Today that dang high pressure system that created the inversion for the last 2 weeks finally blew out of here. We had some winds this morning, and all the fog was gone and a much warmer air mass is sitting over us here.
So happy to be out of the freezing fog. Right now it is a balmy 45 degrees in Sisters!
This is great news for fishing the next several days.
Here is what is happening on the local rivers.
Metolius has been good for Bull Trout (Adam from the shop got 2 swinging streamers yesterday) and good for trout on nymphs. We’ve had our best success on Golden Stones, 20 inchers, Small Cheeseburgers, Mr Peacock, Oct Caddis Pupa and running an Olive Micro Mayfly, Frenchie, Zebra Midge or Soft Hackle PT (jig style is our favorite). Egg’s are slowing down a little but the fish still want to eat them.
Even during that cold snap, about 1 PM the BWO’s came off for 20 minutes or so and usually fish were poking noses up on the duns. Worth having a dry fly rod ready in my opinion, but nymphing in December is your best chance.
Crooked was cold, but even though the water was about 40 degrees the fish are eating tiny black midge larva like the thread midge and zebra midge. We’ve also been taking fish on Frenchie’s and on Scuds.
I say this every year, but when the water gets cold and low in the winter, really stop using a thingamabobber. It’s not detecting nearly enough of the strikes you are getting. Increase your numbers by going Czech style with a sighter and tight line, or go to a NZ Wool Indicator or Tiemco Foam Indicator. We will show you how to use them and where to put them on your leader for optimal success.
Fall River is good from the Hatchery to below the Falls. Some Midges and BWO’s hatching in the the afternoon around 1, otherwise it is a small nymph show with a 2 Bit Hooker or Zebra Midge being the best flies on a light 6x fluorocarbon tippet.
If the fish are rising, we recommend 7x now for best results in actually getting the (dang) fish to look at your emerger, cripple or dun. A KD Dun is a killer pattern if they are on BWO’s, and we have some awesome Fall River midges to try.
Lower Deschutes is open from Warm Springs down and is worth the day for sure. Some steelhead are being caught on sink tips and leeches, and also on Cheeseburgers and Purple Copper John’s.
The trout fishing is OK, with water temps at 46 they are pretty active and taking sculpins, stonefly nymphs, midge larva, worms, eggs (chinook spawn) and drifting caddis and mayfly nymphs doing seasonal drift patterns.
Middle Deschutes from Bend upstream to Benham Falls is good. Mostly nymphing but also with Streamers. The water is low through there and easy to access in most spots.
Downstream of Bend is a little more iffy, as the water is higher and that makes wading and access tough.
Stonefly Nymphs with a Hares Ear dropper is a good winter combo, but san juan worms, eggs, midges and PT’s are certainly flies I’d nymph now, and Sculpzilla’s on a strip or swing off a sink tip will be fun if the bigger fish come out to play.