This week I will run you through the local waters, talking about hatch conditions and fishing projections for the glorious week ahead. We will cover al the best places and take a good guess at how long some of the hatches will last this fall before it is over.
I will talk about dock removal plans from the USFS and wrap it up with a summary on what might be the best low cost fly rod ever built.
Stick with me and enjoy this weeks report. There is a lot to talk about and let’s go have a little fun.

The Green Drakes are still flying on the Metolius River, as are the “lesser green drakes” aka Flav’s. How much longer will they hatch? In a quick consultation with Zoltar the Great this morning he indicated for sure the rest of the week with the good weather in the 60’s and 70’s coming. Always trust Zoltar and make sure to have some Film Critics, Sparkle Duns, Lucent Wing and Dry Ice Drake and Moores Para Shuck and Jeff’s Flav.
PMD’s #16, BWO’s in #18 mostly but tuck a #20 and #22 in the boxes for the times another species of Baetis may be hatching or overlapping the larger 18’s. Did you know there are about SIXTY (60!) mayflies in the western states that are in the Baetis family? Fortunately for us as anglers we can I.D. a 2 tailed mayfly that is between an 18 and 22, usually with an olive body and gray wings as a Blue Wing Olive and not have a need to bring the microscope for taxonomic identifications.
What are your favorite mayfly patterns for smaller mayflies like BWO and PMD’s? Mine are Harrop’s Captive Duns, Quigley’s Film Critic, Stalcup’s Winger Emergers, two types of Knock Down Duns- the KD Dun (I call the one wing wonder) which is a Bob Brooks pattern from Hot Creek in California, and the Blue Ribbon Flies version which has spent Z Lon Wings and a Z Lon Trailing Shuck. Add CDC Parachutes, Craig Matthews miracle creation the Sparkle Dun and Caucci and Natasi’s Comparadun (add some purple ones), and Harrop’s CDC Spinners.
Mahogany Duns are a common hatch on the Metolius in October so add some Gray Comparaduns, Upright Rusty’s, Quill Gordon and Purple Haze.
There a lot of good caddis hatches and with the warmer days in the forecast I believe this week will be a good week for Caddis dries and emergers! Tan #16, Olive #18, Gray #14, Orange #8-10 and 14.
Golden Stones are waning a bit but can be very important all the way through October. I have caught fish in Halloween with a Clarks Stone. The smaller stoneflies like the Little Olives and Yellow Sally’s are about kaput. Below Bridge 99 there are still some good enough sightings of Cascade Stones.
The Kokanee have really come into the system a lot more this week. The river is the “No Tell Motel’ as these fish are here for one reason and it isn’t to feed. It’s sex. Good for them. It is Egg City out there and that will be a top nymph for the next month.
Other top nymphs will be Perdigons, Walt’s Worms, Zebra Midges, 2 Bit Hookers, Micro May’s, Pheasant Tails, Golden Stones, Slum Lord and Mini Gulps.
Bull Trout are coming best to bigger articulated streamers and also jig streamers. Some big fellas are around if you poke around you can see Bull’s in the 12 to 15 pound class for sure.

The Crooked River is one of the best on the Central Oregon circuit right now. There is a good afternoon hatch of mayflies and you might see 3 species overlap. They will be PMD’s, BWO’s and Mahogany Duns.
I have frequently recommended the Furminsky’s BDE Dun in this report over the years, but had an exciting revelation concerning the name this week when I had a meeting last tuesday with our Montana Fly Co rep Bruce. Bruce said that BDE stands for Best Dry Ever. On the Crooked I tend to agree. Mt Fly added a PMD version for 2026 and I put them on the order for next season. Also the Extended Body PMD Cut Wing Dun, Sparkle Dun, Film Critic and Purple Comparaduns are very good.
Midges are likely in the late afternoon and your nymphing game can always include a midge like a black zebra midge or winker. The winker is a cool fly as it can fished as an emerger or down deep with success at different moments of the hatch.
Scuds, Soft Hackles, Mini Gulps, Skinny Nelson, Perdigons, Tungsten Micro Mayfly (brown #16, olive #18 and black #20). Water levels are beginning to drop for upcoming winter reservoir storage.

