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Oregon - Northern Coast - January 31st, 2012
supplied by: Deschutes River Outfitters FISHING: Good
Winter Steelhead: As things simmered down from our week of raging blown out rivers, it was time to start hitting the rivers on the drop. Friday fished well with multiple shots on swung winter steelhead. Saturday was great with a guest that came all the way from PA getting on the board with a good one in the first run. A little bump in levels on Sunday, and looks good the next couple days. Time to get out there, winter steelhead is on.
Crooked River - January 30th, 2012
supplied by: River Borne Outfitters, LLC RECORDED:46 °FISHING: Good Crooked River 74 CFS
The Crooked is low and clear right now. Fishing is good to excellent on the warmer days. Fishing slows down during the cold snaps. The low water consolidates fish, so find the deeper spots and slots and concentrate your efforts there. Hatches of Blue Wing Olives and Midges occur during this month, some dry fly fishing can be had in the early after noon. Use smaller Adams, Griffiths Gnats, Purple Hazes (sz 18-20) Nymphing small micro may fly patterns, Orange Scuds, and Midge Pupas will work when nothings happening up top. Also, Whitefish are still spawning so make sure to have a few egg patterns as well. Adjust your indicator fairly short, and high stick as much as possible!
We offer guided trips on the Crooked all year long, so if your not sure where to go, and could use some pointers on fishing the Crooked give us a call!
Deschutes River - January 28th, 2012
supplied by: Deschutes Canyon Fly Shop, Inc. RECORDED:36 °FISHING: Fair
Check out Nate's latest blog entry at natesflyfishing.com.
Steelhead:
Deschutes Summer Steelhaed:
The Deschutes Steelhead are steadily moving into the tributaries from the main stem of the entire lower 100 miles of the river system. Not many folks are targeting then now, for obvious reasons, very low activity due to the Steelhead staging to spawn. If you do decide to try your luck, please be mindful of the spawning (redds) areas, and kindly fish elsewhere.
River conditions are fair. Slightly colored but very fishable. Visibility is about 6 feet with a nice olive tone. White River also has an olive color, and is not effecting the Deschutes below it.
Water temperature is 43 degrees, and shouldn’t change much for the next few weeks.
Trout:
Deschutes River Redside Trout Report:
Fishing for Trout is improving since the big winter storm that came through last week. Water is running high, around 6,000 CFS from Pelton near Madras. It probably wont drop much for a while, but that's okay, the trout have settled into this level and are feeding regularly once again.
Still seeing good hatches of BWO’s, Igloo Case Building Caddis, or Midge during midday hours. Again, very normal situation for this time of year, so bring your fly boxes with plenty of the patterns I just named in sizes 16 down to 22.
Best time to fish dries will be from 1 until 3 pm. Trout shouldn't be leader shy with this water color, so use tippets 3X 4X & 5X, depending on fly sizes of course.
Use your Caddis dries and pupa, Blue Wing Olive dries and emergers, & Midge pupa, in Back Eddies, Slack water to the inside of current edges, and slow swirly white foam lines on those rocky steep bank runs.
Before noon, and after about 3 PM, try some midsize attractor patterns, (10’s down to 14’s), on a two fly rig and an indicator to maybe pick up a fish or two before and after the “hopeful” midday hatch.
Switch flies often, unless of course your having success, and don’t forget to extend your tippet lengths to keep the fly drifting as long as you can, it will pay off.
Deschutes River - Lower - January 6th, 2012
supplied by: Deschutes River Outfitters FISHING: Fair
Winter Steelhead:
We have recieved some much needed rain after a long dry spell. Most of the systems have bumped and the fishing as picked up. The season is just getting going. Time to start keeping tabs on river levels and getting after it.
Deschutes:
Pelton to the Northern Reservation boundary is closed for trout and steelhead. It is open year round below that. Winter trout fishing (Maupin area) can be good and the crowds are long gone. Mostly nymphing with some Blue Wing Olives and midges present. Look to soft seams and eddies for potential dry action.
Fall River - December 27th, 2011
supplied by: The Flyfishers Place RECORDED:37 °FISHING: Good
BWO, Midges, Eggs, Roxy Rainbow, Rainbow Warriors, Tungsten Micro Mayfly, Ice Prince, Possie Bugger, Angel Case Emerger, White or Pink Rufus, Sculpins.
