October Fishing on Paulina is Amazing!

Paulina Lake - La Pine, OR (Deschutes County)


by The Fly Fishers Place
9-21-2024
Website

“It is impossible to grow weary of a sport that is never the same on any two days of the year”
Theodore Gordon


As an angler, and more so perhaps as a lake guide I know that Theodore Gordon’s words ring so true. 
On Tuesday at Paulina Lake the day was cold and mostly light breeze. We bundled up and used the Drogue to wind drift large swaths of the lake using Purple Chubbies and Jiggy Twist Beetles and caught a whole bunch of fish. The next day, the wind shifted 180 degrees and was coming from the east and boy oh boy did that slow down the bite, and the areas in which we found fish feeding. 
One day was 100% dry flies and awesome fishing, and the next was a day with moments of glory, but much slower. Interestingly, on the slower day the weather was warmer and sunnier and by mid-day the wind died to nearly nothing, and with that there were some decent amounts of callibaetis hatching and we did get some on dries and emergers but what really got the fish’s attention is a fly called an Aero Red Legs which is a Bibio imitation. I’ve had occasional success with that fly at Paulina and East, and I am glad the hunch paid off to try it Wednesday afternoon. 
We also found a few fish on Blood Worms and Chironomids under an indicator in about 14′. Not super hot on the bite, but added a few to the net. Somedays are easy and somedays are a grind. I’ve got a lot of days ahead at Paulina this fall and look forward to being on that lake as the October fishing is usually amazing here.