As I begin writing today I am looking at the Birdify bird feeder with a live camera image from my mom’s backyard in Bend. The sun is just starting to illuminate the sky over her house. Central Oregon skies are some of the best, and I am starting to miss them a little. But there is a lot left to live here in South America before I return, and 1st up are Golden Dorado next week in neighboring Uruguay with my friend Carlos. Then to meet so many good friends in Chile for 2 weeks of fishing there with people who are absolute pillars in my life. For many reasons we are not done yet.

It seems this week a lot of you went to the Crooked River! I thank all of you (Colin H, Steve from FFP and Chester) for sharing great info that transfers here to a useful report to share.
So, in a rare instance we will start there and not on the Metolius. The Crooked River was fishing quite well this week, with excellent reports on the nymph side, and as expected some observations with the midge hatches too mixed in with very light BWO hatches.
Far and away the talk was on Euro Nymphing and using Perdigons and Spanish Bullets. Olive, Purple and Brown nymphs were all mentioned, along with Frenchies and some weird combo Steve tied with a Peacock Herl Thorax and a Green Glass Bead he said was killer. If you know Steve or been on out on a guide trip with him, you know his fly tying mind is always working on something. And sometimes they work (wink Stevie).
I would add some Fire Starters, Scuds, Ray Charles, Zebra and Winker Midges, Griffiths Gnats and Purple Comparaduns to the box, and also a small Black Perdigon too.
Last winter the Crooked hardly had a fishable day to enjoy with such high flows, so with the more normal flows out of the reservoir and good weather, it has been back on the list as a good place to enjoy this year. Still #prayforsnow

The Fall River is fishing well and is a primo spot to enjoy this week. There have been some good Blue Wing Olive hatches mid-day that a #18-20 KD Dun, Purple Comparadun or EP Sparkle Dun will do the trick on. A long light leader with a 6x or 7x nylon tippet will be a huge benefit and I can argue is equally important to the success as the actual fly.
Midge hatches along with a few scattered Caddis (Grey #14 and Amber #14-16), Purple Hippie Stompers, and yes it is early but add a #14 March Brown to the box this week. With the weather we might see a small wave of them hatch.
Eggs, Slum Lords, Rainbow Warrior or Lightning Bugs, Zebra Midges, Purple, Black, Brown and Olive Perd’s and Jig Soft Hackle PT.
Another thing to consider as you approach the river is a sink tip and a streamer. Small Articulated Streamers, Sculpzulla, Wooly Buggers, Zonkers and Jigs….Make it move!
Our customer Colin shared a report from the Fall River recently and called the habitat the fish use there “Log Cabins”. I love that, and it made me laugh. Streamers are a great fly to throw at the “Log Cabins”.

The Metolius River in February is a noticeable transition time for the river. It was always the time we can count on more daylight, but also see an improvement in the fishing. I think a lot of this has to do with the maturity of the insects and that they are bigger, and now going to be in a biological drift more frequently to disperse themselves for upcoming spring hatches, and to find more food and habitat now they are big kids. So many important things are in this cycle now; Stonefly nymphs, Caddis Larva, Mayflies of all stripes. Even Green Drake nymphs are maturing, and to think we are only 10 or 11 weeks from the 1st emergence of the D. Grandis! Wow. Other things in the drift will include Kokanee Fry, Scuds, Midge Larva and Pupa and Caddis Pupa for October Caddis, Silver Stripe Sedge, Snow Sedge and Rhyacophila caddis in a #14-16 which is the reason the Tan & Olive Fat Ass Caddis have such a good game on the Met now.
There have been some nice afternoon BWO hatches so get a 12′ 6x Suppleflex Leader tied on your 4 weight rod and some 6x tippet and get on that hatch with emergers and cripples.
If you run into the midge hatch in an eddy, you need some 7x too. On the other side of that dry fly coin is prospecting with a big orange dry fly like a Stimulator or Foam Elk Hair Caddis. Even skitter those a bit to mimic the egg laying behavior that brings them back to the river to create the next generations. Don’t overdo the skitter or twitch, but add it sparingly to your presentation on the big flies mimicking caddis and stones. Let me ask you this, how many times have you mended a fly and right afterwards the fly gets eaten? That’s what I am talking about! This is a 4x game most likely.
From watching a few instagram accounts I have seen some damn fine Bull Trout landed over the last 7 to 10 days. WHOA. I also respect the heck out of the posters of this content for there handling of the fish in the net, and quick out of the net lifts for the shot, if even done at all. I see a lot of respect for the fish from the people I follow.
Form a BT perspective, would your choice be an 8 weight and a sink tip and swinging or stripping an articulated streamer, or a 10′ 6 or 7 weight and nymphing a Jig Streamer? I love that swing an awful lot, but the indicator is likely the more effective presentation for now.

I’m going to touch on the Deschutes River this week for the 1st time in a while, as some very good friends of mine were enjoying the Little Black Stonefly Hatch on the Middle River. They also saw a Skawla hatch and caught fish on dries. Little Black Stones were always a hatch to get fired up for in February around FFP dating back to the Harry Teel days, and with a lower flow winter and warm days it has been a hatch worth chasing. A #16 Black Caddis or Float-n-Fool are great to match these small stoneflies. Add a Skawla #10 Stimulator or Chubby (Olive or Gold). If you’re headed there, BWO and Midges are also important and likely winter hatches that might create a feeding opportunity for you to match as well.