Wallowa River - December 20th, 2011
supplied by: Joseph Fly Shoppe, LLC RECORDED:40 °FISHING: Fair
12-20-11 The river has been fishable lately, but very little pressure. Ice a problem at times. Steelhead being caught from Rondowa to Minam to the upper canyon.
11-25-11 Upgrade from poor to fair based on recent reports.
11-23-11 Steelhead report for the Grand Ronde/Imnaha/Wallowa Rivers: Steelhead Flyfishing has been poor the past several weeks due to low water levels and temperatures. Fishing pressure is down and we are getting few reports in the shop. However, following snow last week we have had warmer temps the last few days and river flows have increased (Ronde up 140 cfs to 918, and Imnaha up 35 cfs to 184 and rising). This should put the fish on the bite, but we will see. Despite good numbers over the dams the steelhead season to date has only been fair at best. There will be some good fishing this winter and spring, but most fly guides and fly fishers have called it quits for the year. We will try to report on any improvements – until we close for the winter on 12/31.
11-8-11 Almost no one fishing upstream from Minam. One fisher reported catching two steelhead in four days of nymphing. Fishing downstream from Rondowa on the Ronde has been good, so a few fish will begin working there way into the Wallowa. However, evolution has decided it is not a good idea for all of the steelhead to go and park at their spawning ground over the winter. As steelhead get close to their spawning ground they slow down and stay scattered until the final push in February - April. Water temps are cold, high 30's, so get out the heavy sink tips or be prepared to nymph deep.
10-31-11 Nothing new to report as no one is fishing the Wallowa, I would think it would be worthwhile to cherry-pick the best steelhead holes in the lower river, in the canyon - there are a few steelhead around. We have no reports from fishers floating Minam to Troy - so please send a report if you have one.
10-12-11 We have had several reports of good trout fishing and know of two early steelhead being caught above Minam. There is virtually nobody fishing the Wallowa lately.
10-12-11 There is virtually no fishing pressure on the Wallowa so we are waiting for new reports.
10-2-11 Trout fishing remains good with dry flies. October Caddis are thick. A few steelhead ave been caught below Minam
9-4-11 Based on reports over Labor Day weekend we are moving the Wallowa River up a notch to Very Good. Trout are hitting both dries (orange stimulators/royal coachman/caddis/etc) and nymphs (the usual suspects).
9-3-11 We have reports of both good numbers and some big trout being caught on the Wallowa River, including a 22” fish that may have been an early steelhead. The river is still low and fairly warm so trout are in the faster water and deeper pools. Most trout are being caught on nymphs (stoneflies with a smaller dropper like a copper john), but hoppers are also producing. Try greasing up a muddler minnow and using it as a hopper, then swinging it like a minnow. We believe that the high river flows on the Wallowa earlier this year pushed more steelhead smolt down stream than normal, so don’t expect as many residual steelhead smolt (the Wallowa’s version of a stocked rainbow) as normal.
8-21-11: We seem to be in the August doldrums. The Wallowa River has continued to drop quickly as the hot weather has resulted in more water being used for irrigation. Water temps are still OK. Fishing has been slow most days, although the evening hatches have been thick and fishing fair to good after the shade is on the water. The best fishing is being had by fishers in cleated boots who wade the fast water to find the fish. Wallowa Lake is fishing poorly, their may have been a problem with the stocking program. I will contact ODFW on Monday to check. Imnaha River is fishing fair near town. Will update steelhead report shortly
8-6-11 The Wallowa River has dropped considerably, but is still difficult to wade - use studded boots. During the day it is difficult to find larger fish, but good numbers in the 10 inch range can be caught with #10 prince nymphs on the swing. After 7:30 PM the big boys come out to play. Last night a gentleman caught four fish in the 16 " + range on a bucktail coachman -- the same fly my dad used seventy years ago on the Wallowa.
7-27-11 Too high to wade, but fishing well from the bank. Try orange stimulators sizes 10 - 12, or large stonefly nymphs fished deep or with a copper john dropper.
