It’s the dog days of summer here on the Deschutes, and the fish are fat and sassy from feeding all season. There are good caddis hatches coming off, but dry fly fishing opportunities are mostly limited to the early morning and evenings. Trout don’t like the hot sun in their face, so they are primarily feeding subsurface in deeper water. This makes for some really good nymphing opportunities. Immature stonefly nymphs are also starting to get active this time of year. Smaller stonefly patterns fished in tandem with caddis pupas, small mayfly nymphs, and zebra midges have been landing our guides some nice redsides!

The Crooked River has been fishing really well. There are good PMD and caddis hatches coming off, but nymphing is probably your best bet with the hot summer sun. Small mayfly nymphs, caddis pupas, scuds, and zebra midges should get it done. We offer half-day and full-day walk/wade trips on the Crooked, so give the shop a call to get on the calendar!