Salmon and Steelhead Update

 

1.) You can't catch them if you don't go fishing!

Who cares what the weather is like or how tired you are. The fish sure don't! You'll forget about how crappy it was to get up and be cold once you're hanging on to your rod doubled over with your reel screaming. Plus, some of my best days of fishing were during the worst conditions.

 

2.) "Fish your fly." I heard this somewhere, and it stuck with me when I first started fly fishing. Sure, you can throw whatever bug you want into whatever water you want and hope for the best, OR you can take a second to analyze your water and surroundings and think about how you're going to get that fly where you believe the fish is. I'm always calculating what I need to do to get my fly where I want it based on the water in front of me, and its always different.

 

Coho can be a frustrating species, but a very fun and rewarding catch on the fly rod, so don't give up. If you are feeling defeated and still have the itch to catch a salmon on the fly, maybe look into some Chum!

 

 

From Josh

The Deschutes has been a little volatile lately with all the rain and warm weather we’ve been having. Now that overnight temps are dropping, things should settle down pretty well. It finally feels like fall is settling in.

If you’re hunting for steelhead, it is definitely work. The good news is fish are spread throughout the system. People have been hitting a fish or two up in the warm springs area. The bad news is that below Shearers Falls, there are about a million fall chinook that are pushing the steelhead out of their typical holding water. So make sure you’re fishing high in the riffles and deep in the tailouts. We are also getting close to the time when I just completely switch to a sink tip and a black rabbit strip leech. Definitely, by Nov 1, I will have made that transition.

The fall trout fishing has been really good over there, too. And should be good for a few more weeks. Trout have been happy. Caddis are the big meal right now; I would have a selection from large October Caddis down to small black or dark Caddis in 18 or 20 and everything in between. Also there have been good midge and baetis hatches. In the lower river, having some egg patterns might be a good idea, considering the amount of chinook that are spawning. Fish those in the Euro rig or use an indicator. And speaking of the Euro nymph setup, that is still working well. Try a peeping Caddis or some kind of cdc nymph with a peacock Perdigon, and you’re in the game.

October is one of the best fishing times of the year. Days are shorter, the weather is cooler, and fish tend to be happy. Take advantage of these last nice days before the weather goes south.