I guided at the Fall River twice this week. Once out of necessity to get off an overly windy lake and once because one of my best guide trip customers likes to finish out the season on the little spring creek and off the lakes. Both days were very good for my guests. One Wednesday Jim and Mike enjoyed better and better BWO emerger and dry fly fishing from when we started before 9 AM until we left about 3:15 PM. In the morning there were just enough mayflies to get the fish feeding on dries, and after lunch the hatch intensified and it was on fire for 2 hours on Flag Duns and KD Duns. I had them fishing with 7x Trout Hunter tippet and I truly believe it makes a huge difference.
Friday Sean and I had a different experience, one that saw the hatch start much later but when it did it was even more interesting. Why you ask? Well, besides all the BWO’s, there was a good mix of PMD’s and for a while both Flav’s and some bigger Green Drakes. I watched some fish absolutely crush some Drakes fluttering over them trying to take flight. Confession, I had to walk to back to the truck to get my drake box and by time I got back and tied one on….. It was over….. waah waah waah.
Jim and I also had a nice Euro Nymphing session with a Purple Perdigon and a Yellowish Brown Jig Napoleon. Eggs, Zebra’s, Jiggy Streamers, Olive Hares Ears, PT’s & 2 Bit Hookers are all good nymphs for the Fall. Strip and Zonker or Wooly Buggers, or a balanced leech under the indicator.

The Lower Deschutes is fishing well for trout and steelhead from Warm Springs all the way to at least Mack’s Canyon. That is a lot of water to enjoy.
Steelhead are being found in every mile of the lower river now. The colder nights are getting the fish hunkered a little more to the bottom, at least in the morning for the 1st swing pass through you ought to go with the sink tip and a bigger leech or intruder, and when the sun hits the water swing your scandi line with a traditional fly like a Euphoria, Green Butt Skunk, Freight Train. Nymphing for steelhead is very productive with Peacock Girdle Bugs, Purple StoneFly’s, Lightning Bugs, October Caddis and larger BH Flashback PT’s.
Trout action is good and a lot of the above nymphs from above will be good for the trout too, especially the stoneflies and caddis. Adding some smaller tan pupa and perdigons and Berry’s PCP will round out your trout selection pretty nicely. Poke around in the back eddies and shallow riffles with small caddis, BWO’s, midges and rusty spinners.

The McKenzie River is fishing well, especially this past week with small Streamers! Side Drifting Euro Jigs has also been quite productive. Try a Dry-Dropper with the Chubby as a dry and a Soft Hackle hanging below it, or swing a soft hackle.
October Caddis are a highlight now, and a Pupa or Orange Rubber Legged Stimulator will be your best matches.

LAKES REPORT

I am looking forward to calmer and warmer days this week compared to last week! I had to cancel or postpone 2 of my trips last week, and moved one from the lake to the Fall River. I made the most of my schedule changes and was in the shop working on preseason orders and meeting with one of my favorite reps ordering flies and leaders for next season.
As of before the government shut down I was told the docks were going to be removed on October 12 & 13th. It is hard to know now what will happen, but I sure hope that this dates are the earliest it will happen.
Bathrooms are starting to be closed up. We had to search farther down the Little Crater CG yesterday to find one unlocked. I don’t know why they would lock an outhouse if access to the boat ramps and camp sites are open? Dumb.

Paulina Lake was good on the days I fished it this week. Pink Hoppers and my Jiggy Beetle were consistent.
The new leather tailed balanced Vampire Leech was good under an indicator. I pumped a couple of fish and they had a lot of tiny scuds in them.
I watched a guy yesterday who was a good angler working the drop off zone with what appeared to be a 24 sink tip line (teeny type?) and noticed his retrieve was quick. As we motored around him to give each other space I asked him if he was streamer fishing and he was. He was doing well and it was cool to see.

East Lake is a good bet for those of you on the banks, wade access, or with a drift boat that can be launched from the shallow ramps at EL CG or Hot Springs. The resort and the Cinder Hill ramps are closed for the season.
Tubes and Pontoons are easy to launch from EL CG and offer great access to a lot of good fishing.
Leeches, Scuds, Balanced Minnows, Red Ice Cream Cones, Callibaetis Nymphs and Terrestrials like Ants, Beetles and Hoppers will be good this week.

