Deschutes River Fishing Update
We’ve been fishing the Deschutes the month of July and it has been excellent for trout. Steelhead numbers are better this year and we are hoping for a much better run than last year. So far no fires have damaged the canyon like years past. Looking ahead to a good summer/fall season here.
Water temps have been really high and at the mouth the water temps have been warmer than in July leaving Columbia River fish little incentive to drop in and cool off in the D. With August the selective water withdrawl system at the dam has dropped water temps and a cooling has resulted. In addition water temps recently spiked on the Columbia to between 70-72 degrees making the Deschutes at 63-68 a must stop situation. This will improve steelhead fishing and also enhance our mayfly / caddis hatches.
Caddis action in July was spotty with some days showing very little of these moth like creatures then the next week blizzards of them and fish feeding on top. Hit and miss was a good way to describe it as well as the dry fly action. When it was on- it was on! What has been very consistent is nymph fishing and EURO-NYMPHING specifically. Dead drifted flies have been well…deadly. For euro-nymphs we like the perdigon in 14-18, meathead 14, Frenchie among others; add in a green rock worm and you’ve got a deadly combination.
If you’d like to learn more about euro-nymphing check out one of our special summer trout trips. These are three day adventures that teach you the rigging, water types and fishing approach.
Good luck on the water!
RobC