7-20-11 The Wallowa has turned hot for nice rainbows. Water too high to wade but fish slicks from the bank with orange Kaufman stimulators sz 8 or 10. When you find where they are holding keep fishing the same spot until it stops producing. Expect a few large bows -- heavy 16+" - so use 4X tippet and respect the fish to fight you in the heavy current.
7-14-2011 Water has come down a bit, but is still high. No fear, there are fish to be found. I had good success witha squirrel nymph and small bh pheasant tail dropper the other day. Stimulators both small and large should ellicit some action in the evening as well. Winding Waters guide service had a good day on the river yesterday nymphing and we have had reports of large fish coming up to the surface for big stimulators and foamulators. Focus on the slick slower water, if you fish a section once without success switch up the flies because the fish are there!
7-9-2011 Stream flow is trending down ward and stoneflies are increasing. There are lots of big caddis flies out as well. Still have to keep fishing right along the banks, there are fish to be caught. Last time I was out I even saw a fish come out of that high water for dry. Bead head hares ears, princes, and squirrel nymphs are all working, as are blk woolly buggers, use a smaller dropper as well; I like bh soft hackles, and pheasant tails. Have some stone fly patterns on hand as well in case you see one rise.
Note: in this hot weather being extremely careful when releasing fish is important. Handing of the fish should be as minimal as possible and they should not be removed from the water. After a good fight you might need to hold them in the water for as long as 2-3 minutes before they are strong enough to swim away. As always we recommend using barbless hooks and a net to aid in the healthy release of fish.
Imnaha River - December 20th, 2011
supplied by: Joseph Fly Shoppe, LLC RECORDED:40 °FISHING: Fair
12-20-11 The river is exceptionally low, but there are fish around. Try fishing some of the boulder fields (trouty type runs) to find those sneaky steelhead.
11-25-11 Upgrade from poor to fair based on recent reports.
11-23-11 Steelhead report for the Grand Ronde/Imnaha/Wallowa Rivers: Steelhead Flyfishing has been poor the past several weeks due to low water levels and temperatures. Fishing pressure is down and we are getting few reports in the shop. However, following snow last week we have had warmer temps the last few days and river flows have increased (Ronde up 140 cfs to 918, and Imnaha up 35 cfs to 184 and rising). This should put the fish on the bite, but we will see. Despite good numbers over the dams the steelhead season to date has only been fair at best. There will be some good fishing this winter and spring, but most fly guides and fly fishers have called it quits for the year. We will try to report on any improvements – until we close for the winter on 12/31.
11-8-11 Quick update: Yesterday two fishers hooked 8 and landed 5 - all on sz 8 (can't specify) nymphs. The river was not too crowded - much less so than the previous week or two.
11-8-11- Not many reports from the Imnaha. River is low and cold – 170 cfs, which is the medium flow for this time of year. Gear guys are catching fish in the deep holes. I prefer 300 cfs to 700 cfs. There is a lot more holding water at these levels and it spreads out the fish and fishers.
You can fish with a heavy sink tip which you can swing or high stick nymph, or use a floating line to nymph with or without a strike indicator’ Be prepared to bump bottom and hook set anything that feels like a soft take. Flies: black buggers with gold beads and green flash, egg sucking leeches – black or purple with red or chartreuse heads, prince nymphs with gold or orange heads, princess nymphs, copper swans – various colors, smaller misc nymphs. Leeches size 4-6, nymphs 6-12.
Public access starts downstream from Horse Creek. The road is rough, but manageable. Fish along the road for 7 miles, or hike the trail the last five miles to the Snake. There is unimproved camp spots along the road section on the Nature Conservancy /Forest Service land.
From here on out – thru mid April – watch for big cfs changes and temps cold enough to cause ice problems.
10-31-11 Like the Ronde, fishing picked-up this past week. One flyfisher caught three within a couple miles of the Snake (fishing deep without a strike indicator - a black egg sucking leech), but had no luck in the Snake below the mouth.
10-24-11 Like the Grand Ronde steelhead fishing was slow this past week. We will try to report any improvement as soon as things change.
10-12-11 Heavy rains last Monday night sent water levels from 160 cfs to 260 cfs. Although the river didn't add much color, the spike seens to have put off the bite the last couple of days. Water levels are now starting down and fishing should improve once they stabilize. There are one or two camps currently at the mouth, so don't expect to walk five miles and have the mouth to yourself. We will report any improved fishing when we receive reports.
