It is the Sisters Quilt Show today and we have been crazy busy!
The hot days continue across Central Oregon, but it looks like the days over 100 degrees seem to be behind us for now.
There is a lot of good fishing to talk about, but also some things that have slowed down, and a some places we ought to just let rest until cooler days come again.

I’ll start on my favorite river, the Metolius. Hatches and Dry Fly fishing have been ok, some days good, some days, or places are not what I’d expect. Gavin and I fished it the other evening from dinner to dark, which is my summertime jam, and often I’d expect to see in 2 to 3 hour period before dark a mix of PMD’s and BWO’s, a good caddis emergence and finally culminating in a Rusty Spinner fall just before it’s too dark to see a dry fly anymore. We finally got the spinners about 9 (and got fish on them too) but none of the other hatches we hoped to see happened with any substance. This is 3 or 4 trips in a row of kind of the same song.
What gives Fish God’s? What gives?!!
Cycles of nature are interesting, frustrating and exhilarating.
This is not to say other times of the day are not seeing the same bugs hatching, and in fact they are. I am just sad my after work sessions are like being a 747 pilot, and landing at dark is the only excitement I have found. Otherwise it is boring flying over Kansas if that is the only reason I am going there. But I take pleasure in the changing light, the wild flowers andthe birds, the smell of the forest, and coolness of the river corridor.
Earlier in the evening, and during the day (Noon to 5) from Candle Creek to Gorge CG look for PMD’s, plenty of Caddis, Yellow Sally’s, some Golden Stones and a few isolated Salmonflies, plus a good chance of BWO’s and then Rusty Spinners at dusk.
The best Golden Stone hatch action is upper river from Gorge to Riverside CG. Clarks Stones are the favorite, Larimer’s Yellow Sally and Norm Woods are good ones too.
Nymphing is splendid as per usual, and besides the typical Perdigons, Zebras, 2 Bits, Micro May’s we are having a lot of success on 2 new stonefly nymphs- a TJ Hooker and a Peacock Body Jig Girdle Bug, the latter being also quite effective on Bull Trout this week.
Our guy Matthias has found a number of Bull’s this week stripping big streamers.
*I meant to mention this last week, and remembered after I hit publish. Did any of you lose a nice fly box? Someone found one on the river and wrote me and I said I would put it out there and get y’all in contact if you can identify what was was lost. He said it is a nice box and full of good flies so we would love to help find the owner of this.

The Lower Deschutes is staying consistently good, especially with nice afternoon and evening hatches of Pale Evening Duns and Caddis.
There are a lot of PED Spinners earlier in the evening and with that comes some great dry fly action you might not expect on a hot day. When that sun pokes behind canyon walls and the shade hits the water it is likely the hatches of PED’s and 2 or 3 caddis species overlapping in dry fly goodness. OR, swing a soft hackle, OR nymph a Tan X Caddis with a tiny split shot 12 inches up the tippet, OR upstream nymph an Silvey’s Primetime Pupa with a NZ Wool Indicator. Mix Black and White Wool to make your indicator bundle and be able to see it in the shade.
Nymphing is amazing. Our guy Aaron (aka Trout Dirty) just spent 6 days on the river from Trout Creek to Harpham and if you know how AA-Ron got his nickname it is because he is a “dirty” nympher and one of the best with a Perdigon and a Jig.

The Middle Deschutes is hit and miss. Around Steelhead Falls is a safe bet and worth going early morning and evenings. Morning is mostly a nymph game with a Frenchie, Soft Hackle PT, Jig Napoleon, Micro May and a bunch of Perdigons, varying the color and beads to meet your needs for the moment.
What are those “needs” you ask. Depth. Water Speed. Light Intensity. Light Penetration in to the Water. These can be/will be/should be factors on choosing the right Perdigon or Jig to fish.
Evenings will be similar here as on the Lower D. PED is often my favorite hatch in the summer on the middle.
PMD, BWO, Caddis are all likely to run in to as you head out to the river. Rusty Spinners at Dusk just like the Metolius.
Renegades, Stimmy’s, Purple Haze and a Float & Fool are good flies to use as attractors for Middle D fish. A Light Cahill is a wonderful fly for here as it rides riffles well and imitates PMD’s and Pale Evening Duns in choppier riffles. Watch water temps for safe handling of fish on the Middle D. Some areas are going to be too warm until you get the rejuvenation of the springs upstream of Steelhead Falls. Fast Water through the Riley Ranch near Bend is likely going to be just fine too.
As a reminder, if the water is over 68, it is not safe to C&R trout. if you do not have a thermometer you need one to fish trout waters in the summer.

The Upper Deschutes Below Wickiup was a surprise this week with some decent reports of fishing. Water is coming out of Wickiup cooler than I thought and fish are active, mostly on nymphs, with some morning and evening dry flies of Caddis and PMD’s.
The Upper Deschutes between Wickiup and Crane is too warm! Seriously, don’t fish here.
The Headwaters section of the Upper Deschutes upstream of Crane to Little Lava is a good place to be on these hot days. A lot of action on Perdigons, Jigs, Jig Streamers and Hopper/Dropper’s. Water is dang cold.

