This is one of Simon’s most productive fall flies. Fall anglers need to have October Caddis on the mind; if you don’t, let this serve as a reminder. They can be clumsy fliers, and ovipositing females can make a big meal to hungry trout. Fish can get especially keyed in on their pupal form subsurface. October caddis emergence primarily happens in the evening; much like the pupa, the adults are especially active at night. If you can’t fish all the way up until dark, you may go the whole fall season only seeing a few adult insects. The same holds true for pupa emergences. The nymphs emerge overnight leaving only a shuck on stream side rocks. Despite their nocturnal emergence, trout will still take a dead drifted or swung October Caddis Pupa during the day. They are so used to eating these high protein meals, that anything large and orange catches their attention no matter the time of day. This fly was originally tied on a #10 with a 4.6mm bead. With much more testing between when we filmed and now that we are posting, Simon has revised the recipe to use a smaller hook and bead. The larger size is a great option as flows bump, but the #12 with a 5/32 bead is most versatile. The ostrich this fly uses gives a super buggy and “juicy” look to the pupa. The body is built up with chenille, but any junk material would work great. A collar of CDC and Partridge gives the impression of legs and full wing pads. This fly works phenomenal dead drifted as well as swung. You always could let the fly swing on the end of your indicator drift. The super pupa is responsible for Simon hooking many large trout this fall and bringing some beasts to the net. It is just too good to pass up for a hungry trout.
When wet, this fly quickly transforms from a fluffy orange nymph to a super juicy looking October Caddis pupa.
In this video Simon ties his take on a Midwest classic. The Pink Squirrel nymph was invented by John Bethke of the Driftless area in Wisconsin. His two sons still guide in the area, and Simon was lucky enough to have a trip years ago with one of the sons. Upon talking to the two brothers over the years, he learned they both have lived in Eugene/Blue River years ago and have fished our waters extensively … small world. Traditionally it was tied on a scud hook, used spiky squirrel dubbing, and loads of pink chenille for the collar. This fly is a staple on the limestone spring creeks of the Driftless area. Many people who have fished those creeks are familiar with the fly. Nowadays, many fly manufacturers have several spinoffs of the fly too, so it is a familiar looking fly. There are a plethora of food choices in the rich streams of the Driftless, mayflies, craneflies, caddis, small stones, loads of scuds and annelids, etc. The original fly is suggestive of an egg sucking scud, but could make a great imitation for mayflies, caddis, and cranefly larva. The fly serves as a true attractor pattern. Simon tweaked the fly for our Willamette Valley waters. He slimmed down the body and added a large bead to get the fly down in our waters. A super hot collar of Senyos Fusion Dub acts as a smaller, but brighter hot spot. Simon likes to fish this fly under a dry during the summer and in the winter in tandem with a larger stone. He has had luck with this fly all over Oregon, in Northern California, Central Washington, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and of course in The Driftless Area. Sizes can be changed depending on your need. Simon likes to size down in the summer for fishing tributaries and lower/slower water.
Here is the original Pink Squirrel tied by John Bethke of Wisconsin
Over the past decade, Native Fish Society and other southern Oregon conservation groups have been working to protect the wild native fish of the upper Rogue River from the harmful impacts of large jet boats. And now we ask anyone and everyone who cares about the upper Rogue River to weigh in, once again.
Thanks to the help of local Rogue River advocate and conservationist Bob Hunter, Native Fish Society has put together easy talking points for you to pull from to let your voice be heard. At the least, we ask advocates to submit the Action Alert below, and/or write a personal note to the Oregon State Marine Board by emailing Jennifer.cooper@boat.oregon.gov asking them to put a 15-horsepower restriction in place on the upper Rogue River above Gold Hill.
The Oregon Marine Board is having a public hearing on October 2 at 8:30 a.m. at the Rogue Community College Medford Campus Room HEC 129A/B to consider rule-making to regulate jet boat use in the Upper Rogue River (between Gold Hill to Lost Creek Dam). Public testimony will be taken from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Testimony will be limited to 2 to 3 minutes. Invited groups will be testifying in the morning. Please consider attending and providing verbal and written testimony. To provide oral testimony virtually, register with Jennifer Cooper via email at jennifer.cooper@boat.oregon.gov no later than 5 pm on September 27th, 2024.
Written Testimony
Written testimony is also accepted until October 16th and can be sent to: Oregon State Marine Board 435 Commercial St. NE., Ste 400 Salem, OR 97301 or e-mailed to: jennifer.cooper@boat.oregon.gov
Please let the Marine Board know that no jet boats should be allowed to operate in the Upper Rogue River above Gold Hill and that you support a 15-horsepower limitation on all watercraft operating in that section.
Please let the Marine Board know any personal experiences you have had with jet boats in this section of the river and how jet boat operation has adversely affected your safety, use, and enjoyment of this section of the river, and your use of the public and private lands along this section of the river, including TouVelle State Recreation Area and Denman Wildlife Management area. Personal comments and letters are the most effective.
Important Talking Points:
Jet Boat Operations Adversely Affect Water Quality, Fish and Wildlife.
