River adopted by ODFW:

  *   Open for adipose fin-clipped chinook from May 1 through July 31 from the mouth of the Deschutes at the I-84 bridge upstream to Sherars Falls.
  *   The catch limit is one adult adipose fin-clipped salmon per day, and five adipose fin-clipped jack salmon per day.
  *   All non-adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon must be released unharmed.
  *   It is unlawful to continue to fish from Sherars Falls downstream to the upper railroad trestle after taking a daily bag limit of one adult chinook salmon.


Hood River

Managers are predicting far fewer adult fish returning to the Hood River-about 970 hatchery fish.
According to Seals, the Hood River offers another good opportunity to catch a spring chinook from the bank but in conditions that are much less crowded than on the Deschutes.
In addition, the removal of Powerdale Dam in the summer of 2010 expanded the legal angling area and offers anglers considerably more room to spread out.

Here is a summary of the temporary rules for the Hood River adopted by ODFW:

*        Open for adipose fin-clipped chinook from April 15 through June 30 from the mouth to mainstem confluence with the East Fork, and the West Fork from the confluence with the mainstem upstream to the angling deadline 200 feet downstream of Punchbowl Falls.
*        The catch limit is two adult adipose fin-clipped salmon per day, and five adipose fin-clipped jack salmon per day.

All non-adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon must be released unharmed.

This is good news for salmon anglers drooling at their chance to catch a delicious, fresh spring salmon.  You can always check the general regulations online before you go:  http://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/pageFlip/

The Hood River regulations appear on page 49 and 50.

Rainbow Trout fishing on the Deschutes River has been good and getting better lately.  It is about time to start drowning stonefly nymphs under an indicator.  March Browns are hatching, but loads of fish are looking for a stonefly nymph first and foremost.  There are prediction of another early stonefly hatch this year.  From now through May should be epic.

Just a word on lakes: Laurence Lake is closed until April 22. We tend to get a few phone calls this time of year asking if the road is open or if the fishing is good, but regardless of the status of the road, the lake is closed.  If it warms up enough, there can be quite a few anglers on the water in April despite the closure.  Other lakes in the Gorge that are closed until April include Spearfish and Rowland.

Other lakes in the area are open, but access is limited due to snow.  I went up to the mountain on Wednesday to see if I could get into Timothy Lake.  The road had a little too much snow for me about a half mile from the highway with about nine to go.

I went over to Clear Lake instead and had to walk in about a mile from the snow blockage, but fishing was pretty good.  I only hooked four fish in six hours, but all four were toads.  I only put one in the net and it flopped out before I was able to snap a picture.  It was absolutely gorgeous up there and very serene to have such a big lake all to myself.  All the fish I hooked were on a brown woolly bugger stripped very slow near the bottom in 6-10' of water near the stumps.

Smallmouth Bass have been somewhat sporadic this past week, but there have been some really encouraging reports.  The Columbia River flows have increased dramatically, which has really messed with the basses' routines, but they really want to eat.  They have started chasing spinners, crankbaits and baitfish patterns when they are on the bite. Things will only get better too as spring gets further along.  Once the Columbia flow stays steady for a few days, the fish should get back into a good routine and be more consistent  They are not in the shallow backwaters yet, but it shouldn't be too far off.




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.

Local Water Flow Reports

Hood River:

USGS

NOAA

Sandy:  The NOAA prediction site is way upriver from where most of us fish.  It tells us when the river will rise and drop, but does not reflect the flows that we see down below the Bull Run River.  For real-time conditions, we use the USGS site. 

USGS

NOAA

Clackamas:

USGS

NOAA

Deschutes near Madras:

USGS

Deschutes at the mouth:

USGS

NOAA

Columbia River water temperatures going through Bonneville Dam:

FPC Water Temps

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

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

Columbia Gorge Fishing Report (4/3/16)

April 3, 2016

Blushing Wild Steel!

Winter Steelhead fishing will be coming to an end in much of the region over the next few weeks.  There are always a few late fish moving in through April and many of our rivers get a nice push of early Summer Steelhead in May, but Spring Chinook are getting the bulk of anglers’ attention as of late and will only continue to attract anglers as passage numbers increase through Bonneville Dam.  Not the easiest fly- rod fare, but arguably the best eating fish that we have access to here.

The ODFW regulations do not mention if there is a Springer season on the Hood River this year as of Sunday, April 03.  We will investigate and post on next week’s report if we can find if there is a season this year.

http://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing/pageFlip/
The Hood River regulations appear on page 49 and 50.

Washington fishing licenses expired on March 31.  It’s time to renew before you get
caught off guard and get a nasty little ticket.

A winter beauty

I went out for one last hurrah of winter steelheading with Sam
Sickles of Steelhead Outfitters and we had a great day on the Sandy.  Managed to land one beauty of a wild fish and had a couple of other chances.  I am so grateful that I got to float one of the most beautiful stretches of river anywhere and it’s right in our backyard.

Rainbow Trout fishing has been great on the Deschutes River as of late.  March Browns have been hatching mid-day with the nice hot weather and Skwala dries have been working early in the day too.  Fishing a stonefly/skwala nymph under an indicator doubled with a March Brown nymph is the way to go.  The fish have been hot and hungry.  It is a great time to hit the river before it gets loaded up with anglers anticipating the salmonfly hatch.

Just a word on lakes: Laurence Lake is closed until April 22. We tend to get a few phone calls this time of year asking if the road is open or if the fishing is good, but regardless of the status of the road, the lake is closed.  If it warms up enough, there can be quite a few anglers on the water in April despite the closure.  Other lakes in the Gorge that are closed until April 22 include Spearfish and Rowland.


