Deschutes River Report August
This month so far has been a series of ups and downs; water clarity has been good, bad and everything inbetween lately. White River, a tributary to the lower Deschutes River has been dumping in cement like water that makes the best DQ Blizzard look thin. This combines with the Deschutes to create off colored water for the lower 50 miles or so. This clarity has made steelhead fishing difficult at times. Predicting when it will clear is anybody’s best guess. With out more thundershowers on the glacier or extreme heat the river will usually drop and clear a bit in two days.
Each day is a new test wading into the river this year as severe drought has brought the White River glacier to tears everytime it get very hot or a thundershower blasts through.
There are still lots of steelhead to be found on the lower Deschutes. Get your fly down with a sink-tip and fish in full sun for best visibility when the water has only 20″ of clarity. Using bigger flies with lots of flash like Crandall’s Wedding Dress in Cerise or Blue have worked well for us or the Devil’s Candy Pattern (both available at www.spiritriver.com ). #flyfishthedeschutes #perfectingperformance @sageflyfish
This year’s weather and water conditions have made it a year of adaption. Try these strategies and good luck on the water!
Rob