No regulations on jet boat use are in place to protect spawning Wild Native Fish or essential spawning habitat – aka spawning gravel, which are vulnerable to the turbulence created by jet boats and their wakes. Studies of jet boat impacts on rivers in Alaska, New Zealand, the Snake River, and elsewhere highlight the damage that jet boats can cause to salmon habitat. The risk of harm increases with the frequency of trips and in the upper reaches of rivers where the channel is smaller. Rogue Jet Boat Adventures, a commercial company that operates out of TouVelle State Park claims to have served 14,000 customers last year with its three boats (a 25-passenger, an 18-passenger, and a 10-passenger boat). These huge jet boats roar up and down this fragile, narrow section of the upper Rogue River multiple times all summer long, and now, mini-jet boats, which are just as damaging, are starting to appear. The operation of these boats disrupts the river ecosystem in ways that are harmful and not natural.
Spring Chinook Salmon in the Rogue spawn in this section of river and they are struggling to survive. These fish have been petitioned for listing and could be on the Endangered Species List any day now.
Fish use energy when disturbed by jet boats. Summer Steelhead and Spring Chinook spend numerous months in the upper Rogue River storing energy to spawn in the fall and early winter. Commercial jet boat tours disturb these fish throughout the summer season.
Wakes and hydraulic turbulence from jet boats dislodge sediment, vegetation, and aquatic life from the banks and riverbed causing increases in river turbidity and masses of vegetation to float downstream covering essential macroinvertebrates (food source for juvenile and adult native fish) and winter steelhead redds.
Jet boat wakes can disturb spotted sandpipers and killdeer that nest on gravel bars and kingfishers and rough-winged swallows that nest in streambanks.
The Upper Rogue River riparian areas are important nesting and feeding areas for a wide variety of bird species, including eagles, osprey, and great blue herons. The noise and the wakes from the jet boats disturb birds and disrupt feeding activity.
There is an incentive for jet boats to alter the river channel to keep navigation pathways open, especially in low-flow situations. In at least one instance, a jet boat was observed using its jets to illegally scour out a channel in a salmon spawning area to allow boat passage through a shallow area. The area has not reestablished itself, and it is no longer used by salmon for spawning.
The rules of Denman Wildlife Area prohibit the use of motorized watercraft to protect wildlife, yet jet boats are allowed to speed up and down the section of the Rogue River that bisects the Denman Wildlife Area, disturbing wildlife and refuge users.
The in-water work window for this section of the Rogue River is June 15 to August 31. This is to protect salmon and steelhead. Jet boats can cause more disturbance than a work project in the river and should not be allowed to operate outside of this timeline.
Jet boat use in the Upper Rogue River is not safe for people on the jet boat or for other river users because:
The river in this area is too small and often too shallow to safely accommodate jet boats and other river users.
There are many blind spots on the Upper Rogue where jet boats need to travel at high speeds to navigate. The tour boats operate without spotters and routinely enter these blind spots where a serious collision is just waiting to occur.
In many areas there are limited pathways for a jet boat, maneuverability can be limited and there are many inexperienced boaters on the river, and in places where people are wading and swimming.
In many cases, the jet boats need to operate at high speeds just to navigate shallow rapids.
The wakes created by the jet boats are also a safety hazard to people floating the river, people wading or swimming in the river, and fishermen and guides either fishing from a boat or wade fishing. The wakes can swamp a small inflatable and can knock over people wading in the river. The jet boat tours are part thrill ride and the boats travel at high speeds, do 360’s, and create large wakes.
Jet boat use in the Upper Rogue River is incompatible with traditional uses and has increased user conflicts.
Historically, the Upper Rogue River has been a place to peacefully and safely live, recreate, and enjoy nature and the outdoors. This area had mainly been used for non-motorized boating from drift boats, rafts, inflatables, kayaks, and paddle boards; guided, bank, wade and boat fishing; hiking, birdwatching, picnicking, dog-walking, swimming and just a place to peacefully enjoy the outdoors.
Jet boat operations in the Upper Rogue River are not compatible with these uses. The public’s use and enjoyment of the river and these public lands are adversely affected by jet boat operations and threatened by the future proliferation of jet boats in the Upper Rogue River.
Jet boats push other users out of the navigation pathways and the wakes chase people out of the river all together.
The noise from jet boat operations is pervasive and disrupts the peace and quiet on the river diminishing the quality of people’s experience.
Fishing becomes disrupted by jet boats zipping up and down the river, especially commercial tour boats making multiple trips, and the unsafe wakes they create. A tremendous amount of aquatic vegetation is knocked loose from the boat’s jets and wakes, that foul fishing lines and lures, making it virtually impossible to fish when jet boats are operating.
Jet boat operations are also injuring and adversely affecting the businesses of many guides who operate or used to operate on the section of the river now dominated by jet boat tours. If jet boat use, especially tour boat use were allowed to increase throughout the Upper Rogue River, this would greatly curtail the ability to guide or fish.
Thank you for taking the time to make your voice heard! If you have any questions regarding this process or would like to discuss jet boats on the upper Rogue more, please email us at info@nativefishsociety.org.