10-07-11 We just received a new report on the Imnaha River. Fishing at the mouth (five miles down the trail from Cow Creek) was reported to be good, although boats were fishing this area at times. Sight fishing for steelhead in the lower river, up from the mouth, was also productive.
10-06-11 The river flows have had a nice bump the past two days, but we are still waiting for reports of steelhead being caught.
10 -5-11 Recent rains have picked up fishing on the Ronde and we expect it to do the same to the Imnaha. However, we are still waiting for new reports. We did have a report of steelies holding at the mouth last week, so perhaps more moved upstream.
10-4-11 Pray for rain this week. We need a surge of water to move steelhead upstream. Counts over Lower Granite are 12% above the 10 year average. We will try to report any increase in steelhead activity.
9-3-11 On the Imnaha we have a report of a 24” steelhead being caught at Fence Creek, so there are probably more in the river. The Imnaha is running 182 CFS, 122% of average for this date.Steelhead counts over the dams look good: Bonneville is at 94% of the ten year average and Lower Granite is at 187 %! The relatively high flows in the Columbia and Snake have kept fish moving – without the normal “thermal blocks.”
8-8-11 Trout fishing has been fair to good for smaller bows on hoppers - on the Nature Conservancy easements near town and below Horse Creek. Also note: our "Pit tag" steelhead count mentioned in the 7-27 report below was an error. Turns out the steelhead crossing the counters, at the same time Spring Chinook were comming up stream, were probably late steelhead smolt moving down stream! All the same a good run of steelhead crossed Lower Granit dam earlier than normal this year and steelhead are now pouring over Bonneville, and McNary and heading straight upstream. We still expect a good early steelhead run.
7-27-11 Spring Chinook season was a good one, but suddenly closed a couple of days ago due to the number of fish harvested. The river is still high, but some trout being caught on hoppers. By the way, PIT tag counters suggest fair numbers of early steelhead have already moved in --- in JULY!!! Hold on to your hats boys.
7-22-2011 Well raising the bag limit did the trick, so well in fact that the last day of salmon season will be this Saturday, July 23 on the Imnaha. So get down there while you still can! Catches have been up and the water level is lower too. If you don't get in your salmon fix before Sunday, don't worrry because the season will remain open on the Wallowa River.
7-14-2011 Bag limit on Chinook has increased to 4 adults and 5 jacks per day! Water is still up but the chance to keep over 100 lbs of salmon a day is mighty appealing, and there are plenty of fish in the river. Check out the pit-tag tracking link on our homepage to keep tabs on fish counts. Nature Conservancy public access on Big Sheep Creek makes for some good trout fishing, although water is still a bit high I had some really good stimulator fishing just the other day!
7-9-2011 Salmon fishing is getting much better as water begins to come down, so bring your egg patterns, leeches, and beads. Look for trout fishing to improve with the water trending downward.
Grande Ronde River - December 20th, 2011
supplied by: Joseph Fly Shoppe, LLC RECORDED:35 °FISHING: Good
12-20-11 It was bound to happen - there were too many fish over the dams. We have finally had numerous reports of decent steelheading on the Ronde this past week. Ice can still be a problem so keep an eye on the weather. The river is low and clear so some fishers have had to size down there flies. Single egg patterns also producing.
11-25-11 Upgrade from poor to fair based on recent reports.
11-23-11 Steelhead report for the Grand Ronde/Imnaha/Wallowa Rivers: Steelhead Flyfishing has been poor the past several weeks due to low water levels and temperatures. Fishing pressure is down and we are getting few reports in the shop. However, following snow last week we have had warmer temps the last few days and river flows have increased (Ronde up 140 cfs to 918, and Imnaha up 35 cfs to 184 and rising). This should put the fish on the bite, but we will see. Despite good numbers over the dams the steelhead season to date has only been fair at best. There will be some good fishing this winter and spring, but most fly guides and fly fishers have called it quits for the year. We will try to report on any improvements – until we close for the winter on 12/31.
11-07-11. PS. A jacket and rod tube were found on the float from Minam to Troy. Contact the Joseph Fly Shoppe.
