My favorite time of year on the Deschutes is upon us. All day blizzard caddis hatches can create a scum of insects on the water that will make you want to clean your waders. Streamside vegetation can hold so many caddis during evening hours your lantern can be darkened with swarms of caddis. You begin to not care about whether you are eating caddis with your dinner or not, a little protein never hurt anyone. Eddies and edges hold great numbers of hot Deschutes Rainbows slurping the never ending supply of caddis flies.
Tie on a #18, Elk hair Caddis, Royal Wulff, X-Caddis, E/C Caddis or Sedge Hammer Caddis imitation, position yourself on a good looking edge, work a short amount of line out and make short casts upstream continuously moving your feet upstream. Hopefully you will be able to sight cast to rising fish. Time your casts to match the rythmic feeding of the trout. Active fish and active fishing with small dries doesn’t get better. The float from Trout Creek to Maupin is ideal, good walk in access can be had at Mecca Flats, Trout Creek and South Junction all below Pelton Dam.-CD