After a summer of fires and hot temps, its safe to say most of us are ready for fall. Cooler temps are inbound and the trout are just as excited as us. Fishing lately has been good with intermittent hatches of insects popping off in the valley. Flows are lower on valley tributaries and the main rivers are swelling from dam releases. There is so much to do in the fall that it can be overwhelming. The most challenging thing to do this time of year is picking what you want to do.
Current Hatches
October Caddis is generally the insect that comes to mind in the fall. Their pupa are a high calorie meal for trout and easy to spot being bright orange. Emergence generally occurs at night, but trout remember what the pupa look like during the day. Adult activity is most prevalent in evenings ad mornings. On overcast days you’ll see the adults too. Next up are Blue Winged Olives and Mahogany Duns, the fall mayflies. Both of these insects are triggered by cooler temps. Mahoganies will hatch most days with hatches becoming more abundant in the weeks to come. BWO’s are especially common on cooler and overcast days. Small caddis are still around and make great searching patterns on small creeks. Hoppers and Beetles are winding down, but fish will still take terrestrials. Your days are dwindling for the Hopper bite, so get after it on these last few warm days. Lastly, the Nocturnal Stone is a late-season stonefly that is hard to pass up if you’re a hungry trout.
This Pearl/ Fire Perdigon is a great fall nymph. Think orange for your subsurface presentations.
Dropper/Tandem Rigs
Fishing a Dry Dropper is still a viable option this time of year. These make great options for your buoyant dry fly: Water Walker Nocturnal Stone #8-10, Burkus Bearback Stone (okay) #8, or a darker colored Single Stack/Double Stack Chubby. You can run nymphs below the October Caddis Dry flies listed above, just opt for a smaller lighter nymph that wont drown the dry fly. The way I like to fish tandem rigs with October Caddis adults is to tag a small Mayfly behind it. Any of the Mahogany Dun, BWO , or other searching suggestions listed above would make for an awesome trailing nymph. The large October Caddis makes it easy to track those small dries for old eyes. When fishing a Mahogany or BWO hatch, my trailing nymph would be a very small unweighted nymph, cripple/emeger, or soft hackle such as: Orange or Olive Soft Hackle #14-18, Galloup’s Peacock Hares Ear, BWO Soft Emerger #18, or a Harrop’s CDC Biot Mahogany Dun. The key here is to have one visible dun or high floating emerger to watch, and behind it is another fly sitting in the film or subsurface. The trailing fly is seen as the easier meal and is often the one eaten.
Swinging Streamers/ Wets
Swimming flies can be effective this time of year; cooler weather has trout coming out of their summer heat induced lethargy and will now move further for food. This can create some explosive takes on small wet flies. Cast diagonally upstream and toss in a few upstream mends. This will give your fly time to sink. When it is downstream of you, pinch the fly line and the line will come taut. This will cause the nymphs to swing towards your bank, and rise to the surface mimicking a hatching insect while doing so. All of the October Caddis Pupa listed above in the nymph section are great options to swing. For nymphs and smaller caddis try these: BWO Soft Emerger #18, Orange or Olive Soft Hackle #14-18, Peacock Soft Hackle, or a Tungsten Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail. In quicker water trail one of these behind a tungsten nymph or one of the larger October Caddis Pupa to help get it down. Split Shot can also be your friend, however I tend to avoid using it and find using a heavy nymph makes casting easier. Swinging small streamers can be effective in higher flows, mimicking disoriented sculpins, small trout, and baitfish. Here are some we like, feel free to trail it with a small soft hackle or even better an October Caddis Pupa: Scuplzilla Jr #8, Tactical Jig Zonker, Thin Mint #8-12, or a Croston’s Belly Flop Sculpin.
Anadromous Fishingby Robbie
The steelhead angler has a plethora of options to choose from in fall. Things on the Willamette have slowed down for swing anglers due to water temperatures, but the McKenzie remains more consistent. Positive reports have come out of the Deschutes and other Columbia Gorge Rivers. The North Umpqua is open but fishing has been “two weeks of hard fishing for one fish” slow. Expect the water to cool down next weekend which will really turn “the bite” on. Fall is a great to try skaters on our local steelhead. The next 6 weeks or so should be excellent steelheading locally with great fishing through November on desert rivers.
Now is a great time to swing up a steelhead. Temps are dropping and things will only get better.
Salmon fishing has been incredible on the ocean and estuaries for conventional fisherman as well as a few brave fly anglers. Light rain is expected midweek that should make upriver salmon angling viable for a few days. Upriver fly season on the coast really kicks off in October following the first big storm. Chinook are harder to trick, but coastal Coho can get silly following the first fall storm. Salmon prefer stripped presentations, but a combination of swinging/stripping can work as well in the right water.
Coho salmon fishing in the Willamette Valley is an option. The run is expected to be great. The Santiam Drainage and mouths of tributaries on the Mainstem Willamette should kick off in a big way in a week or two. The Valley Coho fishery is a developing one with developing regulations. On the Santiams there are lower river deadlines until October 15th. Read the regulations.
Mack’s Canyon is a classic summer steelhead fly on the lower Deschutes.
