Hello from Sisters, Oregon (Hola desde Sisters, Oregon! para mis lectores internacionales)
I have 4 spots left for Argentina January 10-17th, and 2 spots left for Chile February 21-28 speaking of international fun.
We are seeing some terrific weather and fishing around Central Oregon now. Finally next friday 6/13 through monday 6/16 we have a few openings to get you on the water for guide trips, otherwise we are seeing days fully booked like we haven’t ever seen before. Thank you for all of the trips and the support for those of you who have already joined us in 2025 on one or more trips. You’re amazing.

HEY….How are you doing with your fly casting? Do you need a little tune-up, or help reaching the next level? Or do you have a need to get lessons as a beginning or newer fly caster?
Our casting instructor is Doug Pendleton, and he is ready to help make you a better caster almost any day of the week. 1 or 2 people is $150. Call the shop to book Doug and find in him a coach that is patient, clear in teaching technique and positive for casters at any level.

This week, because of the amount of calls we are getting I am going to start by saying Three Creek Lake is still snowed in, and it might be another couple of weeks before we get there. It was a big snow year, and the road is still locked at the snow gate. MAYBE next weekend we will be able to walk in, but I will keep my finger on the pulse there and report it if it looks promising.

On the Metolius River the Green Drakes continue to be one of the main storylines to follow. I am confident we have about 3 weeks left to enjoy these giant mayflies until they finish the June emergence and before they reappear in September.
Being there myself this week, and talking to good friends who have also been consistently chasing drakes, I will say the fish are getting quite choosey about the fly, and will grade your presentation in ways that are harder than your High School Algebra 2 teacher graded your homework. It isn’t easy and that is what makes it infinitely interesting. Expect trout to provide refusals and the middle fin. Maybe we need to begin talking like Florida Keys Tarpon anglers, who count fish by “jumps” as opposed to landing them. I rose 9 on a drake the other day. Does that count? (ps- none to the net) (pss- it happens) (hahahaha)
PMD’s are usually a strong pre Drake hatch, happening from 2 to 3 PM, and often again in the evening from 6 to 8 perhaps, followed by Rusty Spinners at dusk. The fish like to eat those spinners.
I can’t emphasize enough how important a drag free drift is, and what you can do to improve yours. Learn to reach mend. Learn to parachute cast. Learn to combine these skills to dazzle the drift. Add more tippet. A longer tippet makes a difference in the overall drag free drift time a fly gets in complex currents. Doug can help you learn to cast like this. Watch Advanced Strategies for Selective Trout on You Tube and see Doug Swisher demonstrate these casts. This video was filmed in the 80’s and is as relevant now as ever to learn to present a dry fly better.
Caddis hatches are happening from noon to dusk, and anytime during the day you need to consider a #14-18 Tan or Olive Pupa, and watch for the emerging caddis to provide dry fly opportunities after dinner. I would also recommend prospecting a Caddis dry fly throughout the day.
Upper River action is good with the Euro Nymphs, Caddis dries, plus PMD’s. We are seeing some Golden Stones hatch, so both Nymphs and Adults for that.
All over the river there are a lot of Little Olive Stones and Yellow Sally’s. Fish like to eat them and will sometimes refuse all other hatches to key on these small stones.
Euro Nymphing is terrific everywhere and our top flies for doing that have been Jig Napoleon in brown or olive, Jeff’s improved bas-ass caddis, Frenchie, Purple Perdigon and Jig Rainbow Warriors. 2 Bit Hookers and Micro Mayflies to imitate PMD and BWO nymphs, plus Red or Black Zebra Midges round out the selection well and you should put fish in the net throughout the day.

The Lower Deschutes has made the jump from Salmonflies and Goldenstones (you’ll find a few left) to Pale Evening Duns, Pale Morning Duns and a lot of Tan Caddis.
This is now my favorite time of the year for the Deschutes, especially evening dry fly fishing.
Throughout the day you will find some dry fly fishing, but expect to nymph, either Euro style or with an indicator. BWO Nymphs, Perdigons, Caddis Pupa, Soft Hackle PT’s, Micro Mayflies, 2 Bits for BWO’s and PMD’s, Red Ass Soft Hackle, Flashback PT are all hot flies for the sub surface game.

