ODFW is doing their electro shocking survey this week so that isn’t super great for the fishing. It will be done Thursday and will bounce back.
We’ve been doing really well on Nymphs. Micro Mayfly, Euro Jig, Frenchie, Zebra Midges, PT and Anato May’s.
On top Renegades, Purple Haze, Comparaduns, Upright Rusty Spinners and Adams have been productive.
Plenty of great nymphing going on now that the Mother’s Day Caddis seem like they are through until next spring. Oh sure, there are a few mayflies and caddis bringing up fish to the top but not the intense dry fly action we saw with the major caddis hatch.
We’ve been crushing it with Euro Nymphing using 2 Bit Hookers, Jigs, Perdigon’s, Zebra Midges, Thread Midges and Scuds.
For Dries, Purple Comparaduns, Upright Rusty Spinner, Parachute Adams and Renegades are working well for us.
We are still seeing a lot of Mother’s Day Caddis and the fish are still loving them.
Mixed in with the caddis are BWO’s, Midges and a few PMD’s.
So with all these hatches there has been a lot of dry fly action, but nymph fishing is still the most productive for most of the day. With all the caddis hatching the caddis pupa patterns have been rocking it. Other nymphs we’ve had great luck with lately are micro mayflies, zebra midges, scuds, 2 bit hookers, and soft hackles.
Our guides have had good days on the Crooked this week, mostly on Mother’s Day Caddis pupa and a Black Elk Hair Caddis. Most days the hatch is very strong and you will see a LOT of caddis in the air. Good times!
Midges, BWO’s and Scuds are certainly on the menu. We’ve been smacking fish Euro nymphing with Micro May’s, 2 Bit Hookers and Frenchies plus Zebra’s and Ray Charles.
The river is almost to full summer flow, running about 215 cfs today. Hard to say with a low snow pack if they plan to take it up to 240-280 eventually or if they plan to conserve water over the summer.
In any event it is in good condition and the river is fishing really well for trout and whitefish.
We had several calls this week with people freaking out that 200 is too high to fish. Hell no. That is a low flow for summer/irrigation season. So I am not sure where the misinformation is coming from but it’s good.
The massive BWO hatches are over, but there are still BWO’s hatching.
It won’t be long and the massive mothers day caddis hatches will be going strong. Maybe next week it will start? Maybe the week after.
We’ve been using zebra midges, micro mayflies, skinny nelson, frenchie and flashback PT cdc with 2 tungsten beads on a sighter system or with a NZ indicator rig on 6x fluoro.
water levels are coming up for summer irrigation demands but will not go higher or into that nasty run off level we get some springs as snow pack is low in the Ochocco’s. It’s been running 170 cfs +/- and normal summer flows are in the 250 cfs range, winter flows run from 50 to 90 cfs usually.
Afternoon hatches of BWO’s are really strong most days.
Some midges mixed in morning and later afternoons too.
Thread Midges, Zebra Midges, Frenchie’s, PT’s, Micro Mayflies, Skinny Nelson’s and Scuds are all great on the nymph side.
For dries go to the BD’s extended Body BWO, Knock Down Dun and Klinkhammer, Purple Comaparadun, Midge Winklers and Parachutes.
Here it is, mid-winter really and we have no snow and day after day ranging from the high 40’s to mid 60’s. Oh, there have been a few days with wind, and some clouds but it really truly feels like the best spring we ever had around here.
This means fishing.
Metolius is very good. Afternoon BWO’s, Later afternoon caddis and some midges are bringing fish up to the top. It’s not mid summer dry fishing but its good for this time of year.
Nymphing, including swinging soft hackles has been good too. All the usual nymphs like golden stones, lightning bugs, copper john, psycho prince, zebra midge, micro may’s, 2 bit hookers and frenchies have resulted in fish on moments lately. Swinging with a Graphic Caddis, Stalcup’s Caddis and PT Soft Hackle has been good later in the day.
Crooked is good on small nymphs with some later afternoon midge hatches bringing fish up to the top. Zebra Midges, Skinny Nelson, Micro Mayfly, Frenchie, Midge Winkler, Griffiths Gnat, Parachute Adams #20 and Purple Haze #18-20
Fall River is interesting with how good the morning dry fly fishing is with tiny little black stones. Then is moves to BWO’s about 1:00 and midges usually about 3 or 4.
7x tippet is highly recommended.
The only nymphs we’ve found the fish really interested in are the brown micro mayfly and red zebra midge. I’m sure there are others, but for us those have been the best.
Longhollow Ranch (private lake access) is open and we are running a $100 special for all day from 9 am to 4 pm (or a little later if you want). 30 minutes from Sisters and plenty of nice rainbows to give you a tug! Typical desert lake flies, leeches, chironomids, scuds and water boatman.
yesterday the BWO hatch was strong in the heavy wind and today not as much, but today the midges turned on later afternoon and the fish came up on them like crazy.
the whitey spawn is just beginning so you need to be fishing small light colored eggs and we recommend doing that on a drop shot set up.
micro may’s, zebra’s, ray charles, skinny nelson’s and frenchie’s are all hot nymphs to run under a sighter or NZ indicator.
Fricken’ great dry fly fishing in the afternoon. BWO’s mostly but still a few small #18 PMD’s too.
Nymphs in the morning and before or between hatches. WD 40 and Skinny Nelson’s have been good with the water dropping. We still like the heavier Micro Mayflies and 2 Bit Hookers but in some runs they are too heavy so you need a few lighter weighted patterns too.
We are very close to the whitefish spawn so get ready for amazing October fishing with eggs. It’s one of my favorite things to do in November is to use my 10′ 2 weight Echo Shadow Rod and fish eggs behind the spawners. Crazy fun.
The Crooked is coming in to Fall Flows down to 104 cfs today which is less than half of the 240 to 260 it ran for the summer.
We love Fall/Winter flows and the fishing conditions it brings. Fishing is very, very good now.
Yesterday the BWO hatch was strong with 4 hours of dry fly action mid day. When the fish aren’t looking up go after them with a Micro Mayfly or 2 Bit Hooker (BWO Color) Frenchie and PMD Split Case.
No whitefish eggs yet… but in about 2 or 3 more weeks that will be HOT. We got the pattern so make sure to come see us for that.
We have great guides to help you really fish the Crooked to its fullest potential. Give Steve, Troy, Ben, Mary Ann and Adam a call here at the shop and get booked for a super trip here in the next month or so before winter sets in.