Conditions/Location
Flows on our local Mckenzie and Middle Fork Willamette River are elevated, but not blown out. This is part of the new annual fall drawdowns on our local reservoirs to aid in salmon passage. This makes for great conditions for floating the rivers in a drift boat or raft. If you are wading on foot, it helps to return to water you are familiar with during higher water and wade slowly and carefully. The tributaries in the valley will not have the same surge of water, so those make good options on foot. They also get too cold and high to fish well in the winters, so enjoy them now. High lakes are great right now, many of them have trout cruising the banks, so you can fish them from shore. Many of those fish will happily take a small dry or streamer. Surfperch is great this time of year if you catch the tide right. Steelhead locally is still fishing well and makes a great option locally. Chinook and Coho are trickling in and people have them in mind as well. Fall can be overwhelming with options both fishing and non fishing related; we can’t pick for you, but are here to help with whatever you decide.
Make the most of the nice weather and daylight while we still have it. Hand-selected seasonal flies will be on the back table for your convenience. As always, swing by or give the shop a ring. We are happy to help you out. (541) 342-7005
The McKenzie Watershed Council is holding their McKenzie River Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 28th! There are still plenty of land areas and stretches of river to claim as your own for the cleanup and there’s a free BBQ at Hendricks Bridge Park following the work. Click here for more details and to sign up!
Chasing Chrome, Tying Steelhead and Pacific Salmon Flies, by Jonathan Farmer is a noteworthy entry into fly tying books. This book falls into what I classify as modern steelheading (salmon fishing too), post- intruder style flies fished with skagit lines. Modern anadromous fly fishing literature is lacking in entries.
Jonathan Farmer’s first book is thoughtfully laid out by Marty Howard. The 11×9 size accommodates step by step instructions well. Farmer first covers material theory and then presents how to tie twenty-three signature flies. Quality fly images and excellent instructions make up the bulk of the book. Thoughtful commentary on fly development and fun fishing anecdotes abound the pages. Patterns are broken down into weighted shank flies, unweighted flies, tube flies and summer steelhead flies. The book concludes with a gallery of flies to feed the reader’s creativity, prefaced by the author’s color preferences for each species. As with all fly tying recipes: materials, colors etc. can be swapped out to make the flies your own! Farmer has additional helpful information and few signature flies on various Youtube channels.
The book is not without a few quirks. Some images, cover art included, are unexplainably low resolution. All the necessary fly tying images remain quality so it does not affect the book’s usefulness. It is evident that the author is an avid, obsessed angler who wants to pass on his knowledge to others. The instructions, theory and ideas are helpful to any seasoned or budding angler. Do not expect grand steelheading tales or mastery of prose a la Trey Combs or John Larison. I think this book pairs well with a well crafted IPA and Zap-A-Gap. Hold the fine Mediterranean wine and cheese.
This book is an excellent resource for fanatical salmon fisherman, steelhead bums, and those who want to tie beautiful flies that catch fish.
The fate of threatened native fish in Oregon’s Upper Willamette River Basin remains in limbo after a federal agency missed a key deadline to file a report to Congress on whether eight hydroelectric dams are still necessary.
Why it matters: Altered river flows and blocked spawning routes caused by the dams have put Chinook salmon and steelhead trout at increased risk for extinction by 2040, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report.
Advocates say drawing down water levels will allow safer passage for fish and help rebuild dwindling populations.
The big picture: In 2022, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the impact eight dams in the Willamette River Basin have on threatened native fish and whether ending hydropower generation would be necessary or economically beneficial. The report was due at the end of June.
Though the Corps missed the original deadline, a spokesperson told Axios that the report is under administrative review with the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
Context: Thirteen dams were built along the Willamette River between 1942 and 1969 — stretching from rural Oakridge near Eugene up to Salem — primarily for flood control.
Eight are hydroelectric dams part of the Columbia River Power System, which is operated by the Corps and the Bonneville Power Administration, and only contribute 2% of power generation for the entire system.
What they’re saying: Kathleen George, a member of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council, told Axios that less than 3,200 late-run winter steelhead native to Willamette Falls returned on average from 2008 to 2020 — a 70% drop from 1970, when data was first available.
Bob Sallinger, the executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, supports drawing down water levels so fish can reach the gates and continue downstream to spawn. He told Axios in an email statement it would be a “win-win” for the Corps and save the agency “nearly a billion dollars.
August of 2024 has been one of the coolest I can remember. The Willamette Valley has largely escaped the smoke and water temperatures have been holding steady at cooler than last summer temps. August is never a month with significant hatches but despite a lack of bugs fishing has held up nicely. Recently both the McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette Rivers had reservoir release related water bumps. Steelhead and trout fishing has been rock solid through the entire system. Per normal the upper reaches of both rivers and their tributaries have had the best dry fly fishing. Fishing attractor patterns like Dry Humpers, Purple Haze and terrestrials like, Henneberry Hopper and More or Less Hopper. Hopper dropper rigs remain effective but shrink your dropper a bit, try Berry’s PCP, Jigged Perdigons and Pheasant tails.
