Good morning from Sisters, Oregon where the sun is shining and the Rodeo Queens, Old Cars and Fire Trucks are about to parade through our wonderful little town for the Parade to celebrate what is called the biggest little show in the world, the Sisters Rodeo.
I drove in an hour early to make sure I didn’t get stuck in traffic and to assure a parking spot because in the next hour or so, this place is going to be wild.
Speaking of wild, is there anything better than a wild trout? Why don’t we transition from rodeos to chasing cool fish on our favorite rivers around Central Oregon…

There is none better than the Metolius (in our opinion) This is such a good time to be on the river, or even near it. Wildflowers are blooming, hatches are thriving, birds are singing and the trout are hungry.
Green Drake hatches continue to roll, and the time period for finding them is more spread out as we enter the final 10 to 14 days of the June hatch. At this point of the hatch we can see the drake emergence begin at 2 PM, and be as late as 6 PM. If you are an early riser you might even see Green Drake Spinners near dawn. It is rare to see Green Drake Spinners BTW, in my 40 years of enjoying the Metolius I have really only encountered a terrific spinner fall of drakes once!
Smaller spinners are very common to find at dusk, especially the Rusty Spinners associated with the PMD hatch. Usually a #16 Harrops Biot Body Para Spinner is #1, and my Sunset Spinner is another good profile to show them. We also have a fly called a Winna-Spinna that is for the faint of sight (you know who you are).
PMD hatches are happening twice a day in most areas, with an afternoon hatch and an after dinner hatch occurring. Fish the entire cycle of the hatch, with nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners and during the emergence a fair number of cripples that you can fool some fish with Knock Down Duns and Quigley’s Half Down Duns are 2 of my fave’s.
There are also some #20-22 BWO’s in the evening hatch, so look for them around the hatchery area after dinner and before dusk.
We are in a great Caddis period, including some amazing evening dry fly opportunities. Iris Caddis is a great fly that looks like a floating pupa in the process of emergence, X Caddis is the next few seconds that happen as the adults is crawling out of the pupa shuck but not ready to fly away quite yet. These 2 profiles will be important to show the fish. On any river. For adults we like a bunch of flies, everything from a Corn Fed Caddis to Henryville and even an Elk Hair Caddis will produce in the faster stretches of riffles in the canyon and below Lower Bridge 99. I vividly remember one of my (former) employees who fished the faster riffles below 99 and skittered Elk Hair Caddis in the riffles with tremendous success. Try it.
Golden Stones are showing more and more in the upper river. I have not heard of many people getting fish on Clarks Stones or Norm Woods Specials yet, but those 2 flies are a must to have in the collection for the river for the next 3 1/2 months. Golden Stone Nymphs are also essential, and are useful in any mile of river from below the headwaters to the reservoir. Wide spread and prolific and loved by trout.
Euro Nymphs, including a myriad of colors of beads and bodies on your Perdigons. Caddis Pupa, Frenchies, Walts Worms and 2 Bit Hookers are wonderful choices throughout any summer day. Add some Soft hackle PT’s, Zebra Midges and Micro Mayflies.
We’ve had some decent to pretty good mornings catching Bull Trout on big streamers! And it will only get better from here as the lake run fish are just a few weeks away.

The Lower Deschutes has fully transitioned to Summer Hatch Mode! Caddis, Pale Morning Duns and Pale Evening Duns are the main hatches and will be the mix nearly every day for the next month or more.
The Pale Morning Duns are #16 and have 3 tails and the Pale Evening Duns are #12 or #14 and have 2 tails and Blueish eyes. Both are gorgeous mayflies and can be matched with a Yellow parachute, Comparadun or Sparkle Dun but choose your hook size carefully. A Purple Haze and Parachute Adams are good dries for the mayflies too. And Rusty Spinners will be something to watch for in the eddies in the afternoon and in the softer water in the evenings.
On the caddis hatch I think there is no better fly than an X Caddis on the D. It is a solid emerging profile. The Iris Caddis is a low floater but it really shows up on the water well for us with older eyes because of the white loop of Z Lon on top.
You’ll also want an Elk Hair Caddis and Corn Fed Caddis for the adults in a #14 and 16 and keep an eye on the Little Western Weedy Water Sedges, which is a #18 Black Caddis that hatches near the edges off the willowy weed beds.
The nymph fishing is outstanding of course (in the right place at the right time which is the story of fish). Perdigons, Frenchies, Copper Johns, PT’s, Caddis Pupa, Walts, 2 Bits in BWO and PMD size and color options and Mini Gulps and other Micro Streamers to match Sculpins, Crayfish and Minnows.

The Middle Deschutes is very good fishing and anywhere from Bend to Lake Billy Chinook is going to be good. The best fishing is early morning to about noon and then from after dinner to dark.
One of the things I like about the Middle D is the simplified fly choices compared to the Metolius. When I used to live along the Middle D I kept a 7 1/2′ 4 weight strung up on my front porch and had a little chest pack with my grandfathers aluminum fly box filled with Renegades and X Caddis and Yellow Sparkle Duns and never lacked for a fish in the evenings after work when I fished several nights a week.
Mornings are also great for a Euro Nymph or a Strike Indicator methods. Brown Jig Napoleon, Soft Hackle PT, 2 Bit Hookers, Hares Ears and Red Copper Johns.
Besides the dry flies I mentioned above, the Purple Haze is one heck’uva a Dry Fly and I’d have to call it my #1 choice for the Middle D.

The Upper Deschutes from Crane Prairie up to Little Lava is a good spot but jeez those Mosquitos are the real deal.
You’ll see a mix of Stones (some goldens, some yellow sally’s), PMD, Pale Evening Dun, Caddis, Ants, Beetles plus nymphing and streamers. Access off Century Drive is good or park at Road 40 Bridge and go up or downstream from there.

