Warm Springs to Trout Creek

I will start closer to home, in the trout waters from Warm Springs to Trout Creek. It is a good place to fish. Great caddis hatches again, good to very good hatches of PMD and Pale Evening Duns, a resurgence (perhaps) of dainty Craneflies and just a lot going on both under the surface with nymphs, streamers, and soft hackles and on top with dry flies.

The River really warms up once it passes Maupin and by time it gets below Sherars Falls down to Macks Canyon and the Mouth. The last six days the temperature reading at Moody Rapids gage just up from the confluence with the Columbia has the river mostly hovering in the 69-70 degree range and going up to nearly 75 degrees. So, if you were hoping to get some early steelheading in on the lower river, please wait. Also, so far, the steelhead counts going over Bonneville are very much below average, I am sure due to the heat.

I know people who’ve said they are going to take the year off from Steelhead this year to give the fish a break. Perhaps that is a good idea, but a cool down and a wet fall could be a game changing event and let’s revisit that later. For now and likely the next two weeks, give the steelhead fishing a pass.

The Middle Deschutes

The Middle Deschutes is a good bet early in the AM to about lunch time and the last 90 minutes before dark.
PMD, PED, Caddis, Yellow Sally, awesome action on Euro Nymphs and don’t forget to spice it up with a streamer in some of the pools and throw a Purple Chubby or Stimulator at them as an attractor.

The Upper Deschutes

I fished the Upper Deschutes with my friend Damon a couple of days ago, and talk about a reason to get a Euro Nymph rod. Sorry Damon if you’re reading this, but the ratio was about 25:1 favoring the nymph on a tight line compared to dry dropper, streamers and dries. When you have control over the nymphs like you get on a euro set up it can be a game changer.