Steelhead fishing has really been better than solid with fish distributed throughout the McKenzie and Willamette. A ton of steelhead have been hooked on trout flies this year above Leaburg Dam. Why? The Leaburg canal is not operating and the Leaburg hatchery is not producing it’s typical effluent into the lower river, so steelhead don’t smell home. Summer fish keep trucking through the fish ladder at the dam, and we don’t really know how far they will go. Cold clean water smells good to these fish and anglers have hooked them as far up as Paradise campground. Its been a prolific steelhead season on both of our local watersheds. Best flies for steelhead include M.O.A.L Leech, Loop Leech, Sylveynator, and Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs. A wide range of patterns will catch these fish.
We have seen hatches improve steadily with overcast days and even the odd rain shower. Pale Evening Duns, Blue Winged Olives, Mahogany Duns and smaller caddis have been around in the evening. Nocturnal stones have already been seen on the lower Mckenzie and Willamette Rivers near Eugene.
We will undoubtedly see another warm up but this respite from the heat has really been great for our local waters. River levels are perfect for great fishing to come. Hatches will improve and steelhead keep coming over Willamette Falls. Things are setting up for a great fall fishing season.
About 10 years ago a friend and I purchased a raft for fishing in Canada. We left it at the B&B where we stayed each fall to spend a couple weeks fishing. The raft was a great help in fishing and learning the rivers; we fished for steelhead to greater or lesser success (it is steelhead fishing after all). However, over the years, weighed down with boots, waders, rods, etc., that first step into or out of the raft made entering or exiting the raft very difficult. And since it is illegal to fish from a boat or a raft on the rivers in Canada where we fish, we spent our days wading rocky bottoms in various depths and currents and continually getting into, then out of, the raft to fish. It was exhausting.
Craig Hendersen owner RaftStep
After one day of increasing frustration I absentmindedly thought, “We need a step!”. That realization sat for a bit but then I started futzing around with the idea of making a step for a raft. Lots of attempts were discarded but eventually the final form was developed. I originally thought of the step as something just for my aging friend and myself, but during the process of developing and testing with friends and guides I recognized that it might be of value to other older people facing the difficulty of entering and exiting a framed raft.
But the difficulty getting into a raft from the bank or the river and then getting out again, is not just related to age. You could say it’s universal. It requires a good deal of balance and strength. An interim step provides a vital point to transfer body weight from one foot to the other. Placing a hand—or two—on the frame, I was able to easily put one foot on the step, pull the other off the bottom to inside the raft and onto the floor. The body weight transfer from outside to inside, using the step, was helped by the stabilizing effect of one or both hands holding onto the frame.
Also—and this was a huge revelation—when I first tried the step I immediately felt a sense of balance and security that was missing without the step. The step not only makes it easier to enter and exit a raft, it makes it safer and more secure.
So the RaftStep was born. I realized it was such a good idea, and such a necessary product, that I Patented it. RaftStep is made with first rate industrial materials— stainless steel plates and hardware— and fits all rafts with tubes with diameter of 1 7/8” and smaller.
To see instructions on altering RaftStep length and other information go to RaftStep.com.
If someone told you that Oregon had three native species of cutthroat trout you may be surprised. Many people are only familiar with Oregon’s Coastal Cutthroat trout. These fish can be subdivided into two populations: resident fish that never leave their natal streams/drainages, and sea-run fish that have an anadromous life story much like a salmon and steelhead spending some time in the ocean feeding and growing. Eastern Oregon also has a small population of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, just like the brutes in Pyramid lake. The third Cutthroat is one that is famous here in the West, but generally Oregon doesn’t come to mind when this fish is mentioned. The Westslope Cutthroat trout, once widely regarded as the most abundant Cutthroat in the West, is isolated to a small portion of a drainage in Eastern Oregon.
Nick stealthily reaches around a corner on a spring fed creek containing John Day Westslope Cutthroat Trout
The Oregon Westslope Cutthroat is a isolated to the upper reaches of the John Day Basin. It is not entirely clear how these fish got here, but one theory states that they could have been isolated/deposited by the Missoula floods. The same holds true for the population in the Yakima basin North of us in Washington which is totally isolated in a similar fashion. Our Westslopes share the upper basin with native Columbia Basin Redband Trout, Bull Trout, as well as non-native invasive Brook Trout. The John Day Westslope Cutthroat trout has a caramel/olive colored appearance. Spotting on the fish is largely concentrated towards the rear of the body, and the belly is generally devoid of spots. They have the telltale Cutthroat scarlet colored “slash” under their gills. They can occasionally feature a rosy colored belly and cheeks as well.
The Oregon Westslope Cutthroat generally do not get as large as their “out of state” cousins.
Much of the middle and lower John Day get far too warm to sustain trout populations, and it is best known as a smallmouth fishery. The Westslopes are found in the upper portion of the basin, especially spring fed tributaries. Fish will move through the system and overwinter lower down. They can be especially difficult to find in the lower months because the floor of the basin is largely privately owned for grazing, residences, farming, etc. In the summer months, these fish can be found in the headwaters and tributaries where they can find shade and cold water in closer proximity to springheads.
Here you can see the scarlet telltale Cutthroat “Slash” on the underside of the jaw.
Nick and I ventured out to catch these fish some weeks ago. It was a trip I have done several years before, but was new for him. I had done my research along with a friend and we went in with a list of tributaries that should hold these fish. That first trip was filled with mapping to several dry creek beds and lots of driving. Towards the end of the trip we had found them, so I had a rough idea of where to go. This time I was more excited to explore some other tributaries in the area.
