If you follow me on Facebook you have already seen my message of the week. It is empathy. The human emotion I believe that is the most important one. I told a different story on Facebook last night, but I have been wanting to tell this one for a while because it means so much to me.
I made my 1st trip to NZ on a whim, sometime around 2005. It was my 1st solo travel experience and it wasn’t an easy trip to do. I remember catching my first solo trout on a South Island stream not far from Queenstown, and then heading through the Milford Sound area where I had my first ever anxiety attack. It was Awful. it was a byproduct of being a long ways from home and all by myself, and having a major change in my life. My health got better as I circled around the southern tip of NZ, down through Gore, across to Dunedin and eventually to the Olive Branch Bed & Breakfast not far from Omaru on the Pacific Coast where I had a transformational experience.
Why? The photo below…. These 2 kids are why.

When I left the 2 lane coastal highway and drove down their driveway they were racing me on their bikes from the road to the office. I traveling on a whim after all, and had no reservations and my rental car was running on fumes. Believe it or not, back then it was hard to find a gas station open on a Sunday in NZ I guess!
The boys found out I came to NZ to fish and that I was on my way to meet a fishing guide friend of mine in a couple of days. They wanted to “guide me” on their stream that ran behind the family property. With a promise of meeting them in less than an hour, I just wanted to check in and get a little settled, I couldn’t wait to see what they wanted to show me. And that was much more important than a trout. The 3 of us started out slow from the house, but as we approached the ridge above the stream they both started running full steam ahead towards the stream below. I did my best to keep up with the kids, so by time I get to the water a few seconds behind them the large brown trout that inhabited the pool was in full panic mode from the rushing of 3 humans coming towards what was the previous calm of the river. Needless to say, there was no catching, but what came next is one of my favorite examples of humans showing empathy.
The boys found a bird that had perished, and you could see the heartbreak on them for this bird. They cared. They wanted to know why it happened and accepted it in a way that was really nice for me to witness. They dug a small grave for the bird, burying it with dignity and respect, and they placed a little cross made from twigs over the site. They were serious about loving that bird and sad that it was dead, but showed their humanistic qualities that I wish more young men allowed themselves to show. From that moment I knew I had met soulmates.
(They also pulled invasive weeds along the stream. These were great kids).
Empathy comes from all over, and it not an emotion to hide from. We all need more of it, not less. It is not “woke” and it is not partisan. It’s also a part of fishing because fishing is our life. If you read this blog each week, you share that passion with me.

The Metolius River is fishing well with a whole bunch of great hatches including Green Drakes and Flav’s. The next 2 to 3 weeks will remain good for those hatches and many others to enjoy.
Green Drakes #10 and Flav’s #14 are from Canyon Creek to Candle Creek and usually between 1 and 5. Narrowing that down a bit most likely 2 to 4… Pale Morning Duns #16 and #18 (seems like they are smaller up near Camp Sherman and bigger 16’s down river) and BWO’s #18-22, Mahogany Duns #16 (Quill Gordon, Grey Comparadun, Purple Haze and Upright Rusty) will cover the mayflies now.
A lot of Caddis in the hatches throughout the day, especially later afternoon and evening time. Tan #16, Olive #16-18, Grey #14, Orange #8-10 and Amber #14. Pupa fished deep and emergers or adults during the hatch. Look for spent egg layers too. I have found the spent egg laying caddis to be more important in Deschutes eddy’s, but from time to time the Metolius fish will get keyed on them too.
Golden Stones #10 from Gorge to Riverside CG, and a few mixed in below the Canyon here and there in pockets. Cascade Stones #6-8 and Little Olive Stones #16-18 are all over the river, but most important in the Middle and Lower reaches.
Bull Trout action is good on big streamers. This time of year I don’t know if you can have a big enough streamer.
No Kokanee in the spawning run quite yet. Should be soon. There have been some Chinook spawning so an Egg Fly is not a bad nymph choice from here on out.

The Lower Deschutes River is fishing well from Warm Springs to Trout Creek and down to Harpham Flats on the 3 day trip for both Trout and Steelhead.
Caddis right now is the predominate hatch, with a few Pale Evening Duns and PMD’s holding on with summer weather. BWO’s and Mahogany Duns will take over with Fall weather soon.
The small dark Micro Caddis are the ticket, also the ever present Tan #16 caddis.
There is really good nymphing on October Caddis Pupa, Stonefly nymphs, Tan Caddis Pupa, PT’s, Perdigons, 2 Bit Hookers and Micro May’s and Berry’s PCP nymphs.
Swinging small steelhead flies like Green Butt Skunks, Freight Train, Muddlers and Euphoria’s are picking up steelhead well. October in the WS to TC drift is going to be good. November even better. We will run trips until thanksgiving if you want a shot at a big one.

The Middle Deschutes is going to start coming up with the end of irrigation season soon. It will be most fishable until about 10/12. Don’t miss this late season good fishing. Purple Haze, PMD Parachutes, X Caddis, Fin Fetcher Caddis are some of my Middle D favorites.
Euro Nymphing and Micro Streamers are excellent choices.

