Good Friday afternoon from Sisters, Oregon on the start of this busy holiday weekend. I wanted to share what we know early for this report as so many of our friends and customers are headed over tonight or in the morning to get the most out of the 3 day weekend. I think it is going to be a great wrap to the summer for a lot of families this weekend before the kids go back to classes, and it always seems that the anglers who no longer have kids at home arrive in about a week and stay until mid October and these are a group of really wonderful people who we see year after year in the shop, most of them heading towards the Metolius.

The Metolius River is absolutely trending great, especially if you love the dry fly fishing that September brings.
The next 6 to 8 weeks on the Metolius are some of my favorite dry fly days of the season. I have purposely left days off the lake boat over the next 4 weeks so I can be on the Met! Will I see you there?
This weekend below Bridge 99 for sure you need to start carrying your 8-10-12 Green Drakes. This means nymphs, emergers and duns. Also #14’s to cover the transition from Ameletus to Flav’s as both are similar mayflies and one is on the way out as the other is just about ready to roll for Fall.
PMD’s #16 and BWO’s #18-20 will be very important in September. Of course you need to fish the cycle of these hatches from nymph to emergers and cripples and duns and finally spinners at dusk or in the early AM.
The caddis hatches have been amazing in late august and if history repeats itself they will be amazing-er (haha) in September. Micro Caddis #18-20 Yellowish Tan, Olive #16, Tan #16, Grey #14 and October Caddis #8 are all on the menu now. Pupa and Adult and spent egg layers will be important dry flies to fish this weekend and throughout the week. It is also going to be above average temps (both daytime and overnight lows) for the next 7+ days, and that my friends is caddis weather.
Golden Stones are still super important at the end of August and well into September. Anywhere from the headwaters to Gorge, but keep an eye on them in the Canyon, and down through the Bridge 99 area. Also keep looking for Salmonfly’s as they are an isolated hatch this time of year, meaning they are definitely not spread out all over the different river sections and because of thermal barriers in the river they don’t march upstream like on other river systems we fish. Meaning, enjoy it when you see it, but stick 3 salmonfly dries on your pack for the day this week. Why 3? One for the tree, one for the fish and one more for the fly box.
A an explosion of Little Olive Stones is just beginning. The Henryville or Hemingway in a #16-18 with the hackle trimmed flat off the bottom will serve you well. Did you try my Yellow Missing Link suggestion? Now the Flav’s are out add an Olive Missing Link too. Missing Links are an underrated fly and match more than one thing well.
Plenty of good nymph action now, we prefer the euro/tight line techniques and have great success throughout the river with perdigons and caddis pupa and tungsten micro mayflies. Also carry stonefly nymphs, green drake nymphs (a Tungsten Jig 20″ is a winner!!!) and Zebra Midges.
May we suggest giving the Bull Trout a break over the next 2 weeks? It is BT Spawning time and we ought to respect that….

The Lower Deschutes is going to be a great bet this week for both Trout and Steelhead. The Warm Springs to Trout Creek drift is good for trout and so far just a few Steelhead are showing up that high in the system. But give it 2 or 3 weeks up there and the steelhead will filter in quite nicely for fall.
For now we are enjoying some good trout days on Pale Evening Duns and PED Spinners and a lot of Tan Caddis #16 and 18. Absolutely get Iris, Corn Fed, X and Fin Fetcher’s to match the hatch and get a few Dead Bug Caddis to fool the trout sipping on spent egg layers tomorrow morning. 😉 Certainly bring #14 and #16 Purple Haze too.
Nymph action has been good with Tungsten PT’s, 2 Bit Hookers, Caddis Pupa, Girdle Bugs, Brown Jig Napoleon and Red Copper John’s. Some of the FFP guides have also had recent success with Jig Streamers like a Slump Buster, Mini Gulp and Squirrel Jig.
Most of the best steelhead catches are still happening below Maupin. As September progresses more fish will be throughout the entire 100 miles of the Lower Deschutes, but for now, if your focus is swinging flies for steelhead, get down to the Pine Tree to Beavertail and Macks Canyon drifts, or Macks to the Mouth. Green Butt Skunk and Freight Train, Peacock & Purple and Anderson Euphoria’s. Right now the best luck is on floating lines and I don’t think you need a sink tip for a while yet. (October is coming)

The Middle Deschutes is back on the report as it seems the Flat Fire that was so concerning last week but I will tell you it is a good weekend to be on the Middle D. Morning to lunch time will have some dry fly options with Purple Haze and PMD’s, then in the evening more PMD’s, BWO’s, and Tan Caddis will hatch from about 5 until dark.
Swing some soft hackles and try your euro nymphing rigs with perdigons, tan pupa, soft hackle PT jigs and micro mayflies to match PMD and BWO nymphs.