A meandering spring creek lazily bounces back and forth creating deep holds for the fish along its banks.
These fish live primarily in spring fed tributaries at the top of the John Day basin. You will find everything from rolling meadows with undercut banks to tight brushy forest with lots of shade. Generally the gradient is low, so the stream meanders slowly back and forth creating deeper sections in the corners of the creek. Parts of the upper drainage might look “messy” and difficult to fish, but the logs, stumps, and other debris in the river provides great habitat for these fish.
Water like this is hard to fish, but provides great habitat for trout of all ages, as well as shelter from predators and anglers alike.
Generally in my experience, as you work your way up first you will bump into native Columbia Basin Redband Trout. These fish live alongside the Westslopes and naturally, there is some hybridization. Eventually you will bump into some Cutbows, and if you keep moving higher you will find the more pure looking Westslopes. This is largely dependent on the portion of the river or what tributary you are in. In my experience, I found the Westslopes in the cooler water with deeper undercut banks and what looked to be better habitat suited for growing larger fish. There would be some intermingled small Redbands in this section, but by the size of the Westslopes, it seems like they generally outcompete the Redbands given the right habitat.
The heavy spotting, red lateral line, and unspotted tail are ways to differentiate Columbia Basin Redbands from Westslopes. If you were to flip this fish, it likely would not have had a slash under its jaw.
Because it is generally easier to find these fish in the warmer months, water temperature is something that you should be mindful of. Carrying a thermometer is a must when pursuing these sensitive fish. Much of the system is spring fed in the upper reaches, but you should still be cognizant. The day Nick and I fished it was 98 degrees out, but the water we isolated our fishing to hovered around 56 and never broke 60. The warmer sections that got more light, were shallower, or lower in the system were devoid of trout. If they were in those portions, they definitely didn’t want to eat; if they did, we would risk harming a vulnerable fish population.
Keeping these fish wet when observing them is one way to keep them safe. Also carrying a thermometer can help you reduce harm to these fish.
The cold water in the upper stretches of the drainage is prime habitat for native Bull Trout. You may see these fish, and even have one come after a fly. We urge you to leave these fish alone because their population is even more at risk than their Westslope and Redband neighbors that they share the creek with. The system is unsuitable in the lower stretches, so adult Bull Trout do not have space to migrate as they’d like to. Another concerning threat to the native Bulls is the presence of Brook Trout in the system. They both are members of the Char family, meaning they can hybridize. This generally creates sterile offspring and reduces the amount of spawning adults. Brook Trout in the West, when present, generally overpopulate a stream and have a high density of small adults in the system. This creates an issue of food competition and ravenous brook trout eating native fry. When fishing delicate systems like this if you want to take a fish, make it a brook trout. That way you get a small meal and can help the overall health of the stream. See the figure below of how to discern native Bull Trout from invasive Brook Trout; to an untrained eye, they can look similar. If you do happen to catch a native Bull Trout please keep it wet, handle it as little as you can, and reflect on the special fish that you just caught upon releasing it. If you can’t properly ID it remember: “If you don’t know, let it go”.
If you don’t know, let it go.
Any rod from a 2wt to a 5wt is sufficient to catch these fish. I was using an 8’6 3wt Winston Air 2 and Nick used a 9″ 4wt G. Loomis IMX Pro v2. A standard floating line is ample to fish the streams in the area, we both fished a Scientific Anglers Amplitude Infinity Textured Line, a shop favorite. Nick and I primarily had all of our action on dries, but had a few fish take a small lightly weighted dropper below a bushier dry. Terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, ants, beetles, etc. make up the bulk of these fishes diet in the summer. I had better luck getting fish to eat using 5x to my dry and my trailing nymph would be off 6x tippet. Here are some dries that worked great for us: Mason’s Wingman Ant, Fat Angie, Dry Humper, Elk Hair Caddis Tan, or a Carlson’s Purple Haze. Here are some nymphs: Zebra Midge, Galloup’s Peacock Hares Ear #18, or a Juju Baetis. In the warmer months, there’s generally no need for waders. A good rubber coated small net, is important to have. A rubber coated net is especially important for these fish which need all the gentle handling that they can get. Lastly, a good thermometer is a crucial piece of equipment when chasing Oregon’s Westslopes.
Fish like these are keyed in to taking dries most of the summer.
These fish are part of a very sensitive population that are entirely isolated to the upper John Day Basin, meaning they have nowhere else to go. Several populations have depressed fish counts, so if you decide to pursue this special fish please use caution. Their largest threats include: warming waters, drought, grazing, farming, wildfires, human development, irrigation, and invasive Brook Trout. Several of the creeks I visited on my first trip years ago in a burn area were entirely dried up. Fish may have been higher in the system, but stressing those fish out even more is not something I wanted to do. Visiting the Upper John Day basin in search of Oregon’s only Westslopes is a special experience, and will give you respect for a resilient species in the face of all odds. Again, if you choose to pursue these fish in their home, please do it respectfully.
Pastures for grazing are not an uncommon sight when working your way up a tributary in search of colder water, and better habitat.