The Fall River is also seeing a fair number of mosquitos near the Tubes and Falls, but not too bad at the Hatchery or the Camp Ground. PMD’s and Midges and Olive Caddis are probably your top 3 hatch dry fly choices, and Ants and Beetles at times may end being your #1 choices for dries.
The best fishing is coming on little streamers like a Mini Gulp, Soccer Mom and other Leech or Sculpin type streamers and with tungsten nymphs like an Egg, Zebra Midge, Perdigon, Dark Walts, 2 Bit Hooker and Micro Mayfly to match BWO and PMD nymphs so Olive #18-20 and Brown #16.

The Crooked River is outstanding from the Dam down to about Mile Post 15, although it’s good from 12 to 15 too, and probably less people fishing the lower down you go.
Our guides have had great success on perdigons, especially a Rainbow Warrior Perdi, and a Fire Starter and a Brown Jig Napoleon have been amazing.
Scuds, Zebra Midges, Winkers, 2 Bit Hookers, PT’s and Psycho Prince are all good ones to use as a dry/dropper rig or under the indicator.
We are seeing Caddis and PMD’s and Midge hatches that create dry fly opportunities and some Rusty Spinners at dusk for those of you camping or the few who do a late trip and stay until dusk. It’s weird to me that the Crooked River crowd seems to all leave by 4.

The McKenzie River is fishing super well in the Blue River area for our guides. A Dry Dropper set up with a Chubby and a Copper John, Possie Bugger or Baby Got Bead is good for that, or as a side drift-tightline method.
We have also had some very good fishing on Elk Hair Caddis, Parachute Adams, Stimulators and Corn Fed Caddis this week. A few Drakes have been popping on many afternoons so throw some Dry Ice Drakes and Wulff style Drakes in for that riffle water on the Mack!

LAKES UPDATE

the gate to Three Creek Lake is going to OPEN next Friday 6/20/25!
We talked to some people who rode mountain bikes to the lake from the Snow Gate and had excellent fishing wading the edges.
The USFS District Ranger told me this morning that there is a lot of snow up there and Campground and side roads are still a couple of weeks away from access.
Balanced Leeches, Callibaetis, Beetles will be important early season flies for those of you headed up as soon as you can get there.

Hosmer Lake was very good for me this week, mostly in the Upper Lake and some in the Channel. The Lower Lake was getting an algae bloom, and I didn’t have any fish from the lower lake. Oddly we are not seeing much in the way of Callibaetis hatches. It is strange. It has to start popping hard one of these days. But nymphing is excellent, with Red PT, Callibaetis Cate, Balanced Leeches, Spicy Squirrel, and Chironomids all doing well for us this week.

Little Lava Lake was terrific for us this week too, and it was dynamite to see a good callibaetis hatch with fish on the dries. We did best on an Olive Haze (it’s a fave of mine for Callibaetis) and a Halo Emerger (look up Gary Lafontaine’s Halo Emerger and read the book by him called Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes)
We also got fish up to a Jiggy Twist Beetle, which is thrilling since so many of my other lake days have been sans dry fly action so far this season.
But what really smoked ’em was a Jig Callibaetis Cate under an indicator. Ridiculous how many takes we got on that.
The fish are a little small, and some a little skinny, but the season will feed them well and I see a great year ahead at Little Lava.

Lava Lake is a pretty similar scenario with the addition of Leeches and Chironomids more than at Little.

East Lake began its Callibaetis hatch season the last few days and fish seemed to be happy to eat emergers and duns.
I also talked to some folks who got fish on ants and beetles.
Chironomid fishing under the indicator is good and will be found in water 8 to 12 feet mostly.
I see very good good things coming at East Lake in the next few weeks and welcome the cooler weather coming so our surface temps don’t get too warm before July.

Paulina Lake is excellent and is best now on Nymphs under the indicator. Chironomids have stolen the show lately, and it is important to expect #18-20 Olive, #12-14 Black, #14-16 Red, Double Down Black with a Red Rib are patterns we use now.
Callibaetis Cate and Red PT on a jig hook are great too.
Stripping nymphs and leeches on sinking lines will be good over some shoals and weedbeds. Damsels, Scuds, Marabou Callibaetis, Flashback PT, Leeches and a Chub Pattern will be smart choices. Lines can vary from Hover to Type 5 full sink and all in-between.

I talked to my friend Jerry C at Sherry Steele’s Birthday party this afternoon (BTW, this is why I’m publishing this report at 5 PM and started writing at 8:30 AM HAHAHA), who had very solid fishing at Wickiup. No big fish, but wild and well conditioned and fight like the dickens fish! On the day he went the fish were full of a Black/Olive Caddis Pupa and assaulted his nymphs.
To me, that hatch is unlikely to be one to count on day after day, although I remember a trip to Sheeps Bridge with my freind Tim Q and we hit the same Caddis emergence.

Crane Prairie is starting to get pretty stacked in the Channels. Balanced Leeches, Chironomids and Double Down Nymphs (Black & Red) under the indicator. Damsels are rolling so nymphs and possible dry fly action for those.
We should see Callibaetis on many of the days in the next couple of weeks, especially if the cooler weather comes in and sticks around like the prediction says will happen.

As life rolls in so many ways for me and for all of us, I am so thankful for the fly shop and guide service, and to be able to spend time with people in the boat laughing, telling stories, netting fish and giving each other a hard time because that is how dudes show their love for each other. Some of my best moments of last week were exactly that and I am a lucky man no matter what.

See you out on the water or in the shop.

Jeff
4:46 PM (jeez) 6/14/25

I am off to go pick up the big boat for tomorrow’s trip to Paulina.