Crane Prairie was good for me last Sunday, with a better afternoon bite coming from the Deschutes Channel on Red Chironomids.
I got a nice email from my friend Eric yesterday and he did really well on Chironoimids but it sounded like throughout the day he found it necessary to cycle through 5 different colors and sizes to keep the bite going.
Leeches are a staple at CP, and having a good assortment of them in different bead colors and dubbing colors will be good, but black is always a safe choice. I also recommend the Rowley’s Balanced Minnow. Some days that get eats way better than a Leech.

Hosmer Lake is fishing pretty good most days and fish are spread out on the channel, with some nice fish up in the upper lake and also found in the lower lake too.
Damsel Nymphs, Callibaetis Nymphs, Water Boatman, Scuds, Ice Cream Cones, Red PT Jig, Double Bead Black, Ants and Beetles.
Strike Indicators play a more important role on Hosmer than maybe some of the other lakes. Spookier fish and soft takes require a Drop Back Bung or NZ Wool to be at your best.
Don’t forget to bring a Hover, Clear Camo Intermediate and maybe even a Type 3 or a sweep line with a Type 3 in the middle for streamers and scuds and blobs.

Little Lava Lake is a good one to keep on your radar this week and might be the last place to find and fish a callibaetis dry fly in Central Oregon until 2026.
Beetles and Ants are a good choice in the afternoon.
Blobs, Balanced Leeches and a variety of nymphs like a Red PT Jig, CB Cate, and mostly fish them under an indicator, although a stripped leech, blob or mayfly nymph is a good choice too. An Emerger Tip (5 foot Intermediate sink tip) or a Clear Camo full sink intermediate are solid sink line choices, and have a type 3 handy too.
I haven’t been to (big) Lava Lake lately, but I would think it is a good choice now too. In the fall I have had very nice terrestrial action on the far north end near the rocks.

Three Creek Lake is going to have a good week I suspect with the warmer days coming to Oregon until next weekend. Beetles, Ants, Hippie Stompers, Leeches, Scuds and Mayfly nymphs like a Red PT Jig or CB Cate Jig.
Also make sure to get a Hot Orange Beaded Olive Wooly Bugger or Damsel Nymph for the rest of the season. The Brook Trout are mad at that fly if you know what I mean.

TRAVEL

I still have 2 spots for Argentina January 24-31 $4950 and 2 spots to Chile February 21-28 $7500 and 4 spots to Belize April 11-17 $4600+
Join me.

Several years ago Ron, who is one of my favorite people in the world, and who also happened to help me out as a part time employee at FFP (salesman of the decade) bought an inexpensive euro nymphing rod from Echo that at the time I questioned why he chose that model.
After a season of use he reported how many different things he used the rod for, and it wasn’t just euro nymphing. Not by a long shot. He used it for dry flies with a longer 12′ leader, and for indicator fishing taking off the mono rig leader for a more appropriate indicator supporting leader (the Rio Indicator leader is perfect), and then put the mono rig back on for euro nymphing.
I was amazed to know how he used his Echo Carbon XL Euro Rod for so many styles of fishing, that I bought 2 of these as boat rods for my lake boat, and planned to also use them when I guided the Fall River from time to time.
I have put mine through the paces for 4 seasons and use them mostly as strike indicator rods, but also use them as a dry fly rod for a lot of days on the lakes. I also have used my 10′ 4 weight and loaded 5 and 6 weight sinking lines on them in a pinch for retrieve techniques on the lakes. They cast well with these lines.
These rods come in a 10′ 3 wt option or 10′ 4 weight option. For under $200 it is so versatile it should be considered as a primary or back-up rod, or a specialized rod for your quiver.
I prefer the 4 weight model for versatility on so many things related to lake fishing or travel to Patagonia, but the 3 weight is really good as a Euro Rod, Indicator rod for smaller nymphs and also dry fly fishing.
In an age of so many high prices with darn near everything we buy it is nice to know something like the Carbon XL is out there and is never going to the stable as one trick pony.

See you on the water or in the shop.
Thanks as always for your support reading this and with the shop and trips. We have a great community here.

Jeff
10/5/25