Nick’s thoughts on the trip: “The waters that these fish live in are part of such of a pristine ecosystem. It is amazing to be in their home and have the chance to catch these special trout in such a beautiful place. I would definitely recommend other people to get out there and track down some of Oregon’s unique trout species and have the opportunity to experience all of their different environments.”
Some of the smaller Westslopes are the most beautiful, still sporting their juvenile parr marks.
If you have any questions on the matter, please reach out to the shop, we are happy to help you out. Tracking down Oregon’s native trout will take you to some beautiful places, and give you an appreciation for the fish and places we are so lucky to have in our backyard.
In this video, Simon and Nick venture up into the mountains to fish a small freestone stream. Hot weather and wildfires have them searching out cold, shaded tributaries for small native trout. This helps give the trout in the warmer portions of our rivers a much needed break this time of year. The stream they fish is packed with beautiful wild Rainbows and Coastal Cutthroat Trout willing to cooperate and come up for dry flies. What these fish lack in size, they make up for in their beautiful markings. Exploring small creeks like these give you respect for the water and the wild fish that inhabit them. A day of tromping your way through a small stream will give you a reminder of the many things fly fishing is all about. Simon and Nick work through some small stream tactics that they’ve learned over the years that serve them on smaller waters and will help you on yours. This is the time of year to bring out your lighter weight rods and explore that small creek you’ve been meaning to check out. You’ll be surprised what you may run into, and if you pay attention close, you’ll always learn something new spending your day exploring a small creek.
This fly was developed initially by the famed fly tier Charlie Craven and is now tied commercially by Umpqua. Whether you are on a small spring creek, high alpine lake, small freestone stream, or near the brushy banks of a large river, the Fat Angie is a fly that will not disappoint. The fly comes in two distinct sizes “standard” and “big“. This is one of those flies that is truly irresistible to trout; I’ve caught countless trout in many states on this fly and even have caught a rogue largemouth on it. This article will cover the fly’s design, why we like it in the shop, and how we like to fish it.
The brushy banks of the spring creeks in the Driftless Area are a match made in heaven for the Fat Angie.
One of the most important aspects of this fly lies in the hook it is tied on. The fly is built on a curved hook, this allows the rear end of the fly to sit in the water. This is suggestive of a natural insect struggling to stay afloat. Dropping the rear of a fly into the water can be especially helpful when fooling fish in spring creeks or high lakes. These fish have more time to inspect your offering before deciding whether or not they want to eat it. The body of this fly is made up of dubbing and foam and is tied slim in its profile. This stands in stark contrast to its large synthetic wing which it gets the bulk of its buoyancy from. Below that big wing the abdomen of the fly will sit naturally in the film, and the rubber legs will highlight the fact that this insect is indeed struggling on the surface. A few wraps of hackle towards the head help provide additional buoyancy; it is clipped on the bottom to help the fly ride lower. The Big Fat Angie has a second wing making it an awesome dry for summer dry-dropper setups.
Smaller tributaries of the Cascades are a great place right now to take your Fat Angies on a test drive and find cooler water during the summer.
Although this fly is an attractor at heart, I consider this fly more of a terrestrial pattern. It could be a cricket, an ant, a beetle, or a young grasshopper. Last year around the small spring creeks of the Driftless area in the Midwest, there were loads of tan young grasshoppers. When I was visiting, the Cinnamon Fat Angie in a 14 was perfect, and it was one of my favorite single searching flies there. The large wing is also plenty buoyant to allow you to run a small nymph below this fly. On smaller streams in the summer, a large portion of trout’s diets consist of land based “terrestrial” insects. When fishing the upper stretches of the Werner Basin for the Werner Basin Redband Trout, this fly was irresistible to those fish whose favorite snacks are stray ants, beetles, crickets, and small hoppers that end up in the creek. On streams like these is where the Fat Angie really excels. It also can replace virtually any attractor style fly as long as fish are looking up.
These Werner Basin Redband Trout couldn’t get enough of the Fat Angie.
When fishing this fly on a spring creek, I will cast it towards the brushy bank with the seam on it. Ideally, I will have the fly land along the bank, or just in the grass. One small strip will have the Fat Angie falling off streamside foliage just like a real insect. Below is a picture of a brown trout that was fooled by a #14 Purple Fat Angie in just that fashion. On high lakes, look for logs or other structure that insects might fall off of into the lake. When using this fly to search on small freestone streams, I like to present it with a small splash in likely holding water. This again will drive the point home that the insect accidentally fell into the water. The Fat Angie with its large wing does a great job of making a natural looking wake when it falls. Tiny strips too can mimic the insect attempting to fly off the surface as the Angie’s large wing pushes small ripples of water. When searching larger rivers where fish are keyed in on top, try tagging a small Fat Angie behind a large attractor fly, this will help you keep track of it. Also searching with a Big Fat Angie and a nymph dropped below is a great way to search on the surface and underwater simultaneously.
This brown was holding in an undercut bank and rose to a purple Fat Angie being ticked along the grassy bank.