First, some general info regarding steelhead returns to Wallowa County. ODFW tracks hatchery fish headed to: 1) the Grand Ronde Basin -- the Wallowa Hatchery near Enterprise and the Big Canyon Facility near Minam; and 2) the Imnaha Basin -- the Little Sheep Facility and the Big Sheep Direct Stream program, both near the town of Imnaha. ODFW does not specifically track wild fish headed to these rivers.
So far this year the number of hatchery steelhead crossing Lower Granite Dam (the last dam on the Snake these fish will cross) are: 1) Grand Ronde Basin – 7595 steelhead; and 2) Imnaha Basin – 2566. These fish represent the bulk of the returning hatchery steelhead to these Basins, but some more fish will cross Lower Granite Dam this season. These fish counts are down slightly from the past couple of years, but are above the ten year average. 2011 returns meet ODFW objectives for hatchery fish returning to these two Basins. A fair percentage of these fish may still be in the Snake River.
In addition to the hatchery fish headed to the Grand Ronde /Imnaha Basins there is also a component of wild steelhead. Based on the percentage of wild fish to hatchery that have crossed Lower Granite Dam (25% wild steelhead), a person could perhaps add another 25% to the hatchery counts.
By referring to our link regarding the PIT tag counters on the Imnaha River a person can determine the actual number of fish above Cow Creek. However, be careful to look at the “release date” of each individual fish to determine if it is an adult headed upstream or a smolt headed downstream. I spoke with the Nez Perce Tribal fisheries recently and they will try to sort their report to show the number of adult steelhead crossing the counter year to date, and putting this information where the public can easily access it. They also told me a pit tag counter is planned for the Grand Ronde. So someday soon you will be able to quickly see how many steelhead are actually in your favorite river.
FISHING REPORT: The Grand Ronde has been steadily producing steelhead in Oregon for the past several weeks. However, flows are fairly low (790 cfs vs a medium flow of 910 cfs) and fish are holding on the bottom of the deep pools. As a result the bait guys and back-bouncers are generally doing better than the fly guys. More water would spread fish out, so keep an eye on flows. Apparently the Troy area was crowded last Saturday (“a fisher in every hole”) but by noon Sunday they had cleared out. Last week, mid week, one guy told me he only saw four other groups fishing the Troy area one day.
We did get an interesting report from a fisher who floated Minam to Wildcat. He said the best holes on the lower Wallowa River were filled with people who had hiked in from Palmer Junction -- who had only caught one steelhead. The Wallowa was producing some nice rainbows and bull trout. It was a different story when they got below Rondowa. On the Grand Ronde they reported: “… fishing was somewhere between good and excellent the three days I fished. Almost every spot I fished had a steelhead or two willing to take a fly. The best spot had five steelhead willing to take a fly. I also spotted numerous steelhead as I was floating out the last day. The only thing more I could ask for was warmer mornings and longer afternoons.”
11-07-11. First, some general info regarding steelhead returns to Wallowa County. ODFW tracks hatchery fish headed to: 1) the Grand Ronde Basin -- the Wallowa Hatchery near Enterprise and the Big Canyon Facility near Minam; and 2) the Imnaha Basin -- the Little Sheep Facility and the Big Sheep Direct Stream program, both near the town of Imnaha. ODFW does not specifically track wild fish headed to these rivers.
So far this year the number of hatchery steelhead crossing Lower Granite Dam (the last dam on the Snake these fish will cross) are: 1) Grand Ronde Basin – 7595 steelhead; and 2) Imnaha Basin – 2566. These fish represent the bulk of the returning hatchery steelhead to these Basins, but some more fish will cross Lower Granite Dam this season. These fish counts are down slightly from the past couple of years, but are above the ten year average. 2011 returns meet ODFW objectives for hatchery fish returning to these two Basins. A fair percentage of these fish may still be in the Snake River.
In addition to the hatchery fish headed to the Grand Ronde /Imnaha Basins there is also a component of wild steelhead. Based on the percentage of wild fish to hatchery that have crossed Lower Granite Dam (25% wild steelhead), a person could perhaps add another 25% to the hatchery counts.