The Fall River is always cold and clear and always safe for the fish. I know early morning sessions have been productive and I will also recommend beating the heat and the crowds by going from 5 PM to dusk if you have that as an option.
Remember the hatchery access is 7am to 7pm. Mid-day fishing is good of course, it is just more crowded in the popular places.
PMD’s, Yellow Sally’s, Olive Caddis, BWO’s Midges, Hoppers, Ant’s, Beetles, Jigs, Streamers, Zebra’s and Purdy’s. 6x and 7x will serve you well here.

The Crooked River is a good one now, but it is certainly possible to see a dip in action mid action when the sun is high and beating the water. The cool thing about the Crooked is the tall canyon walls combined with tall ponderosa pines along the edges of the rivers. These cast strong shadows across the river in many places and indeed these shadows attract fish often right after forming.
PMD’s have been the main hatch. Look for some caddis later in the day plus Mahogany Duns, Midges, Hoppers and Attractors (Renegade, Royal Wulff, Purple Haze).
The Crooked is always one of our best nymphing rivers and that is the same this week too either euro style, indicator work or hopper/dropper.

The guide team had a slower week over all on the McKenzie. It just got too hot after lunch and was 106f for a few afternoons. That is coming down now and I’d hope to see fishing extend past 11 am now that it is.
We had our best luck last week with jig streamers and olive perdigons with an orange hot spot. Hatches sucked. Maybe this week they will pop again? Stoneflies, Caddis, PMD’s, Pale Evening Duns are what we expect to see when our conditions there go back to normal day time temps. We fish the river every day more or less, and it isn’t terrible, but the heat definitely changed it a bit last week. If you have a guide trip booked, we will probably leave earlier than normal to get the best fishing of the day in the early morning.

LAKES

I am still firmly committed to the lakes above 6000 feet until we get days back in the 80’s and some stringing together of cooler nights.
This leaves East, Paulina, 3 Creeks essentially.
I do not think it is responsible for catch and release fishing to go to Crane Prairie, Lava Lake, Little Lava, North and South Twin Lakes, Wickiup or Hosmer Lake. Could you find cool enough water in these places at dawn to maybe 11 am?
Yes.
But watch the water temps and be aware of fish stress. For me, I’ll wait. My wait is an investment in fish futures and that is good for everyone coming to fish later on this year.

If you didn’t read my East Lake “essay” from a few days ago, please do. Scroll down through the reports to my last one I wrote specifically for East. It remains the same, but I will remind you Callibaetis, Damsels and Chironomids in all stages are important. Ants, Beetles and Hoppers are working well for sure.

Paulina Lake this week has been showing good trends with the terrestrial action. Beetles, Ants and Hoppers are all good.
Nymph a Scud, Red 2 Bit, Black Double Down, Chironomid, Balanced Leech (I love Rowley’s Watermelon and a Spectrum with an Orange Bead at Paulina).
Utilize more density’s of full sinking lines! A Type 5 with a tungsten bead leech will go deep, and on a hot, bright day many of the fish are deep to get out of the bright sun.

Reports from my guides the last 3 days, and also from friends Garrett and Gabe today have been S-L-O-W coming from Three Creeks Lake the last several days. If you get there early as the sun is coming up, or go up at dinner and fish to dark it will be better.
Mornings seem to be leaning to Callibaetis spinners more than anything, but emergers & duns enter the mix about 7 or 8 am then peter out quickly.
Keep an eye on bigger callibaetis hatches after 4. No guarantee, but likely.
Red Hippie Stomper, Ants, Beetles, Red Chubby are good attractors or “non-aquatic hatch” flies to use. Fish can, and do come out of nowhere for flies like this.
On our guide trips we did have several good take downs on Balanced Leeches the last 2 days. That is telling me the fish are deeper at certain times of the day.
At dusk the Black Caddis Hatch is a staple in June, July and early August and we just restocked the #16 Black X Caddis for this exact reason.

A little philosophical reasoning- Just because “it” was slow the last few days doesn’t mean tomorrow or next Wednesday will be slow too.
We can’t know.
I report and write about trends and want you to have the knowledge to make good choices and have the best time possible.
I love the unknowns, and it was cool to sit on the porch this afternoon with Garrett Lesko and Gabe and we all agreed that if it was always easy, then what the hell kind of game it would be and how boring it would become if tough days, or bewildering days didn’t hit us from time to time.
Keep it interesting Fish Gods, and give us some gifts when you feel it is right.

Be well,
Bugs

PS- You might ask why I have signed off as Bugs in the last 2 reports…recently I lost an old friend who passed suddenly, and he always called me “bugs” because I would set him up with the best flies and knowledge to take them to the water with a hatch matcher mentaility. When I called his son to pass on my condolences I told him that nickname was one of the favorites I’ve ever had. It is my honor to be “Bugs”.
That, and Kevin, but that is a whole other story that can only be told on a gravel road.

Be good to each other.