This fly has been a big hit in past years and already this summer in the shop. For me personally this fly smashed last month all around Northern California on the Upper Sacramento and Mccloud. I’ve fished this fly locally on our home waters the Willamette and Mckenzie, and this fly has served me well up in Washington and on spring creeks in Wisconsin. Long story short, I always have a few in my box! We have a wide variety of Fat Angies to choose from, and know you can find one to fit your needs. Our Standard Fat Angies are size 14 and come in purple, black, and cinnamon. The Big Fat Angies are size #8 and come in black and purple. Swing by the shop and check them out, or shop online for them here.
Check out this new podcast featuring stories from hunters and anglers about paranormal encounters in the wild, called The Campfire’s Edge, cohosted by blog-contributor Matt Stansberry and Sarah Rose.
The first four episodes are live now, including an interview w/ Captain Nate Stansberry about his death-defying experiences fishing the Oregon Coast.
The show asks: What happens when people paying close attention to nature encounter the anomalous? How does a paranormal or spiritual experience change a person’s relationship with the landscape? And if there are entities or forces interacting with us in the wild, who are they and what can we hunters and anglers teach us about them?
Chris will be joining an episode soon to talk about bigfoot, so stay tuned!
Warming rivers; wildfires; aging infrastructure; supply cost increases; conflicts with wild fish conservation and recovery. Just a few of the reasons it’s time for the state of Oregon and the public to take a good hard look at the future of Oregon’s hatchery system.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) held a kickoff meeting on June 27th to begin the public engagement process for a comprehensive assessment of the state’s hatchery system. This effort aims to evaluate the state’s hatchery operations, considering factors like economics, climate vulnerability, and impacts on the conservation and recovery of wild fish populations.
The initiative is focused on a key portion of Oregon’s hatchery system–the 14 facilities owned by the state. These hatcheries raise a variety of salmon and steelhead as well as resident trout and have long played a role in fisheries management, particularly in Oregon’s coastal watersheds.
Yet these facilities are facing a diversity of issues that make it difficult for the agency to continue status quo operations over the coming decades. (Read more about how this initiative got started in our previous update). Understanding that there are strongly held perspectives surrounding hatcheries, the department has hired a third-party facilitator to lead a public engagement process.
The June kickoff meeting highlighted the diverse needs of stakeholders. Some advocated for continued hatchery investment and modernization, while others emphasized the importance of prioritizing wild fish conservation and habitat restoration efforts.
Open Dialogue, Diverse Viewpoints: Charting a New Course for Oregon’s Fisheries
Some may view the debate over hatcheries as an intractable “war” with entrenched positions. While finding a workable solution that departs from the status quo may be challenging, it’s not impossible.
I urge all of us to come to the table, be willing to listen openly to the information presented in the analyses, and engage in good faith with the diversity of viewpoints represented. At the end of the day, I’m hopeful that we may be able to help the agency chart a path forward that balances the diverse needs of stakeholders while supporting the long-term health and resilience of Oregon’s native, wild fish populations.
What’s Next? How You Can Be Involved.
The good news is ODFW is creating space to hear from the public and interested stakeholders throughout this process. Here’s how you, as a supporter of wild fish and healthy rivers, can make your voice heard:
ODFW will hold a series of public meetings and webinars throughout the summer. The next phase will include three webinars presenting the findings of the third-party assessments. Visit ODFW’s website for more details and to register. Meetings will also be live-streamed and available as a recording on the ODFW YouTube Channel.
First Webinar – Looking Ahead: Assessing Future Need for Hatcheries Date & Time: Thursday, August 1, 12pm-1pmODFW will lay groundwork for the review with a summary of ongoing and projected environmental changes (e.g., temperature, flow) that are affecting fish populations and hatchery operations in Oregon.
Second Webinar – Looking Ahead: Hatchery Economics and Fish Stock Trends Date & Time: Thursday, August 8, 12pm-1pmThis webinar will cover two topics. First, ODFW will summarize results of a third-party economic analysis of Oregon’s state-owned hatcheries. The analysis includes a description of current operating costs and economic benefits of hatchery production. ODFW will also summarize findings from an assessment of the likely impact of climate change on the future viability of hatchery programs. ODFW rears and releases many different species/stocks—some of which will likely do better in future than others.
Third Webinar – Looking Ahead: Infrastructure Challenges and Opportunities Date & Time: Thursday, August 15, 12pm-1pmThis third webinar summarizes the results of a third-party assessment of the climate vulnerability of each facility, the costs and benefits of infrastructure investments in each state-owned hatchery facility, and whether an alternative to the current model could improve the system’s sustainability.
Attend the ODFW Hatchery Assessment Public Meeting #2 Date & Time: Wednesday, August 28th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Location: ODFWs Commission Room (4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, Salem, OR 97302)
The meeting will also be accessible remotely via this link.
Share your perspective: ODFW will establish a dedicated platform for public comment. We will share this information as soon as it becomes available, allowing you to directly express your concerns and recommendations for a future that prioritizes healthy wild fish populations.
By actively participating in this process, we can ensure the ODFW’s Hatchery Resilience Initiative leads to a future that safeguards Oregon’s native fish and the ecosystems they depend on.
Let’s work together to ensure a sustainable future for Oregon’s iconic fisheries!