The Crooked River is a great spot now and there have been nice PMD hatches along with some Midges and Caddis towards evening. Try 2 new flies this time on Jeff’s recommendation…. A Patriot and a Renegade. If you’re older than 45, you have probably used a Renegade somewhere, sometime. Right? The FFP founder, Harry Teel said the Renegade was his favorite dry fly and my dad’s cousin Norm took me fly fishing on the Deschutes and he used a Renegade to convert me from Rooster Tails to Flies!
Of course the Crooked River is such a great nymphing spot each and every day. Scuds and Zebra Midges and Winkers which can be fished on the surface or deep as a nymph with a Tungsten Beaded fly on the point.
Perdigons in several colors will be highly effective: purple, brown (Napoleon), olive, orange (Fire Starter) and pearl (rainbow warrior) are all solid and should be played with in different light conditions and before or during different hatch cycles.

The Fall River is a solid bet with small streamers including the Jig Minnows and Balanced Leeches! You can jig them on a Euro Leader or you can fish them under a strike indicator.
We’ve also been doing well with Purple or Pearl Perdigons!
Dry fly fishing is good with PMD’s #16, BWO’s #18-20, Olive Stones and Yellow Sally’s #16-18, Caddis Olive #16, Tan #16, Midges #22-24, Ants #12-16, Beetles #12-18, Hippie Stompers #14-16 and add a few Grasshoppers in a #8-10 too.

The McKenzie River is good for us, and listening to our guide team they all are doing good on Euro Nymphs, Possie Buggers, Black Leeches, and Soft Hackles.
Dry Fly fishing is ok, with smaller Parachutes and Elk Hair Caddis taking up most of the action, and some fish coming up on Chubbies too.

LAKES REPORT-

Three Creeks Lake is okay, it has been on and off with the bite but one consistent point has been the evening midge hatch. Callibaetis have been waning fast, but not over yet.
Get some Ants and Beetles and Hippie Stompers. With the hot days and warm evenings coming this week, make sure to bring Black X Caddis #16 for afternoons and evenings.
Deeper indicator fishing is highly recommended with an Ice Cream Cone (Black with Red Ribbing), Chromie, the Chartreuse Beaded Black Balanced Leech with the Leather Tail (*so cool!) and the Bruised with the Hot Orange Bead are the best you can try.
If you are kicking around in the tube, troll a Sheep Creek Special and a Hot Bead Damsel and trail a Flashback PT 3 feet off the bend of the 1st fly.

Hosmer Lake was pretty slow for us yesterday. We caught about 10 or 12 fish on various nymphs, with a red ice cream cone and a black double bead CDC assassin as the other top producer.
Damsel nymphs (and MAYBE adults), scuds, water boatman, leeches, ants and beetles will be go to bugs on Homser and believe me, not every day will be as challenging as yesterday. That’s fishing right. Also worth noting, fish are starting to spread out off the upper lake channel and moving in to the channel more and more between the lakes. Fall is coming and the fish know it.

Little Lava Lake was terrific this week! Our best action was on a Jeff’s Jiggy Beetle. We got some fish on Callibaetis dries and emergers, and a lot of fish on a Callibaetis nymph under an indicator.
I’ll be back soon.

I think with the hot days and really warm nights in the forecast I am still going to skip Crane Prairie and Diamond Lake until we get significantly cooler.

East Lake is fishing really nicely with callibaetis in all phases of the life cycle important at different times of the day. Callibaetis Cate and Jig Red PT, Poxyback CB, Extended Body, Comparadun, Sparkle Dun, Almost Dun and Gallops Spinner and CDC Spinners will cover it.
Beetles, Ants and Hoppers are solid.
Deeper indicator action or even deeper Dangling are good bets with Chironomids and Leeches. I’d also marinate a Chub/Minnow down there and see what grabs it.

Paulina Lake is on the list of go to places even though I am disappointed with the average size of the stocked Rainbows this season. Beeltes, Hoppers, Ants, Hippie Stompers and a few straggler Callibaetis duns around. It is amazing how much different the Callibaetis hatches are between here and East. It has to do with the shoals at East compared to the vast deepness at Paulina.
Leeches, Minnows and Chironomids and that Double Bead CDC Black Assassin are good bets now.

I’ll be in the shop Saturday and Monday and on East Lake Sunday! I hope to see you on the water or in the store.

And a million thanks to all of you that cared enough to reach out due the fire near Sisters last week. Things have calmed down on that fire, all the evacuations are over and the Fire Crews who responded from all over the state were rock stars in saving so many homes in our community. Now the fire down by Diamond Lake is sending smoke to our area on and off, so for those of you sensitive to the smoke fro your health, watch this with the wind direction and download an AQI app to understand it. The last 2 afternoons the smoke rolled in after nice mornings and early afternoon conditions.

Fish well!

Jeff aka Jeef
Jeef’s Flav season is here.