The Lower Deschutes is definitely worth the trip, Maupin area access is wide open and fishing quite good for this time of year. Remember that Warm Springs, Mecca, Dry Creek, Trout Creek and South Junction access is all closed until 4/22/26.
Stonefly nymphs, Green Rock Worm, Blue Perdigon, Jig Napoleon Brown or Olive, Berry’s PCP and Walts Worms and some real match the hatch stuff like a BWO Micro Mayfly and Tan or Olive Fat Ass Caddis will be smart choices. Think about the next hatches upcoming, and March Brown Mayflies are not too far out, so a Hares Ear or PT in a #12-14 are good ideas too.
Keep an eye on BWO mayfly hatches to bring fish to the surface this week. It is the only likely dry fly to work for now, so add a Film Critic, Sparkle Dun and Parachute to the collection if you plan to go soon.

Our favorite Camp Sherman Dad was down in the desert this week and soaking in some hot water with the family, but he got a hall pass for an afternoon on the Ana River and caught some fish on a Slum Lord. He was not expecting to see so many hatches but said he saw BWO, Trico, Midges and Tan Caddis hatching too. I’ll add a couple of ideas if you’re thinking of the Ana, add some #16 WHITE caddis. For real Scuds and Perdigons and Leeches.
Rubber Sole Boots are really helpful, and be careful on wet banks with the clay soil base, it is slicker than ice and felts have no chance.
Bring a trash bag and clean up after the assholes that don’t take care of cool places.

Lakes Report

while I was writing this I got a text from Skip who was on Haystack yesterday with his good freind Dave and Dave landed 2 whopper on a black balanced leech.

I have heard the Kokanee action at Lake Billy Chinook is very good. Of course the Metolius arm is closed, but for a fly angler the Deschutes Arm area from the boat ramp to the bridge can offer some streamer and nymph fishing options. Watch the wind forecast.

I’ve been meaning to tell this story for a while, as it ties in to perceptions and life choices.
In 1994 I was offered a truck to buy that was very special to me. Not because it was a cool classic yet, but because of the history it had in my life and the friend it came from. It turned out I had to pass on it.
it was a difficult choice to say no, but I had to.
Let me tell you a little back story about the truck.
When I moved to Bend in 1980 we came over in March to look for a family house to buy. In the family station wagon driving down Third Street I spotted the Fly Box and blurted out “Dad, can we stop?!”
We pulled in to an oddly shaped, rough dirt parking lot sitting below the shop and I noticed a light blue International Scout that I later learned was the fishing truck (and family truck, and everything truck) of the shop manager Mark. It was perfect. I used to draw pictures of myself fishing along rivers with a truck parked next to the river, and usually it was a Jeep pickup, but the Scout ended up more of a dream than the Jeep. (also likely more reliable than the Jeep. I remember being in Marks garage and him showing me the engine bay and how ever a big guy like himself could climb in to work on the motor. I never liked to be a mechanic, but this I miss, because at least on a car like that you had a chance to fix it yourself)
Mark soon left the fishing business for a career in tech, and he held on to the Scout for quite a while, but as families change, moves happens, cars get upgraded the Scout needed a new home.
In 1994 I had just bought the Fly Fisher’s Place at the end of 1991, and to be honest I had a rough start in 1992 and was getting back on my feet in 93 and 94. Running a business wasn’t as easy as I thought, transitioning a business from a 70 year old legend to a 22 year old kid was tough enough, but add some serious health issues (I was misdiagnosed with Crohn’s disease) and was so sick I went from 130 lbs to 119 pounds and missed a lot of work for a few months. I was in deep.
The price of the Scout was $500 and a set of new oars and I couldn’t afford it.
I think about that often.
I think about the Scout and how nice it would be around Sisters to have the top off in the summer, and cruise to the river with the rods on a Hood/Windshield mount, getting more sun than my face should encounter as I rumbled in to the Canyon Creek trailhead.
I also think about what a strong lesson that Scout reminds me of. The lesson was that living within your own means is one of the smartest actions we can take.
I am in Argentina living a good life, but to be fair it is much less expensive than life in Oregon. Many of you know, but I got divorced last summer, and while I kept the fly shop and the building the shop is in, I don’t have the house or my dogs anymore. One of the reasons I chose to come here was to see what it is like, live simply and cheaper than at home and save some money. All of that has happened.
I had some exceptionally kind friends last summer who let me stay in their guest houses which I can’t even explain how much it meant to me to be offered such kindness.
I am coming home to Oregon soon, with the realization that I can live here for much much cheaper than I can live in Sisters or Bend.
But I am not sure my work is done in Oregon yet.
Where my interest are in the future certainly include guiding the lakes, running the travel business and getting my friends and customers to enjoy the fishing and food and cultures outside of our home. I have so many things to decide in the next 2 years, but staying the course of living within my means needs to be a guiding light for this old guide.
I am always keen to hear your opinions and good advice because lord knows I don’t have all the answers and my whole adult life I have surrounded myself with people who are a lot smarter than me. I own a business with value, a building that is in a wonderful town and that will be paid off in 13 months, and have a retirement account that I can tap in to in 8 years or so. What’s smart and what’s next?

With kindness to people, fish and the planet,

Jeff