Fall fishing has been superb for trout on the McKenzie and Willamette. Steelhead fishing has also picked up considerably on both rivers. Below are some patterns you should have in your box this time of year.
Purple Para Rooster– An all around mayfly imitator the Purple Rooster Parachute does a nice job of imitating Mahogany Duns, Lesser Drakes and others. I really like this fly this time of year but will pull it back out during March Brown time as well.
Rusty October Caddis– The high floating Rusty October Caddis imitates October Caddis and other caddis species you are likely to see late in the day on our local waters.
Orange Foam Elk Hair Caddis– The classic Elk Hair Caddis with an Orange body has worked for the last 30 years and it still does.
Parachute Adams– Key sizes are 10-16, simply a must have this time of year. Grey Drakes, blue winged olives and the mayflies are covered with this all timer.
Bear’s Hi Vis Blue Winged Olive– An excellent Blue Winged Olive imitation. Look for more BWO’s to hatch daily as we progress into fall. Overcast days in particular this is a consistent emergence after about 2pm.
Morrish’s Foam October Caddis– More and more October Caddis are flopping around late afternoon. This hatch just gets more intense and we get deeper into October.
Mercer’s Missing Link– We like the Green Drake version of the Missing link for some of the larger mayflies of fall locally. It fishes particularly well in flat water situations.
Fall Sulphur Parachute- Really not sure why this one is so good, maybe it’s the perfect mix of fall color and size tied like a parachute Adams. Last year this shop custom fly was one of our best all around dries in October.
Moal Leech – The pink and purple “mother of all leeches” is an excellent producer for steelhead in the Willamette. Sink tip slow swing, fish on!
Reverse Marabou – This simple marabou articulated pattern fishes really well in shallow tail outs. We like with with a mid range sink tip clear or type 3.
Morejohn’s Bantam – A mini intruder of sorts that fishes well on darker days. Easy to cast but still has a nice profile in the water.
Green Butt Silver Hilton – When you want to be a bit subtle out there… The water is still pretty low and sometimes a smaller fly is just the ticket. Aquaflies has tied this traditional pattern really nicely.
