With such major shifts in weather and water conditions and openings that are quickly occurring, I wanted to do the report on Friday so it will be fresh for the weekend folks planning to finally come over and get on the water.

I’ll start with excellent hatch news on the Metolius, and that is the Green Drakes are definitely on the water now, with fair to good afternoon hatches occurring between 2 and 5. The hatch won’t be 3 hours long, but there will be a “session” to fish within that period of the day. From now through the 3rd week of June this will be a daily occurrence and it’s time to get your drake game on. We had some customers yesterday that rushed back to the shop to get more Extended Body Drakes, which is often a good pattern, also get Film Critics, Sparkle Duns, Comparaduns and Parachutes.
PMD’s #16 are also a good to great hatch now. Sparkle Duns, Film Critics, KD Duns, Winger and Captive Duns for the transitional patterns, and comparaduns and parachutes for the adults. Longer evening fishing hours will bring good opportunities for Rusty Spinners.
We expect to see some good caddis hatches with the hot weather. Make sure you have some Iris Caddis, Corn Fed, X Caddis and Missing Links in the afternoons and evenings this week.
If you’re out in the morning before the hatches match your nymphs to what you know will be in the hatch cycle later that day. #16 Brown Nymphs, #16 Red Nymphs, #8-10 Drake Nymphs, #14-16 Caddis Pupa, #6-10 Golden Stone Nymphs (not hatching yet, but always a great nymph).
Some nice Bull Trout have been caught this week on big streamers. Not a super surprise, but worth sharing if you’re planning to head out there with the big rod.
Please don’t forget the seasonal closure on the upper river from Allingham to the Headwaters. It opens on the 22nd of May and it’s important to let that spawning area marinate to perfection.

The Salmonfly Hatch is ON down on the Lower Deschutes. Mix in Golden Stones, Yellow Sally’s, PMD’s, Caddis and Green Drakes and it has high potential for a dry fly bonanza.
We’ve got some open days with 1 or 2 guides coming up over the peak hatch time the next two weeks.
May 13 = 1 guide, 14 = 1, 15 = 1, 17 = 2, 18 = 2, 20 = 1, 22 = 1, 23 = 1, 24 = 1 and 25 = 2
If you need a guide during the big hatch, we have some accommodations for you.

The Salmonfly hatch is also going well on the Middle Deschutes where it moves through areas at a faster clip than on the Lower River. Steelhead Falls area is probably the best place the next few days for big bugs including Salmonflies and Golden Stones. It’ll be up around Tumalo and above Bend by this time next week.

The Crooked River Bureau of Reclamation website I use for river levels shows it is 800 cfs as I write this report at 1:30 PM, but there is some evidence on that same site we use that shows the graph view, and that the river dropped to 600 cfs today.
Either way, the river is likely fishable, but not very wadeable.
Fire Starter Jigs, Rainbow Warriors and Perdigons with a good fluorescent orange hot spot, plus add some split shot if you think you need it.
I had a good customer tell me that he and his friend did well using a Birds Nest under an indicator and the fly wasn’t even fished deep at all. They got about 40 fish to that rig!
I think by this time next week we will see the flows on the Crooked at pretty normal seasonal levels and the high water will be behind us. It won’t be long until the Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch is going too.

The Fall River has been good for our guides, and also hearing from some customers about good fishing around the hatchery area and up from the campground to the headwaters.
I have not talked to anyone who went around the tubes lately.
Many of our fish have been caught lately on small streamers. Hatches are good and getting better. I would expect to see Green Drakes doing well here this week and into next week.
PMD, BWO, Midges, Caddis, Beetles and Ants are all good dries throughout the day.
Remember the Falls to the Deschutes is also closed until 5/22. Keep above the Falls and avoid a ticket.

The Mckenzie is running hard and fast and cold and we are waiting for a little reprieve from that.

Crane Prairie had no docks installed as of yesterday. Steve had a guide trip there and they had some good take down with about 9 fish landed all on black balanced leeches. He called the USFS and asked about dock installation and they told him it was on their radar and wanted to go on the day they could do a bunch of the lakes in the same day. My guess is with Lava Lake opening today that that will happen really soon now.
If there is no breeze or wind, be prepared for the biblical gnat hatch. Sun Gloves and a head/neck/mouth gaiter, or mosquito head net. It can be nuts.

The Road to East and Paulina will open 5/15/24. I mistakenly said 5/12 in an earlier report.
I am not sure if East is ice free yet. I would guess it will be by Wednesday with the hot days and wind we are getting in the mountains. Hopeful the Paulina Lake Lodge Ramp will have (fee) parking and launching again until the USFS sites open. I’ll find out and add to another report when I hear.

Lava Lake access opened today. I like it at Lava in the early season because there is usually good fishing to be had in shallow zones and that many hatch might drive you off of Crane but not usually as intense at Lava.
Leeches, Callibaetis Nymphs, Damsel Nymphs, Chironomids. Should be about the same at Little Lava.

No access to Hosmer yet. Looks like 5/21 is when the rest of the highway will be opened, but no way to know if the access to the boat ramp will be ok as that is not plowed.

No access to 3 Creeks Lake. The owners of the store drove up past the locked snow gate last weekend and got fairly close. To my knowledge the lake is still iced over. And the gate is locked. I do suspect we might hit it by Memorial Day this year which is earlier than normal.

I had more good reports from Chickahominy this week. Water remains cold and the fish feisty as can be. I think it’ll be good another 2 weeks or so.

I do not have updates from Ochocco or Haystack. Both should be good. Let me know if you go.

North and South Twin are fishing well, remember the recent stockings of regular sized and trophy sized rainbows on both lakes recently.
Chironomids and Leeches, Damsel Nymphs and Callibaetis nymphs ought to do the trick. Will we see some hatches of Callibaetis and Damsels this week? Could be for sure.

Wickiup at Sheep’s Bridge has plenty of water to access. I do not have any fishing conditions to add or how it has been…. But nice to see that full back that channel.

We just had a cancellation for June 17-18-19 for a 2 person/3 day trip form Trout Creek to Harphan on the Lower Deschutes. Post Salmonfly Hatch, great caddis. PMD and Pale Evening Dun hatches with long days and light late in the evening it is hard to imagine a better few days on the Deschutes.
Cost is $3450 for 2 people or $1725 per person. We’d love to re-fill this trip with a couple of good people. Guide is Troy and Aaron is the bagger/camp cook.

Enjoy the weather and the fishing. Keep an eye open for Northern Lights tonight. All is well!

JP