One of my favorite bands is the Talking Heads, and a line from one of their hits called Once in a Lifetime asks “how did I get here?”
I am asking how did we get to July 4th week already? Wasn’t it just Super Bowl Sunday a few weeks ago?
Anyway, July starts tomorrow and there is a lot of good fishing to look forward to this week and I want to dive in on that discussion so you can make good plans for your days off over the holiday.
After 4th of July we get to enjoy the Sisters Quilt Show which is a busy and vibrant week around our little town.
If you’re coming to the show and want to fish with a guide or on your own, let us know and we can help.

The Metolius is seeing a rapid decline of Green Drakes now, and while I would still carry an emerger and adult for the 2 to 5 PM time, and a Winna-Spinna for the early AM time, it looks like things are shifting away from Drakes for now. They will be back in September and we always love the Fall hatches. PMD’s are the main afternoon hatch this week, with good afternoon emergences of these #16 Yellow mayflies. I would anticipate that continuing most days for months to come. Of course hatches can wane a bit here and there, but PMD’s are the Stars of the Show for Summer on most Western Rivers. If you have not tried a KD Dun, pick up a couple next time you go. It has one spent wing and a wispy trailing shuck. it represents something so vulnerable and the trout know it..
Golden Stones are now hatching better in the Upper River, so it is time for your Golden dries like a Clarks Stone and Norm Woods.
Caddis are out and about, and should be your main evening hatch after dinner. I went out the other night after dinner and the caddis were just not doing their thing. That happens, it’s a hatch not a guarantee and hopefully my next visit I can enjoy a better caddis hatch. We did enjoy a good Rusty Spinner Fall that evening though and got some good trout on those.
Keep an eye on BWO’s near the hatchery when the 1st shadows hit in the early evening.
Nymphing has been awesome, and speaking of caddis a tan caddis pupa is a great choice anytime of the day. Perdigons, Jigs, Rainbow Warriors, Zebra Midges and small Mayfly nymphs, TJ Hookers and Golden Stone nymphs and make sure to check out the Peacock Body Jig Girdle Bug. It is so good, and heavy for the deeper slots we like to fish and the Bull Trout like it as much as the Bow’s.
Bull Trout are funneling upriver more and more from the Lake. It is a good time to fish streamers.

The Lower Deschutes is seeing very good evening caddis hatches and Pale Evening Dun hatches later in the day. PMD’s are usually earlier, but with hotter weather can delay the hatch until evening creating a trifecta of masking hatch madness. I’d go with a Purple Haze #14 and a Fin Fetcher Caddis, Yellow Sparkle Dun and Iris Caddis for Lower D Dries over the next few weeks. Rusty Spinners are very likely to be in the eddies and softer riffles and my Sunset Spinner is awesome on the D because it floats well in choppier waters.
Great nymphing lately, both Euro Style and under the Indicator. Little Euro Streamers have been taking some great fish too.
I wonder when we will see our 1st steelhead showing up near the mouth? It can’t be far off. Someone told be they heard escapement was good for a good run this year. I hope so. Last year was fun and I’d like to build on that.

Crooked River fishing has been great, with a little bump in the action with ODFW electroshocking parts of the upper river last week for a few days. No big deal, but glad it’s over so we can spread out all over the good fishing spots.
PMD’s and Caddis and some Black Midges are the main hatches, with Zebra Midges, Scuds, Firestarters, Jig Napoleon, Rainbow Warriors, PMD Split Case and Micro Mays for both PMD and BWO’s. Water Level is perfect.

Fall River is going to be a good place over the week for sure, but bring some Mosquito Repellent if you are planning to fish other areas than the hatchery (a vector control area) and especially if you’re going early or later in the day into the dusky times of the day.
Hatches of PMD’s and Yellow Sally’s, Olive Caddis, Midges and finish up the day with a Rusty Spinner.
I loved growing up in Bend and fishing the Fall River in the evenings, and every Friday night Chester Allen, Matt Klee and I would do a Friday Night Fish on the Fall, usually near the Falls. We would also enjoy fishing Streamers and swing Soft Hackles just to mix it up and back then, learn more about fly fishing in different ways.

The Mckenzie has been excellent fishing for our guides. Lot’s of nymphing from the boat, but certainly getting fish on the dry fly including Parachute Adams, Chubbies, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators and H&L Variants. Herbert Hoover fished an H&L Variant on the McKenzie, be like Herbert and give it a whirl. BTW, on the subject of H&L’s, about 25 years ago I was on the 3rd day of the Trout Creek to Harpham float on the Deschutes. A Green Drake hatch happened mid-day and at that time I didn’t even realize the Lower Deschutes had Green Drakes. Luckily, I had a few #10 H&L’s in the fly box and they smacked ’em on the D.