The Middle Deschutes is awesome and close to home. The best times are 6 am to noon and 6 pm to dark. I like to carry my Echo Shadow X 10′ 3wt and fish nymphs on a Mono-Rig until dry fly action is prevalent, and then switch to a Yellow Sparkle Dun and Purple Haze when the fish are looking up. Keep an eye out closely for smaller Blue Wing Olives in the evening as they can be overlooked when larger yellow mayflies are masking the other hatch. Caddis in many areas of the middle river will be important and there is no better Middle D caddis than an X Caddis in Tan #14-16 or Olive #16. Of course we love a lot of caddis dries here, but going out on a limb, over the years the X Caddis is usually the most consistent for the middle D. Euro Jig Streamers never hurt anyone looking to add quality over quantity to their session. Do you tie flies? Try a #16 nymph hook (not a jig) and add a 2 to 3mm anodized light pink bead, CDL tail, Tan Hends Buzzer Body or Veevus Body Quill and a Hot Orange Hot Spot. Coat it all with a Clear UV Resin and Add a Black UV Resin for the Wingcase. This is my #1 Middle D Perdigon.

The Upper Deschutes is a mosquito Hell now, so go prepared with bug spray and maybe even a head net. Fishing is really quite good. Green Drakes are on the menu this week up in the headwaters area along with PMD’s, Caddis, Yellow Sally’s and Ants and Beetles. Throw in some Clark’s Stones this week even though I think we won’t see the Golden Stone hatch for another 10 days or so….
Great nymphing can be had on a Mono-Rig with a euro-nymph (Dark or Light Walts Worm, Various Perdigons) or small streamer. You can take a different approach on the streamer with sculpins and work the logs and cut banks swinging the fly into dangerous snags and jigging it along the cut banks.

The Fall River is fishing quite well, mostly form the influence of ODFW stocking trout in the usual places. The nicest part of the Fall River in my eyes is how many dry fly opportunities are around now with different hatches, plus terrestrials like Ants and Beetles. The Mosquitos have been a little rough there too, at the Falls and Tubes and Campground be prepared with repellent.
PMD’s and Olive Caddis are the main hatches. A #16 Henryville or #16 Olive Elk Hair Caddis is a super good dry fly on the Fall now. For PMD’s Emergers and Cripples like Film Critics and Knock Down Duns. I have always loved the Harrops Captive Dun for lakes during the Callibaetis hatches and we added his pattern in PMD size and color to the FFP offerings. Try it anywhere PMD’s hatch. I had good success with it on my last 2 days on the Met too.
Nymph fishing is excellent. Eggs, Zebra’s with a Tungsten bead and a myriad of Euro Nymph and 2 Bit Hookers and Micro Mayflies. Small Olive Streamers are consistently one of the favorites for the FFP guides, but consider Black or Natural colored streamers there too.

The Crooked River is fishing really well, with good to great nymphing each day and opportunities for dry flies usually in the evening, although look for the “shadow” hatches in the afternoon to start up. What does this mean? Well, over the years we discovered that the shadows from the tall ponderosa pines will be micro habitat for a hatch. In the summer usually that is a PMD, but try a Purple Haze and Parachute Adams here too.
A dry dropper rig is a smart move for the Crooked, and a small Purple Chubby or Larimers Yellow Sally is a good dry for the rig. Run a 5x fluorocarbon tippet 3 or 4 feet behind to a PMD colored 2 Bit Hooker or Tan Caddis Pupa and work the edge seams and riffles.
Euro Nymphing is going to pay off the best throughout the day.

The McKenzie is really finding its early summer stride with really good catch days coming for our FFP guides and clients. Dry Droppers with a Chubby Norm and a Possie Bugger has been great, and either swinging nymphs or small streamers on a sink tip, or side drifting a leech and perdigon is the most effective. Let’s get you down there.

LAKES REPORT

I spent this week at East Lake and Hosmer Lake and found good fishing at both places. I am headed to Paulina tomorrow and I am pumped to be going there again.

