Man I wish September was about 60 days long. It’s hard to beat the weather, and of course the fishing is solid all across the state. Locally we have seen dry fly fishing pick up considerably. Prior to October Caddis the big bug of importance for me is the Short Winged Stone. From the bottom to top of the Willamette and McKenzie these stoneflies are present and fish definitely love smashing them near shore or wherever they get the opportunity. Check out this article bug guru Arlen Thomason wrote way back in 2009.
Grey Drakes, Pale Evening Duns and Blue Winged Olives are vital for your collection when you hit the water this time of year.
Anglers should hit the lower river with confidence this time of year. Cooler water temps and more bugs in the air will pull some of the larger fish out of the deepest pools. Swinging wets and fishing smaller dries can be really effective Hendricks down into the mainstream Willamette. When you head up into the upper reaches of the McKenzie and Willamette or branches of those rivers look for mid day to be best. Chubby Chernobyls, Parachute Adams, Half Down Golden Stones are all a good idea when trying to imitate larger stones, gray drakes and hoppers.
