Good morning everyone, the report is getting shorter this week as the places we can fish are limited to our wonderful rivers and streams that are open and accessible year round. The lake season, for the most part is effectively done until next spring and summer.
Deschutes County will close the gates to Century Drive at Mt Bachelor and Lava Lake blocking access to the Cascade Lakes, and the gate will also close to Paulina and East on Tuesday 11/17/26.
With the weather that rolled through today I’d recommend not going to any of those places anyway, even if the gate is open for a few more days. It is cold, snowy and windy.

The Metolius River has a lot going on, with some pretty god BWO hatches this past week, and I would hope to see that trend continue this coming week. There are also a mix of yellow mayflies, both PMD and Cinygmula’s. Chester and I had dinner this week and he fishes the river more than anyone I know, and he mentioned the “yellow mayflies” were starting to dwindle in numbers compared to a week or two ago. This is normal for the season, but don’t give up on them until December and carry #16 yellow emergers, cripples and dun’s.
Besides October Caddis #8, the smaller caddis adults have been pretty unimportant for the most part. But wait, because the smaller Caddis Pupa in a size #16 tan are one of the very best nymphs you can use on the river now.
It is an incredible year for returning Kokanee, and there are still colorful fish in the river and spewing the eggs the trout love to eat. Eggs are always good on the Met, but at this moment eggs are essential.
I’ve heard some mixed reviews on how the Bull Trout action is. I don’t think that is out of the ordinary for the time of year, and also with so many kokanee this year, the fish just may be kind of overwhelmed by eating. I would still try, and I would definitely fish some really big streamers.
Nymphing with an indicator or a Euro nymphing rig will both be productive. Euro/Tightline is arguably more so….
All the Perdigons could have their moment in the spotlight, but brown, red, olive and purple are the top 4, and blue in the winter is a heck’uva color choice. Something about low winter light and blue nymphs being a color that is one that shows up super well down deep. Trout like it. Walts Worms, Zebra Midges, Duracell, Pshycho Prince, Caddis Pupa, Eggs, PT, Spanish Bullet and Golden Stone Nymphs.
Remember the river is closed from the Headwaters downstream to Allingham Bridge. But the area from Allingham to Gorge, Wizard Falls to the Powerline Hole, Pioneer Ford to near Candle Creek are all beats to consider for your next trip. Dry Fly hatches ought to be mid day about noon to 2, nymphing and streamer fishing is an option all morning and afternoon until dusk. And man the dusk comes fast here now. By about 4:30 most of us would be reeling in for the day and headed home.

The Crooked River is holding a steady flow at 47 cfs and fishing has been good. There are a decent number of BWO mayflies in the afternoon and midges following up the mayflies later in the afternoon towards dusk. This is giving anglers a very good opportunity to fish dry flies for a little while longer at least. The mayflies usually peter out by thanksgiving with only light emergences occurring through the winter (if at all) and by sometime in March come back on very strong on this river. Midges can hatch all winter and be pretty consistent for us to look for a dry fly option, but always gives us a nymphing option with Zebra Midges and Winkers.
Scuds, Micro May’s, Black Perdi, Purple Perdi, Spanish Bullet, Baetis Perdigon, Ray Charles, Scuds and Eggs. Whitefish eggs are small and yellowish, and that is the best egg color to use here now.
You can Euro nymph, fish a NZ Wool Indicator or small Oros indicator. All are good! Light tippet is a must dry or nymph, especially with the lower water the fish can be choosy on the drift. Lighter tippet gives a better drift.

The Fall River has been good with all the recent stocked fish ODFW has put in from the Headwaters to the Tubes.
The fish are very active and feed well at times pretty much all day. Nymphs and streamers are a constant from sun up to sun down, and dry fly fishing will happen later in the morning with amber caddis, then by afternoon Blue Wing Olives #18 & 20, and tiny black midges #22 or smaller.
Dry Flies – EP Sparkle Dun, KD Dun, Parachute CDC Dun, RS2, Captive Dun, Silvey’s Edible Emerger, Missing Link Caddis Orange, Corn Fed Caddis, Bucky’s Midge, Century Drive Midge and Griffith’s Gnat.
Nymphs – Walt’s Worms, Spanish Bullet, Carrot Nymph, Perdigon’s, Eggs, Scuds, Mop Fly and San Juan Worms.
Streamers- Jig Minnow, Balanced Leech, Croston’s Minnow, Olive Mini Gulp, Sir Sticks a Lot and Slum Lords. On the streamers you can dead drift, strip, swing… It’s all got potential.

The Lower Deschutes was pretty good this week, I know the FFP crew had 8 or 9 of the guys go down for a fun day Tuesday and they had a really good day, mostly fishing leeches on a Euro rig, or under an indicator.
Red 2 Bit Hookers, BWO Micro May’s, Eggs, Caddis Pupa, Berry’s PCP, Perdigons, Jig Napoleons, Spanish Bullet and Blue Perdi’s are going to be wise choices this week too. Stonefly Nymphs can be quite a good pattern all winter, both Golden’s and Black. A peacock bodied Girdle Bug is a very good newer pattern we sell, and be sure to check out the new Fulling Mill Salmonfly nymph pattern we have. Especially later in the winter and early spring I recommend that for your box on your early trips to Maupin.
Some of the guys and a few of our good customers have been enjoying time with the trout spey rods and swinging sculpins and leeches.

The lake season is pretty much kaput for 2026. Cold weather is here, the access is limited and fishing conditions and safety are now really important considerations. Possible to still do North and South Twin, Haystack, Chick and head up the Deschutes Arm of Lake Billy Chinook, but that is in need of a good boat and will be a predator approach with streamers and sink tips for Bull Trout, where the other lakes are Leeches, Chrinomids and Blobs at this time.

I am still hopeful to find one more angler to join us to fill the trip to San Martin de Los Andes January 9-16, 2027. It’s a great group of folks and only YOU are missing. $5500 for the 6 day, 7 night fishing package.

As it cooled off and got wetter this week it was fun to see the locals come in for their fix of fly tying supplies and just to hang out in the shop as a place of freindship and comfort. We will have the games on today, and tomorrow, good music monday through friday and we look forward to welcoming you in and talking about fishing and life.

Chips & Salsa and Streamers! A wet and windy friday at the fly shop.

Until next time, go fish!

Jeff