Hosmer Lake is fishing well in both the lower lake and upper lake, and while there are not a ton of trout in the channel yet, there are enough to put some focus on it.
We got very few fish on Dries the last 2 days, but plenty on a Red PT Jig and a Hanging with my Chromies. By far these were the best, but a Jigged Callibaetis Cate and Red Holographic Jig produced for us too.
There were a whole bunch of Callibaetis Spinners hovering about 1 or 2 each afternoon but we never saw any duns hatch from 7:30 AM until 4 PM when we left. Obviously there is a hatch occurring if there are so many spinners, but not in that time frame. Yet.
Ants are always a smart fly choice at Homser. Damsel nymphs are important. A Black Double Down nymph stripped on a Hover, plus Soft Hackles and Callibaetis nymphs stripped on a Hover or Intermediate Line will be good. Don’t forget leeches and add some minnow patterns to the mix.
There were a few sightings of the big Traveling Sedge so I am hopeful my trips this coming week will allow us to skitter a Goddard Caddis! The best take on the lake is with this hatch.

East Lake is pretty good, and bound to be much better in 7 to 10 days. Why do I say that? My feeling is that a lot of the rainbows are attempting to spawn now, and that they focus on the sex drive more than the fishing. Browns are not, Brook Trout and Kokanee are not, and not even all the Rainbow Trout are trying to spawn, but a lot are and it changes the fishing a bit for another week.
Scuds and Chrironomids are the best, and Callibaetis hatches are off to the races. Fish the cycle of the hatch on CB’s, especially nymphs either stripped over the weed beds and bank shoals, or under an indicator in the same places. Ants and Beetles are never a bad choice here!

Paulina Lake is the better of the 2 Newberry Crater options right now. Ants and Beetles for dries, and on the nymph side, Chrionomids and Balanced Minnows or Balanced Leeches, Jigged Red PT, Callibaetis Nymphs and Black Double Down under an indicator. Strip Damsels and leeches on the shoals.

Little Lava Lake is seeing some good fishing days and with Callibaetis hatches on now you can expect fun dry fly fishing at times too. I like this lake a lot and while the mix is with ugly hatchery trout, the wild Cranebows and Brookies make up for the pukers.
Add a Red holographic Jig and a Spicy Squirrel to your indicator rig, and expect to see a lot of tiny olive chironomids in throat pump samples, but add Red Ice Cream Cones, Chromies and Black/Red Ice Cream Cones to the mix and don’t forget to fish Blood Worms on the bottom.

I have not had a report from Lava Lake yet. Anyone?

Crane Prairie was a mixed bag of reports from friends and customers this week. Some days were really slow, and other days were ok. The better reports came from Quinn and Cultus, and not from the flat in the Deschutes side.
We should be hitting Callibaetis hatches this week after the heat wave ends and we go back to normal temps.
Damsels, Leeches and Chironomids are staples, and fish a Purple Chubby with a Red 2 Bit Hooker or Black Double Down as a dropper in the shallows, and even in deeper areas because we need to remind ourselves that just because the water is deeper doesn’t mean the fish are always eating in the bottom layers.

Plenty of other lakes in the region to fish, and if you look at the flies for each of the lakes above you will understand that the flies are essentially the same on all the lakes. Hatches and Terrestrials on mountain trout lakes are pretty much the same on all of them. Ants, Beetles, Leeches, Scuds, Damsels, Callibaetis, Chironomids are absolutes. Add Caddis, Dragonflies (nymphs), Alderflies, Grasshoppers, Caenis (related to Tricos in the mayfly world) are often found regionally on some of the lakes but may not be as widespread or important as the first listings. I want to write a book about this exact subject and perhaps soon I will.

Well, I need to run, I am headed to switch boats and head to a birthday party for the Permit Queen (Ms Dove) and then meeting clients at Paulina in the morning.
Thanks for reading the reports each week. I love hearing from you by email, or seeing you on the lakes and rivers and hearing that you value the info each week.
We are a community of anglers and we share passion and info.

You are important!

Jeff