The Middle Deschutes is in great shape, and is a good spot for an evening mission with dry flies from Bend, Tumalo, Crooked River Ranch areas. Purple Haze, Yellow Comparaduns and Sparkle Duns, X Caddis, Weiss’s Caddis, Missing Link’s and Renegades. When I used to live across the street the street from the Middle Deschutes I had my grandpa’s old aluminum fly box loaded with Renegades for my after work assaults to the neighborhood trout.

The Upper Deschutes from the Headwaters to Crane Prairie is pretty good and is certainly worth the trip this week. It is another place you want to make sure to slather on some mosquito repellant.
We’ve been fishing up there with Euro Nymphs, small Streamers and Ants and Beetles. Look for PMD’s, Caddis and Yellow Sally’s, and a few larger Golden Stones. A Chubby with a dropper nymph is a good bet on a lot of the runs.

LAKE REPORT

East Lake seems to be improving, I suspect the rainbows are done trying to spawn and are entering their spot in the upper middle of the food chain that they reside in. Brown Trout continue to be active on the shorelines.
Callibaetis hatches are also ramping up, so it looks like a normal summer week for East coming up.
Besides Callibaetis in all stages from nymph to spinners, Damsels (nymphs and adults), Beetles and Ants try a Chubby and a Hippie Stomper.
Chironomids have been good in about 12 feet under an indicator.

Paulina Lake was very good to us this week. Again another trip with really big fish. Getting most of a Chironomid under an indicator, but some on Balanced Leeches too.
I’ve had many friends on the lake during super good beetle or ant bites, but so far my 5 or 6 days up there have been all indicator work and hardly any dry fly bite. That will change, it’s just timing and luck, but I love dries and can’t wait to hit it right again.
One of my lake buddies Mike did really well last week on a Red Chubby.

Hosmer is fishing fair to good. A lot of smaller Brookies and not so many rainbows or cut’s showing up. I love brookies that are 11 to 15″ and catching them is a gift, holding them is like holding a gem, but I am wondering where the bigger fish are? Jerry the ODFW Fish Biologist said the Cutthroat were last raised and stocked in 21/22 so we are probably seeing some die off now after 4 years without stocking cutty’s. He said the hatchery they got them from didn’t have any for us over here after 21/22. I am seeing some really large rainbows but it has been quite a few trips since one was in my net.
I am seeing a lot of otters and birds of prey so wondering if we’ve lost some important fish at Hosmer?
The last 4 or 5 days I’ve fished it over the last 2 weeks the callibaetis hatch has been lighter than expected and later than expected, coming off about 2 or 3 PM. I would love to hear from any of you who’ve been in the evening to dusk….
Lot’s of damsels and black caddis. We’ve done best on indicators and small Red Nymphs like a 2 Bit, Red Holo Jig, Red Ice Cream Cone.
Yesterday I ran into a good Hosmer angler named Gary who just retired, and I watched him get a bunch of fish on a soft hackle with a clear camo line.
Stripping soft hackles or damsel nymphs on a hover or intermediate line is a good bet. Ants on a floating line have also been really good.
I’d love to hear from you and how you’ve been doing at Hosmer.

Crane Prairie is one to watch later this week, as it is going to be hot. Watch water temps and stop fishing over 68. Leeches, Chironomids, Damsels, Black Double Down’s and Callibaetis. There have been a lot of good reports from anglers I trust here over the last few weeks. I want to go, but got “blown off” last weekend and needed to fix irrigation lines instead.

Three Creek Lake has been super good, and is definitely worth the trip. Ants have been awesome. The RP Ant is the standout this season. Red Hippie Stompers, Beetles, Callibaetis, Damsles, Sheep Creek Specials (*the Sheep Creek is one of the #1 nymphs to troll at 3 Creek and run a trailer behind it with a Griffiths Gnat or Flashback PT) and Balanced Leeches will do the trick and if you’re staying late black caddis is the main hatch most evenings near shore.
Remember, we offer this lake as a half day guide trip option and is great for kids and families.

Learning to Fly Fish

our summer fly fishing schools and casting lessons are going well! Doug Pendleton is doing an outstanding job teaching our lessons and is working with anglers of all ages and levels and people are raving about the experience and what they’ve learned. If you want to improve, or take a family member out to learn, we can help.

Thanks for reading this and supporting the reports and the shop!
I greatly appreciate hearing from all of you and it’s been fun meeting new folks in the shop lately.

Jeff