By referring to our link regarding the PIT tag counters on the Imnaha River a person can determine the actual number of fish above Cow Creek. However, be careful to look at the “release date” of each individual fish to determine if it is an adult headed upstream or a smolt headed downstream. I spoke with the Nez Perce Tribal fisheries recently and they will try to sort their report to show the number of adult steelhead crossing the counter year to date, and putting this information where the public can easily access it. They also told me a pit tag counter is planned for the Grand Ronde. So someday soon you will be able to quickly see how many steelhead are actually in your favorite river.
FISHING REPORT: The Grand Ronde has been steadily producing steelhead in Oregon for the past several weeks. However, flows are fairly low (790 cfs vs a medium flow of 910 cfs) and fish are holding on the bottom of the deep pools. As a result the bait guys and back-bouncers are generally doing better than the fly guys. More water would spread fish out, so keep an eye on flows. Apparently the Troy area was crowded last Saturday (“a fisher in every hole”) but by noon Sunday they had cleared out. Last week, mid week, one guy told me he only saw four other groups fishing the Troy area one day.
We did get an interesting report from a fisher who floated Minam to Wildcat. He said the best holes on the lower Wallowa River were filled with people who had hiked in from Palmer Junction -- who had only caught one steelhead. The Wallowa was producing some nice rainbows and bull trout. It was a different story when they got below Rondowa. On the Grand Ronde they reported: “… fishing was somewhere between good and excellent the three days I fished. Almost every spot I fished had a steelhead or two willing to take a fly. The best spot had five steelhead willing to take a fly. I also spotted numerous steelhead as I was floating out the last day. The only thing more I could ask for was warmer mornings and longer afternoons.”
10-31-11 Trick or treat? Mostly treats this past week as steelhead fishing on the Ronde really picked-up. Maybe it was the rain, maybe the cold weather, or maybe just the time of year. Water levels are fairly low and most fish are down deep. However, one flyfisher fishing with a guide, Mac Huff, caught two waking a moose turd, and had numerous other fish go after the fly (good job Greg). They reported finding more fish in the Oregon section than in Washington below Bogans.
10-12-11 We thought the big flush of water two weeks ago would have moved more fish upstream. However, the fishing was slow this past week. By Sunday afternoon there were only a few people fishing the Troy area, and not many more down stream in Washington. It is difficult to know if the fish just aren't biting or if they are still holding in the Snake River. We will try to report as soon as we receive reports of better fishing.
10-12-11 Heavy rains last Monday night spiked water flows in the GR from 600 cfs to 1200 cfs (approx double medium stream flows for this time of year). The spike seems to have put off the bite and taken some of the fishing pressure off the river. Flows are now headed down and new fish should have moved into the river. Fishing should be good when flows stabilize oveer the next few days.
10-06-11 More good reports of fishing near Troy today, including two nice steelies caught above town. The river has risen rapidly the past few days and and will have to stabilize a bit to offer the best fishing this weekend. There was three inches of snow on Highway 3 between Enterprise and Bogans this morning. Expect fish to be on the move and the river crowded this weekend.
10-05-2011 The Grand Ronde had a 50 CFS bump in stream flows the last 36 hrs. This appears to have stirred the steelhead. One cagey veteran hooked eight near Troy yesterday. The Eagle Cap mountains are capped with snow and there is more rain in the forcast. OK kids, time to drag out your spey rod and head to the Ronde. Expect weekends to be a bit crowded do to pent up demand. We are waiting for new reports on the Imnaha, and will provide them as soon as they come in. Stay tuned.
10-3-11 No news is not always good news (this past month). The Ronde has beem running at 80% of mean stream flow, and steelies have been holding in the Snake River. However, water temps have recently dropped and some steelhead are being caught above and below Bogans. Plug guides are hooking some each trip and one boat reported six in one day last week. A few are also being hooked at Troy. Despite the slow action, more and more fishers are showing up - anxious to get the season underway. The good news is the high steelhead counts over Lower Granite Dam (112,000 since 6/1 vs a ten year average of 100,705 for this same period). The other good news is rain in the forcast for this week. Keep an eye on our River Flows link. A few good rains could really get things going.