Other lakes in the area are open, but access is limited due to snow.  Kingsley Reservoir is usually the first lake to become accessible in the Hood River area when the snow starts to melt and fishing is ridiculously good as soon as you can get up there.  Goose Lake near Trout Lake, WA is another lake that is really good when you can first get in there.  Timothy Lake, Trillium Lake and Clear Lake are all wonderful spring fisheries near Mt. Hood, but snowpack is still significant and it might be a while unless you have some cross country skis.

Ryan and his little girl having a blast on the Columbia

Smallmouth Bass have finally started biting on the Columbia River.  They are not fully piled into the backwaters yet, but nice fish can be found near deep water on rocks and in front of bays.  Keep your fly (or jig) near (on) the bottom and work it slow.  Crayfish patterns would be my first choice today.


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.

Local Water Flow Reports

Hood River:

USGS

NOAA

Sandy:  The NOAA prediction site is way upriver from where most of us fish.  It tells us when the river will rise and drop, but does not reflect the flows that we see down below the Bull Run River.  For real-time conditions, we use the USGS site. 

USGS

NOAA

Clackamas:

USGS

NOAA

Deschutes near Madras:

USGS

Deschutes at the mouth:

USGS

NOAA

Columbia River water temperatures going through Bonneville Dam:

FPC Water Temps

Columbia Gorge Fishing Reports

Photo Credit Andrew Perrault

Gorge Fly Shop Fishing Report Archive 

May 11, 2015

Fishing continues to be consistent around the area for a variety of species and situations. May is a great time to be out on the water.

Rainbow Trout on the Deschutes River are the primary focus for our area fly anglers right now. This is very typical during the second half of May. The Salmonfly hatch has moved upstream of Maupin now and fish have turned on to the dry flies throughout a large portion of the river. Drowning a rubber-leg nymph under an indicator will produce nice fish early in the morning, but the dry fly action should be good this week through most of the river during the day, with both Golden Stone and Salmonfly patterns. A small caddis pattern should also catch some nice fish in the evenings if they turn off of the stoneflies.

Remember that there is NO FISHING FROM A BOAT ON THE DESCHUTES and also, fishing on the Warm Springs Reservation is highly regulated, so check the regulations before you start fishing on the wrong side… Some sections require a permit and others are prohibited all together.

Spring Chinook are still showing in decent numbers. It is getting to be the mid-point in the run and we are looking at a great year so far. A few guys have picked them up on fly rods, but the best action has been on bait or plugs at Drano Lake and the Wind River, where boat anglers are producing good catch rates and nice bright fish. There are few fish still in the Lower Klickitat and Hood River, (the trap at Lyle Falls on the Klickitat only had one fish per day for several days last week), but both of those rivers historically fish better starting after Mother’s Day. Targeting Chinook on a fly rod is still a frustrating game, but I never underestimate a stubborn man with a good fly rod.

Just a reminder… the Klickitat River is only open below Lyle Falls (mile 1.4) and is only open there on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays.... The river above LYLE FALLS is currently closed, and opens for summer steelhead on JUNE 1. Drano Lake is also closed on Wednesdays…

Winter Steelhead fishing has been done for a few weeks now, but historically, there are usually a few early Summer Steelhead in the area this time of year. The Clackamas, Sandy and the Kalama all tend to get an early summer steelhead run, usually starting in May. There is generally very little pressure this time of year for summer steelhead on those rivers. Traditionally, our summer fish don’t start showing up in the Gorge until quite a bit later in the season. There are usually a few (very few) caught early in June on the Klickitat after it opens, but then it is typically pretty tough until mid to late August when temps start to fall and the water clarity cleans up. (The Klickitat and Hood both run very muddy during the summer).

Smallmouth Bass are a really good option right now in the Columbia River, with bigger fish working the shallows aggressively. The level of the Columbia has gone up and down over three feet this past week, which dramatically reduced the productivity of bass fishing last week; but it was just temporarily. Things should level out a bit as the two local dams should be wrapping up their annual high-water push to get the salmon smolt downstream and fishing should return to its near epic levels. The fluctuations of river level move the fish around a lot and make it harder to keep their whereabouts in check. The bass would prefer a steady flow, and we should see more of that coming up soon.

The “smallies” are chowing down on a variety of flies, such as clousers, crayfish and big woolly buggers. A floating or intermediate sinking line will work just fine with an 8-10# leader and a six or seven weight fly rod. A boat is nice, and a float tube works great in a lot of places if the wind is down, but there are plenty of places that one can fish from shore.

The John Day River has also been fishing really well for smallmouth bass. It is a lot easier to access and the fish are very easy to catch. They love topwater poppers, ants, grasshoppers and dragonflies. There are plenty of fish, but the big 3#+ fish are less common than in the Columbia this time of year. It is a great place to take someone new to fishing, or if you have had a rough winter of steelheading and need to get that rod bent with little effort.

Many of our local lakes are fishing well right now for Rainbow, Brown and Brook Trout. Pick a lake and it is likely fishing well. Timothy and Trillium Lakes near Government Camp, OR are both producing some very nice trout as well as Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, OR. Lost Lake is always a good spot to catch some fish, but not much in the way of solitude. The same goes for Kingsley Reservoir near Hood River. It’s a good fishery, but it is crowded with all walks of life from four wheelers and motorbikers to drunken twenty-somethings on vinyl alligator pool floats.

Goose Lake near Trout Lake, WA has been excellent for numbers of smaller trout. Rowland, Spearfish and Horsethief Lakes are fishing very well for stocked rainbows, as well as Maryhill Pond on the Washington side of Biggs Junction.

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"