The Fall River is is getting good afternoon hatches of PMD’s and BWO’s, and some Midges, Amber and Tan Caddis and a few Olive Stones. Add in Ants, Beetles, Yellow Jackets and Hoppers and you can do a lot of dry fly fishing here for the next several weeks.
Small Streamers like a Squirrel Nymph, Mini Gulp and Soccer Mom are good. Eggs, Zebra Midges, 2 Bit Hookers and heavy Perdigons are also perfect choices.
A few flies you might overlook are soft hackles, Red Copper John, and a Hot Pink Rufous. For the dumb fish (hahaha).

There is not much better than the Crooked River in the Fall! With great afternoon mayfly hatches of PMD’s and BWO’s and some Mahogany Duns there is a good amount of dry fly options now too. Soft Hackles are a fun way to fish, with a tight line swung nymph the take is magical. And of course Euro Nymphing and Indicator action with small Midge and Mayfly nymphs are fabulous.
3 Dry Flies to take for sure- Cut Wing Extended Body Parachute #16, Furminsky’s BDE Blue Wing Olive #18 and Upright Rusty Spinner, not for a rusty spinner so much as it is a heck of a pattern to match Mahogany Duns too.

Lakes Report:

This week was interesting on Paulina Lake. One day we did relatively well on beetles and royal chubbies, and the next day a flying any hatch hit the lake so prolifically that not many of us on the lake that day had a chance of matching the unique color of the abdomen of that ant. Kind of amber colored and they were exactly 1 cm long. I think a #15 Tiemco 102Y hook was the match, and I have some ideas for tying these for the next time we run into them. I saw this one other time in 2017 at East Lake and both times a Harrops CDC Honey Ant caught some, but it wasn’t quite the right match IMO.
I am happy to return tomorrow and sever more days over the next week and look forward to more terrestrial action with Beetles, Ants and Hoppers, plus Chubby’s this week.
Black Leeches and Black Double Bead Nymphs and Red 2 Bit Hookers are my top nymphs for now.
USFS is likely to remove docks on 10/12 FYI

East Lake is without docks as the resort is closing early this season and took theirs out last week. I don’t like launching my big boat w/o a dock there so I might start using the drift boat instead.
Fishing is good, there are still good callibaetis days around lunch with emergers and dries. Nymphs under an indicator are very productive. If it is calm the Fulling Mill Bung is deadly, if the wind chop is stronger the NZ Wool is my next choice based on sensitivity and an Oros or Airlock next.
Callibaetis Cate and Red Jig PT are fantastic nymphs for now. Ice Cream Cones and Scuds and Balanced Leeches are solid choices too.

Crane Prairie is fishing well with good action out from the resort in the flats and around the D Channel. Quinn was good this morning from a report I got from Phil. Black Leeches today. Cultus and Rock Creek are also good points to move to and so far Rock Creek remains open for boat launches.
Ice Cream Cones, Hanging with my Chromies, Red 2 Bit, Double Bead Black, Water Boatman and Damsel Nymphs are solid choices.

Little Lava Lake is excellent. I fished it twice this week and one day had brilliant Callibatis dry fly action and the other day the hatch was on, but the fish were not overly interested in them. However they loved a Jiggy Beetle an awful lot and we did well with that.
The Fulling Mill Drop Back Bung has been the most sensitive indicator for us, I am solid on the statement that we catch more fish because of it. People freak out on getting the bead sizes matched to the indicator, but if it doesn’t stand up you don’t have enough weight on the line. I no longer worry about perfect beads, I add tiny split shot and balance it that way. Bingo.
Callibaetis Cate and Red Jig PT are smoking hot.

Hosmer Lake is good fishing now, with a lot of the fish migrating down the channel and not as abundant in the upper lake lines or weed beds.
Chironomids are really the best right now, but Red Jig PT, Red 2 Bit, Double Bead Black, CB Cate, Balanced leeches, Water Boatman, Damsels and Scuds are all quite important.
For dries, try a BBR Callibaetis. Even though there are not many CB around, that all black dry fly seems to get them to eat. Also, Ants, Beetles and Chubbies for dries.

I didn’t talk to anyone this week at Three Creek Lake so I am going to guess that there is a dwindling amount of Mayflies and Black Caddis, but enough at times to get the fish on the bite. Midges and Terrestrials will continue to be important for a while until the water temps go to the 40’s and that is probably well into late October.
Brook Trout are coloring up for the fall spawn and a few flies to throw at aggressive brook trout are a Mickey Finn, Orange Headed Buggers or Damsels and Chartreuse Headed Damsels.
Beetles and Ants are continuing as a top pick. Scuds on the shallow bank lines are also good.

TRAVEL-

2 Open Spots in Argentina Jan 24-31, 2026. $4950
2 Open Spots Baker River Chile February 21-28, 2026. $7500
4 Open Spots Blue Bonefish Belize April 11-17, 2026. $4600 +/-

Thank you for reading my blog, letting me share stories and emotions, fishing tips and entomology. It means the world to me that you support this week after week and I appreciate all of you that take the time from your day to use it as a tool, or to be entertained by it.

Life is interesting. Unplug and go fish.

Jeff