I got home from guiding in time to watch game one of the Padres and Brewers series. As many of you know, I am a Padres fan and this is going to be a tough series, but like fishing, it is possible to win with hard work and a little luck.
The last 2 days on the water proved that.
Today was a very tough start. It took hours to get the 1st fish, but after lunch we had a change of luck and Milt even caught a double at the end of the day. More details on this feat below when I talk about the Hosmer conditions.

The Metolius was on and off this week, but that has more to do with hatches and rising fish than the rating of good or bad. Fishing is good, but how hard you work and what you can put in to it makes a difference. Someone wrote an anonymous post to me saying they disagree with my reports because they never catch fish here. With no way to reply, I would love to ask some questions and also try to help this angler.
How about we all ask the questions: Are the fish feeding on dries? Is it an emerger, or cripple, an adult or a spent wing or egg layer? Are you using a long light leader with a thin and soft butt section to get the best drift? Do you study hatches and know how to match the flies to the insects that are present? Are you reading the water and know the habits of the trout in this unique river? How about nymphing? Do you tight line or euro? Indicator fish? Are you looking for feeding fish? Looking for fish suspended off the bottom in an actual feeding pattern? These are really important aspects to fishing any river, but on a challenging stream like the Metolius they are pieces of the game that need to be considered at every turn in the river.
The green drakes and flavs are slowing down some, but one day it’ll be good, and maybe not as much the next. I don’t think they are over yet, but it is winding down.
Pale Morning Duns and mahogany duns and blue wing olives are all going to be consistent for the month of October.
Grab some film critics, knock down duns, sparkle duns, comparaduns, parachutes, quill gordons, rusty and olive spinners and you’ll be set until Halloween.
The little olive stones are getting towards the end too, but a #18 henryville or parachute is still a necessary dry to carry. The other stonefly not calling it quits are golden stones, and with the warm october you should expect many to be flying from the gorge to the head waters and some below the hatchery, especially below lower bridge.
There has been a lot of good nymphing, and with the abundance of kokanee in the river spawning now, eggs move high on the charts for a fly to tie on, along with caddis pupa (October #8 and tan #16), golden stones a bunch of euro nymphs and 2 bit style flies.
There have been excellent caddis hatches in the evening and fish are loving an Iris caddis, CDC corn fed, or x-caddis.
Bull Trout streamer fishing is also good, and with bulls chasing kokanee around this is a great time to hit them with the big streamers like our triple articulated flies we have specially made for the shop. Always a white dolly llama or circus peanut in the fall, and jig streamers are never a bad choice for short lining some of the spots.

The Lower Deschutes was good for us this past week and October is always a special month to enjoy the last days of being able to fish both sides of the river from Dry Creek to Trout Creek. Our guide Gavin had my good friend Ron on the river a few days ago, and Ron said it was was one of the best days he’s ever had there, and one of the best days with any guide he’s ever been with. That is so cool.
Right now it is a nymph game for the most part, caddis pupa, perdigons, stoneflies, eggs, 2 bit hookers, duracell, spanish bullet and frenchie’s, plus leeches, sculpins and micro streamers.
This warm week ahead look for good evening dry fly action, and some back eddy delights mid day and possibly mayflies and caddis in the morning to start to the day. BWO and caddis mostly, but add some #16-18 purple haze and use at a searching fly including in shallow riffles and eddies.

The Crooked River is holding at 100 cfs and that is a lovely level to fish the river for sure. There is a good mix of PMD #16-18 and BWO #18-20 hatching and most afternoons you can expect good dry fly fishing, and a lot go great nymph fishing with fire starters, spanish bullets, ray charles, scuds, 2 bits, split case PMD, eggs, zebra midges and frenchies.
I love October on this tailwater and I imagine a lot of you do too.

ODFW stocked a bunch of “trophy” trout in the river the other day, and the opportunity you have to get a large rainbow is high now. But this also invites a lot of folks to the river so it is busy out there.
I had a good report from some trusted friends this week of good dry fly fishing with BWO’s mid day. A KD dun and film critic are 2 to add to the box! and 6x, 6 1/2x and 7x tippet.
Midges and Caddis hatches have been important most days too.
An ant or hippie stomper is a good bet too.
Nymph fishing is generally productive with small tungsten nymphs, as are small jig streamers like a slum lord or poacher. Eggs, mops, 2 bits, spanish bullet, duracell, frenchie, Napoleon in brown and olive, and olive scuds ought to cover a lot of your needs this week.

The Middle Deschutes is in good shape but watch for rising levels as canals turn off for the end of irrigation season over the next week and half. From Bend to Lake Billy Chinook there are many good spots to enjoy and you should do it this week.

The Upper Deschutes from Benham Falls to Little Lava Lake is now closed until May 22, 2027.

LAKES REPORT

Paulina Lake was a lit of fun on the 4 days I was guiding there this week. Sunday, and Tuesday were amazing days, Monday was darn good and Thursday slower but had moments of glory. That my friends is lake fishing in a nut shell. What happened yesterday may, or may not continue tomorrow. And 2 of the days was a lot of high quality fish (size) and 2 days a lot of smaller fish.
So what was working? Brown chironomids #16, Red PT (amazing under an indi at 2 feet), red ice cream cones, larger ants, larger beetles and red hippie stompers.

East Lake is hard to launch a boat but if you’re determined you can do it at Hot Springs with a drift boat. Or a pontoon at EL CG. Walk and wade the shore if you don’t want to boat it in low waters. It’s going to be good all month for any of that, and there are still some callibaetis hatching but that might be coming to a quick end later this coming week.
Leeches and scuds are well worth stripping on a hover or intermediate, or hang a balanced leech on an indicator. If you haven’t tried stripping a Platinum Soccer Mom on the shoals, try it.
Add Callibaetis Cate nymphs and Red PT Jigs.
Beetles, Ants, Purple Chubby and #18 Olive Haze are dry flies to fish too.

Hosmer was a challenge these last 2 days. This afternoon things picked up with streamers like a soccer mom, jig minnow, Rowley’s balanced minnow and small olive micro balanced leeches.
Yesterday and today some fish were caught on ants, and there is no doubt the fish are chasing and slamming water boatman coming to the surface.
Yesterday a red zebra midge was the fly of choice. Both days were tough but working hard paid off.

Little Lava Lake is improving and I think it will be a strong choice this week and for the rest of October.
There are some small callibaetis hatches, but I am curious if any of you are seeing fish eat the adults? Nymphs yes, especially CB Cate, Red PT Jigs and Poxy Back CB.
Red Hippie Stomper is a great dry fly to use now and is also a good indicator fly. A flag ant and beetle are good over the weed beds and along the shore lines.
Balanced Leeches have game, and whether you fish them under an indicator or on a saw sink line they work!

Three Creek Lake is going to be a good choice this week, so get up to 6400 feet while this weather is so glorious. Beetles and ants and hippie stompers will be great dries this week.
Olive leeches with a hot head stripped on a hover or camo line, bruised balanced leeches with an indicator.
Red PT, CB Cate, Ice Cream Cones and Hanging with my Chromies can be used with an indi or under the hippie stomper.

TRAVEL

1 single spot remains for all the patagonia trips. January 9-16. WHO IS IN for this last spot in Argentina?

Belize with me may 1-7. Baja with mattias in early June. Let’s goooooo.

I am tired. The padres lost and I am guiding again tomorrow so I am going to sleep now.

See you in the shop or on the water. Be well, have a good week and go fish!

Jeff