9-3-11The Grande Ronde, on the other hand, is running at 679 CFS (90% of normal) due to heavy irrigation during the hot weather this past month. As a result the GR is low and warm and steelhead fishing slow. Most steelhead are probably holding in the Snake waiting for freshets of cool water to start them moving. Steelhead counts over the dams look good: Bonneville is at 94% of the ten year average and Lower Granite is at 187 %! The relatively high flows in the Columbia and Snake have kept fish moving – without the normal “thermal blocks.” Bass fishing around Bogan’s Oasis has been fair to good.
8-18-11 Bass and trout fishing fair to good. We do not have reports regarding the steelhead fishing at the mouth near Helleer Bar. We did hear a few steelhead are being caught near Bogan's Oasis.
7-27 -11 Bass alert! Stringers of big small mouth being caught near Bogans on poppers - between 5:00 and 9:00 PM. Also, a nice wild steelhead was landed near Bogans yesterday.
7-21-2011 Water is dropping swiftly but still 2000 cfs above the average. Stimulators and stonefly/caddis nypmhs will be your best bet, a tungsten bead head princess (steelhead nymph) should also be good for trout. The Wallowa generally fishes much better for trout, so if that is what you're after I would recommend passing up the Ronde and hitting the Wallowa River.
7-15-2011 Running high still, fish it just like you would the Wallowa, looking for the slower water, using the same flies. The stone flies have been out for a while on the GR near Troy so fish should be keen on them. :Larger streamer patterns should also produce big fish.
7-9-2011 Still high but coming down. The fishing is still slow due to high water but you should be able to find fish in slower pools and allong the banks in slicks. Stone flies have been out for a while now so don't hesitate to try a dry fly in the slow water as well. Your principle ammunition should be a large bead head nymph or woolly bugger with a dropper. Early steelhead numbers over the columbia dams are looking ok too.
John Day River - December 9th, 2011
supplied by: The Patient Angler RECORDED:25 °FISHING: Great
I ran over to the John Day River to fish for steelhead with a friend the other day. Jimmy and I headed over early in the morning and arrived just after daylight. It was a COLD morning with a temperature in the twenties and it seemed like it took forever for the sun to get high enough to hit the river and warm our bodies. The water was in great shape running clear and just over 500cfs at Service Creek, and was a little on the cold side with a temperature of just 36 degrees.
We started fishing our way upstream and Jimmy broke the ice (no pun intended) and hooked the first bright native John Day steelhead in our first run of the day. It’s a good news/ bad news story when you hook a fish on a blistering cold day. The good news is that it’s great to catch the beautiful chrome steelhead you came for, but the bad news is that you have to land it, unhook it and release it in frigid temperatures with wet hands!
In our second run of the day, lady luck shined on me as I got a solid take in the middle of the run. Unfortunately, it came unbuttoned shortly after hooking up and we were unable to find any other willing fish in that run.
After lunch we found a nice long run with a deeper trough running down the middle that looked like great holding water. As it turned out, it was as good as it looked. I started at the very top in the riffle and Jimmy started below where the riffle started to flatten out. It didn’t take long for Jimmy to find another willing fish to take his fly. After a little give and take, another bright wild fish came to Jimmy’s hand for a quick picture and release.
Jimmy was gracious enough to slide down lower in the run and let me take over the money water where he left off. Fifteen minutes later, my line came tight with a hard pull from another beautiful native John Day fish. This was a really nice fish that was a little bigger than average and had the fight in him to prove it. He had taken my fly just after my cast and mend, so this fish was out there a ways and didn’t want to give up any line. Slowly I put more pressure on him and finally got him turned and worked him upstream where I eventually landed him for a hero shot and release.
Jimmy then took another turn at the money water, starting where I left off and continued working through the run. Once again, it didn’t take long for Jimmy to hook and land his third wild fish of the day.
We fished through this last run until a beautiful sunset filled the sky and called an end to our fun and very productive day on the water.
Jimmy fished his SAGE 7136-4 Z-Axis and I fished a SAGE 7126-4 TCX with type three sink-tips and rabbit leech patterns.
The John Day tributaries have been freezing and thawing in the last few days causing the river level to bouncing between 300cfs and 500cfs on a daily basis. I would wait until the flows steady a bit before I would head out to the John Day to fish.
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